John Brady McDonald. (artbyjohnmcdonald.weebly.com)

By Dawson Thompson

Published Poetry

Local poet publishes books about growing up Indigenous in Prince Albert

Jul 31, 2021 | 10:00 AM

A local Indigenous poet and author, John Brady McDonald is celebrating the recent publication of two collections of poetry.

The books both speak about growing up within the Prince Albert area.

McDonald wrote ‘Childhood Thoughts and Water’ which is published by Bookland Press, and ‘KITOTAM,’ which translates into ‘he speaks to it’ in English, which is published by Radiant Press.

“I grew up in the west flat of P.A.,” McDonald told paNOW. “What these books do is chronical growing up as an urban Indigenous young man in the city of Prince Albert in the ’80s.

“A lot of the poems in the books are based around my experiences growing up in the area, some of the challenges that were brought about and some of the memories that I have of being a young Indigenous man on the streets in P.A.”

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McDonald is a spoken word artist and poet. The books are narrative, and a lot of the work is based off memories from his youth.

Childhood Thoughts and Water. (artbyjohnmcdonald.weebly.com)

“In Childhood Thoughts and Water I talk about some of the things that happened when going out to Hands Bridge and what it’s like sitting on the shores of Waskesui lake.

“Both books also feature quite a bit about the Indigenous experience in the 21st century, what we have dealt with and what we are going through right now with online racism that we are facing.”

Issues and racism that McDonald faced growing up and the anger he felt are addressed in the book.

“At the same time, juxtaposing that with talking about healing, going back and regaining my culture and my language and reconciling within myself, a lot of the trauma that I experienced and paying attribute to individuals who meant a huge deal not only to myself but the community as well,” McDonald said.

“I have a piece that is a memorial to Bernice Sayese. KITOTAM also features a poem about Tristen Durocher.”

KITOTAM. (artbyjohnmcdonald.weebly.com)

McDonald is hoping to see the books in schools where they are a part of learning and classroom discussion.

Both of these books were published during the pandemic, which has made it very difficult for McDonald to promote the books in person and do things like in-person book signings.

The books can be purchased at most book stores including Chapters locations, Turning the Tide bookstore in Saskatoon and online as well for any shoppers who are not in that area.

McDonald has another book that will be coming out with Bookland Press and will be published this fall.

–

Dawson.thompson@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @dawsonthompson8