If you told me 2 years ago that I would end up working with getting Indigenous youth into publishing, and reading and promoting Indigenous books, I don’t think I would have believed you.
However, in this past year I opened my mind and filled it with knowledge from Indigenous authors and books.

The Bridge to Publishing (or B2P for short) pilot incorporates Indigenous ways of knowing to help connect young Indigenous creatives to the publishing sector of Atlantic Canada. It’s all about encouraging and empowering Indigenous youth to get into the publishing sector of Atlantic Canada.

As a B2P Correspondent, I have the privilege of reading and reviewing Indigenous books and encouraging diverse ranges of youth across Atlantic Canada to take an interest in, and celebrate Indigenous stories. B2P Correspondents hope to bridge the gap between the Indigenous Community and the publishing sector to ensure that Indigenous Stories can be told and heard.

I am so grateful for what I’ve learned, and the new knowledge and understanding that I gained in this previous year. I loved learning about Indigenous culture, and immersing myself in their storytelling. The perspectives and worldviews that I have read about are added to my own ways of knowing, and I’m so excited to learn more!

I hope that during my year as a B2P Correspondent I was able to reach many youth across Canada and prove that each and every one of our stories matter.

When this position was offered to me, I’m not going to lie, I was a bit confused. It took me a while to grasp the concept that I would play a role in getting Indigenous youth to become published authors. I didn’t think much of it at the time, and I was wondering how I was even supposed to do that. Prior to this, I didn’t have much experience working with anyone from the Indigenous community and I didn’t really understand why it was such a big deal to get Indigenous people (especially youth) into the publishing sector. It wasn’t until I was in one of the meetings that I realized there really is a gap between Indigenous authors and non-Indigenous authors in publishing.

Once I realized the importance of getting more Indigenous authors into the publishing sector of Atlantic Canada, I took the position as a correspondent. I realized that trust needed to be built and earned for publishing houses, and that’s where I (and the other B2P Correspondents) come in. We’re here to show them the Indigenous books that have been published already. What we do isn’t just reading, promoting, and reviewing, we’re also here to support and show love to Indigenous books so that many more will come in the future <3

My mentors are so helpful and always supportive, so I want to give a big thank you to Killa Atencio for being my Bridge to Publishing Mentor, and to Robin Grant and Sophia Hong who gave me this wonderful opportunity!

During my time as a youth correspondent with Bridge to Publishing, I read a total of 11 books in one year. You can check out my book reviews for all of them with the links below, and the publishers for each one.

Amazing L’nu’k
by Robin Grant and Julie Pellisser-lush
Published by Nimbus Publishing

Living in Indigenous Sovereignty
by Elizabeth Carlson-Manathara with Gladys Rowe
Published by Fernwood Publishing

Warrior Life
by Pamela Palmater
Published by Fernwood Publishing

The Sacred Space
by Brian J. Francis
Published by Acornpress

Decolonizing Sport
edited by Janice Forsyth, Christine O’Bonsawin, Russell Field and Murray G. Phillips
Published by Fernwood Publishing

White Benevolence
edited by Amanda Gebhard, Sheelah McLean, Verna St. Denis
Published by Fernwood Publishing

Realizing a Good Life
by Elizabeth Comack
Published by Fernwood Publishing

Country of Poxes
by Baijayanta Mukhopadhyay
Published by Fernwood Publishing

Suliewey
by Sheila O’Neil and Mi’sel Joe
Published by Breakwater Books

I Place You Into the Fire
by Rebecca Thomas
Published by Nimbus Publishing

Firekeeper
by Katłįą
Published by Fernwood Publishing

Alright everyone, that’s it for now, and that’s a wrap on my one year of B2P. Here’s to hoping that more progress will be made in the future, and that the gap to publishing will be bridged. <3