NorthWords Writers Festival is making a stop in Hay River this year, and the event will feature book readings from two extremely influential NWT residents: Marie Wilson and Stephen Kakfwi.
Wilson, a former CBC journalist and the lone non-Indigenous member Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (TRC), will be reading a passage from her forthcoming book North of Nowhere: Song of a Truth and Reconciliation Commissioner. Kakfwi, Wilson's husband, was the ninth premier of the NWT, and is still the longest-serving cabinet member in the territory鈥檚 history. He鈥檒l be reading a segment of his book, Stoneface: Memoir of a Defiant Dene, which came out last year.
Both readings are set for 7:00 pm on May 30 at the Hay River Centennial Library.
鈥淚鈥檝e attended the NorthWords Festival before as a participant, but never as an author,鈥� Wilson said. 鈥淚鈥檓 very excited about that, and going to Hay River is great because I always love going to any of the communities and getting out beyond Yellowknife.鈥�
鈥淢arie and I have done some presentations together in the past, and it鈥檚 always worked out really well,鈥� added Kakfwi. 鈥淚 look forward to doing this little trip, together with her, presenting together as well.鈥�
Wilson鈥檚 book is an account of her work on the TRC. She began writing the book as a means of 鈥減ersonal care,鈥� and also to document her life for her children and grandchildren.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 start off thinking I was writing a book,鈥� she said. 鈥淥ne of the ways for me to kind of get whatever鈥檚 inside of me out has been through writing.
鈥淥nce the constant day-to-day demands of the commission was over, [I thought] how do I pause and really process what I鈥檝e lived through and what I鈥檝e experienced and what I鈥檝e heard? I started writing that way, and I also wanted to leave a record for my family because this work took me on the road a lot. I was gone easily 80 per cent of the time, and my grandchildren in particular were very small at the time, and saw me coming and going, probably wondering where the heck was I going and why was it important. I really wanted there to be some records so that they would know that.鈥�
She is 鈥渟atisfied鈥� with the final product, which will be available in June.
鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 always easy, the writing of it, but I鈥檓 glad I saw it through,鈥� she said. 鈥淚鈥檓 glad that there will be another tool in the toolkit for informing people going forward.鈥�
Kakfwi鈥檚 book recounts his experiences as a residential school survivor 鈥� experiences he hesitated to speak about during his time in public office.
鈥淵ears ago when I was still a minister in the government, I didn鈥檛 want to talk about my residential school experiences,鈥� he said. 鈥淲hen it was published, it鈥檚 done. It鈥檚 your own words, your own experience, and so no one is ever going to duplicate that.
鈥淣obody will ever write a book like that.鈥�
Much like his wife, he felt a lot of satisfaction when the project was finished.
鈥淚 would say it鈥檚 like writing a song and then hearing it over the radio for the very first time,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t kind of makes you want to jump up and holler and skip down the road and back. It鈥檚 an exhilarating kind of feeling.鈥�
NorthWords 2024 runs from May 30 to June 2. This year marks the festival鈥檚 19th annual edition. The bulk of the festival鈥檚 events will occur in Yellowknife, with a lineup of readings, panel discussions, writing workshops and more on the schedule.
