Sôhkêyihta : The Poetry of Sky Dancer Louise Bernice Halfe / selected with an introduction by David Gaertner ; and an afterword by Louise Bernice Halfe.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Halfe, Louise, 1953-

Series:

Laurier poetry series.

Laurier poetry series

Standardized Title:

Poems. Selections

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Canadian poetry--21st century.

Canadian poetry.

Cree Indians--Poetry.

Cree Indians.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xx, 92 pages).

Place of Publication:

Waterloo, Ontario : Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2018.

Summary:

"I build this story like my lair. One willow, / a rib at a time" - "The Crooked Good" Since 1990, Sky Dancer Louise Bernice Halfe's work has stood out as essential testimony to Indigenous experiences within the ongoing history of colonialism and the resilience of Indigenous storytellers. Sôhkêyihta includes searing poems, written across the expanse of Halfe's career, aimed at helping readers move forward from the darkness into a place of healing. Halfe's own afterword is an evocative meditation on the Cree word sôhkêyihta: Have courage. Be brave. Be strong. She writes of coming into her practice as a poet and the stories, people, and experiences that gave her courage and allowed her to construct her "lair." She also reflects on her relationship with nêhiyawêwin, the Cree language, and the ways in which it informs her relationships and poetics. The introduction by David Gaertner situates Halfe's writing within the history of whiteness and colonialism that works to silence and repress Indigenous voices. Gaertner pays particular attention to the ways in which Halfe addresses, incorporates, and pushes back against silence, and suggests that her work is an act of bearing witness - what Kwagiulth scholar Sarah Hunt identifies as making Indigenous lives visible.

Contents:

Front Matter

Table of Contents

Foreword

Biographical Note

Introduction

From Bear Bones & Feathers

pawakan

From The Crooked Good

From ARC Poetry Magazine

From Burning in This Midnight Dream

From The Malahat Review

Afterword / Sky Dancer Louise Bernice Halfe

Cree Glossary

Acknowledgements

Books in the Laurier Poetry Series

Notes:

"Includes some words in Cree"--Title page verso.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

9781771123518

1771123516

9781771123501

1771123508

OCLC:

1031049594