Bad Banana

NEW BOOK April 24th, 2025 By Shari Narine Windspeaker.com Books Feature Writer Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg writer, scholar and musician Leanne Betasamosake Simpson admits she was worried that when her book Theory of Water: Nishnaabe Maps to the Times Ahead was finally published it would no longer be relevant. “I wrote the book at a different time. Trump wasn't elected yet,” said Betasamosake Simpson. But with Theory of Water , which hit bookstores April 22, Betasamosake Simpson’s non-fiction is even more relevant as U.S. President Donald Trump insists that Canada should become the 51st state, having his sights set on Canada’s water, minerals and natural resources. At the same time, the federal Liberals and Conservatives are vowing to extract those resources for an economic advantage at home. “I'm always t...

Wayne Arthurson is writer-in-residence at the University of Alberta until May 31, 2024. “Just find your own path for writing and do it your own way and if that works for you, then that works for you.” —author Wayne Arthurson   By Shari Narine Local Journalism Initiative Reporter Windspeaker.com | October 19th, 2023  The writer-in-residence at the University of Alberta believes the publishing industry is changing for Indigenous writers. “I think it's growing,” said Wayne Arthurson, who is of Cree and French-Canadian descent. “It used to be, maybe even 10 years ago, they have the one or two big name Indigenous writers … and a lot of publishers didn't look outside that… But now I think it's much more open because there's a lot of Indigenous writers who are having books out there that are successful.” Arthurson has been writing for more than 30 years. Final Season , his first of eigh...