New Titles

When The Pine Needles Fall : Indigenous Acts of Resistance /

Gabriel, Katsi'tsakwas Ellen,


Foreword by Pamela Palmater; afterword by Audra Simpson. Includes appendeces: Speech to Status of Women Committee, 2013, and Speech at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, 2009. The land is our teacher -- Protecting the pines -- The siege of KanehsatÃ :ke and KahnawÃ :ke -- Echoes -- The art of resistance -- Women's rights -- Indigenous internationalism -- Resurgence -- Living for the land. "There have been many things written about Canada's violent siege of KanehsatÃ :ke and KahnawÃ :ke in the summer of 1990 (the so-called Oka Crisis), but When the Pine Needles Fall: Indigenous Acts of Resistance is the first book from the perspective of Katsi'tsakwas Ellen Gabriel, who was the Kanien'kehÃ¡:ka (Mohawk) spokesperson during the siege. When the Pine Needles Fall, written in a conversational style by Gabriel with historian Sean Carleton, offers an intimate look at Gabriel's life leading up to the 1990 siege, her experiences as spokesperson for her community, and her work since then as an Indigenous land defender, human rights activist, and feminist leader. More than just the memoir of an extraordinary individual, When the Pine Needles Fall offers insight into Indigenous language, history, and philosophy, reflections on our relationship with the land, and calls to action against both colonialism and capitalism as we face the climate crisis. Gabriel's hopes for a decolonial future make clear why protecting Indigenous homelands is vital not only for the survival of Indigenous peoples, but for all who live on this planet."--
Date Published:2024

Foreword by Pamela Palmater; afterword by Audra Simpson. Includes appendeces: Speech to Status of Women Committee, 2013, and Speech at the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues, 2009. The land is our teacher -- Protecting the pines -- The siege of KanehsatÃ :ke and KahnawÃ :ke -- Echoes -- The art of resistance -- Women's rights -- Indigenous internationalism -- Resurgence -- Living for the land. "There have been many things written about Canada's violent siege of KanehsatÃ :ke and KahnawÃ :ke in the summer of 1990 (the so-called Oka Crisis), but When the Pine Needles Fall: Indigenous Acts of Resistance is the first book from the perspective of Katsi'tsakwas Ellen Gabriel, who was the Kanien'kehÃ¡:ka (Mohawk) spokesperson during the siege. When the Pine Needles Fall, written in a conversational style by Gabriel with historian Sean Carleton, offers an intimate look at Gabriel's life leading up to the 1990 siege, her experiences as spokesperson for her community, and her work since then as an Indigenous land defender, human rights activist, and feminist leader. More than just the memoir of an extraordinary individual, When the Pine Needles Fall offers insight into Indigenous language, history, and philosophy, reflections on our relationship with the land, and calls to action against both colonialism and capitalism as we face the climate crisis. Gabriel's hopes for a decolonial future make clear why protecting Indigenous homelands is vital not only for the survival of Indigenous peoples, but for all who live on this planet."--

Date Published:2024

News : postcards from the four directions

Taylor, Drew Hayden


In this collection of short humorous essays originally written for the popular media, playwright, novelist and screenwriter Drew Hayden Taylor sends his readers fascinating and exotic postcards from his globetrotting adventures, always on the lookout for the NEWS about aboriginal peoples around the world. Organized around the thematics suggested by the four cardinal directions central to the Ojibwa peoples—East for beginnings and youth; South for journeys both physical and spiritual; West for maturity and responsibility; and North for contemplation and wisdom; these communiqués are sent not so much to instruct as they are to delight.
Date Published:2010

In this collection of short humorous essays originally written for the popular media, playwright, novelist and screenwriter Drew Hayden Taylor sends his readers fascinating and exotic postcards from his globetrotting adventures, always on the lookout for the NEWS about aboriginal peoples around the world. Organized around the thematics suggested by the four cardinal directions central to the Ojibwa peoples—East for beginnings and youth; South for journeys both physical and spiritual; West for maturity and responsibility; and North for contemplation and wisdom; these communiqués are sent not so much to instruct as they are to delight.

Date Published:2010

Theory of Water : Nishnaabe Maps to the times ahead.


For many years, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson has found refuge in skiing—in all kinds of weather across different forms of terrain, often following the trail beside a beloved creek near her home. Recently, as she skimmed along this path and meditated on our world's uncertainty—including environmental devastation, the rise of authoritarianism, and the effects of ongoing social injustice—her mind turned to the ice beside her, and the snow beneath her feet. And she asked herself: What might it mean to truly listen to water? To know not only the land on which we live, but the water that surrounds and inhabits us? To coexist with and alongside water? So begins this renowned writer's quest to discover, understand, and trace the historical and cultural interactions of Indigenous peoples with water in all its forms. On her journey, she reflects on the teachings, traditions, stories, and creative work of others in her community—particularly those of her longtime friend Doug Williams, an Elder whose presence suffuses these pages; reads deeply the words of thinkers from other communities whose writing expands her own; and begins to shape a "Theory of Water" that reimagines relationships among all beings and life-forces. In this essential and inventive work, Simpson artfully weaves Nishnaabeg stories with her own thought and lived experience—and offers a vision of water as a catalyst for transformation, today and into our shared future.
Date Published:2025

For many years, Leanne Betasamosake Simpson has found refuge in skiing—in all kinds of weather across different forms of terrain, often following the trail beside a beloved creek near her home. Recently, as she skimmed along this path and meditated on our world's uncertainty—including environmental devastation, the rise of authoritarianism, and the effects of ongoing social injustice—her mind turned to the ice beside her, and the snow beneath her feet. And she asked herself: What might it mean to truly listen to water? To know not only the land on which we live, but the water that surrounds and inhabits us? To coexist with and alongside water? So begins this renowned writer's quest to discover, understand, and trace the historical and cultural interactions of Indigenous peoples with water in all its forms. On her journey, she reflects on the teachings, traditions, stories, and creative work of others in her community—particularly those of her longtime friend Doug Williams, an Elder whose presence suffuses these pages; reads deeply the words of thinkers from other communities whose writing expands her own; and begins to shape a "Theory of Water" that reimagines relationships among all beings and life-forces. In this essential and inventive work, Simpson artfully weaves Nishnaabeg stories with her own thought and lived experience—and offers a vision of water as a catalyst for transformation, today and into our shared future.

