Hello, readers!

My name is Lauren Hjalmarson, and I have created this blog to join in on the web of discussion that will take place under the umbrella of the fourth-year UBC English course “Canadian Literary Genres” (or: “Oh, Canada… Our Home and Native Land?”). This online course of studies concerns the complex and contested narratives that make up the diverse field of Canadian literature, and examines why some of these stories are publicly celebrated while others are often ignored.

I am excited to be diving into this field, as I know too little about the stories connected to the land I live on, and I feel that the sort of knowledge that I am about to gain is the kind from which all Canadians could benefit. The injustices that Canada’s indigenous peoples have endured since contact have been atrocious, and I find the ongoing violence against aboriginal women particularly heart-rending.

While I expect English 470A to be a challenging course, I am looking forward to learning about the colonizing narratives in Canadian literature as well as exploring what can be done through stories to assist in the process of decolonization, because I am an artist who is interested in making work about this subject. I have done so now and again while studying in the Interdisciplinary Performance BFA program at UBC’s Okanagan campus, as I was galvanized in my first semester by the story of Helen Betty Osborne as related by Marilyn Dumont’s famous poem. In fact, this past semester I wrote a children’s chapter book with the goal of communicating to young people the need for settlers to develop a greater appreciation for “Canada’s” land and people. The story is about a coyote and a golden retriever puppy that become friends. It will be published as part of a project called Dig Your Neighbourhood in April of 2015, and I am currently in the process of finishing up the illustrations. Below is a photo of a work in progress:

Coyote teaches puppy how to howl.

I will sign off now for the time being, but I am looking forward to returning to this blog next week to post again. I hope you’ll leave a comment so that we connect!

–  Lauren

 Works Cited

Dumont, Marilyn. “Helen Betty Osborne.” Native Poetry in Canada: A Contemporary Anthology. Ed. Jeannette C. Armstrong and Lally Grauer. Peterborough: Broadview Press, 2001. 258-59. Google Books. Web. 14 Jan. 2015.

Manitoba govt. Aboriginal Justice Implementation Commission. The Death of Helen Betty Osborne. AJIC.MB.ca. Manitoba govt, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2015.