In celebration of National Indigenous History Month, join Ottawa Public Library for a talk with Waubgeshig Rice!
Moon of the Turning Leaves was largely inspired by Anishinaabe history, culture, and Waubgeshig’s upbringing in his home community of Wasauksing First Nation. Waub recalls looking to the past to consider how to write about the future. This talk highlights historical, cultural, and speculative themes readers can explore when engaging with this book and others by Indigenous authors.
Waubgeshig Rice is an author and journalist from Wasauksing First Nation on Georgian Bay. His breakthrough novel Moon of the Crusted Snow was published in 2018 to widespread critical acclaim. Its sequel, Moon of the Turning Leaves, was published in 2023 and became an instant bestseller. He is also the author of the short story collection Midnight Sweatlodge (2011) and the novel Legacy (2014). His books have been translated into French and German, and his short stories and essays have been published in numerous anthologies.
As a journalist, his reporting journey began in 1996 as an exchange student in northern Germany, writing articles about being an Anishinaabe youth in a foreign country for newspapers back in Canada. He graduated from the journalism program at Toronto Metropolitan University in 2002. He spent most of his journalism career with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation as a video journalist, web writer, producer, and radio host. In 2014, he received the Anishinabek Nation’s Debwewin Citation for excellence in First Nation Storytelling. His final role with CBC was host of Up North, the afternoon radio program for northern Ontario. He left daily journalism in 2020 to focus on his literary career.
The event will conclude with an audience Q&A, followed by a Meet & Greet with the author. Our friends from Octopus Books bookstore will be on hand selling the author's books.
Ottawa Public Library is committed to ensuring that all programs are accessible to everyone. If you need assistance registering for this program or require specific accommodations to participate, please contact us.