Date Published:2025

Cold: A Novel

Taylor, Drew Hayden.


"A tragic plane crash that leaves two women stranded and fighting for their lives kicks off this sweeping and hilarious novel from award-winning writer Drew Hayden Taylor that blends thriller, murder mystery, and horror with humour and spectacle. Elmore Trent is a professor of Indigenous studies who finds himself entangled in an affair that's ruining his marriage; Paul North plays in the IHL (Indigenous Hockey League), struggling to keep up with the game that's passing him by; Detective Ruby Birch is chasing a string of gruesome murders, with clues that conspicuously lead her to both Elmore and Paul. And then there's Fabiola Halan, former journalist-turned-author and famed survivor of a plane crash that sparked a nationwide tour promoting her book. What starts off as a series of subtle connections between isolated characters quickly takes a menacing turn, as it becomes increasingly clear that someone—or something—is hunting them all. Taking tropes from murder mystery, police procedural, thriller, and horror, Drew Hayden Taylor weaves a pulse-pounding and propulsive narrative with an intricate cast of characters, while never losing the ability to make you laugh. Cold takes Indigenous traditional stories and thrusts them into the modern streets of Toronto, exploring themes of displacement and trauma, as well as offering playful satirical critiques of the current landscape of Indigenous literature."
Date Published:

"A tragic plane crash that leaves two women stranded and fighting for their lives kicks off this sweeping and hilarious novel from award-winning writer Drew Hayden Taylor that blends thriller, murder mystery, and horror with humour and spectacle. Elmore Trent is a professor of Indigenous studies who finds himself entangled in an affair that's ruining his marriage; Paul North plays in the IHL (Indigenous Hockey League), struggling to keep up with the game that's passing him by; Detective Ruby Birch is chasing a string of gruesome murders, with clues that conspicuously lead her to both Elmore and Paul. And then there's Fabiola Halan, former journalist-turned-author and famed survivor of a plane crash that sparked a nationwide tour promoting her book. What starts off as a series of subtle connections between isolated characters quickly takes a menacing turn, as it becomes increasingly clear that someone—or something—is hunting them all. Taking tropes from murder mystery, police procedural, thriller, and horror, Drew Hayden Taylor weaves a pulse-pounding and propulsive narrative with an intricate cast of characters, while never losing the ability to make you laugh. Cold takes Indigenous traditional stories and thrusts them into the modern streets of Toronto, exploring themes of displacement and trauma, as well as offering playful satirical critiques of the current landscape of Indigenous literature."

Date Published:

Stolen Sisters : a one-woman play.



Date Published:2024

Trapped



Date Published:

Coexistence : stories /

Belcourt, Billy-Ray.


"A collection of intersecting stories about Indigenous love and loneliness from one of contemporary literature's most boundless minds. Across the prairies and Canada's west coast, on reserves and university campuses, at literary festivals and existential crossroads, the characters in Coexistence are searching for connection. They're learning to live with and understand one another, to see beauty and terror side by side, and to accept that the past, present, and future can inhabit a single moment. An aging mother confides in her son about an intimate friendship from her distant girlhood. A middling poet is haunted by the cliché his life has become. A chorus of anonymous gay men dispense unvarnished truths about their sex lives. A man freshly released from prison finds that life on the outside has sinister strictures of its own. A PhD student dog-sits for his parents at what was once a lodging for nuns operating a residential school--a house where the spectre of Catholicism comes to feel eerily literal. Bearing the compression, crystalline sentences, and emotional potency that have characterized his earlier books, Coexistence is a testament to Belcourt's mastery of and playfulness in any literary form. A vital addition to an already rich catalogue, this is a must-read collection and the work of an author at the height of his powers."--Publisher.
Date Published:2024

"A collection of intersecting stories about Indigenous love and loneliness from one of contemporary literature's most boundless minds. Across the prairies and Canada's west coast, on reserves and university campuses, at literary festivals and existential crossroads, the characters in Coexistence are searching for connection. They're learning to live with and understand one another, to see beauty and terror side by side, and to accept that the past, present, and future can inhabit a single moment. An aging mother confides in her son about an intimate friendship from her distant girlhood. A middling poet is haunted by the cliché his life has become. A chorus of anonymous gay men dispense unvarnished truths about their sex lives. A man freshly released from prison finds that life on the outside has sinister strictures of its own. A PhD student dog-sits for his parents at what was once a lodging for nuns operating a residential school--a house where the spectre of Catholicism comes to feel eerily literal. Bearing the compression, crystalline sentences, and emotional potency that have characterized his earlier books, Coexistence is a testament to Belcourt's mastery of and playfulness in any literary form. A vital addition to an already rich catalogue, this is a must-read collection and the work of an author at the height of his powers."--Publisher.

Date Published:2024

Michi saagiig nishnaabeg : this is our territory /

Williams, Doug, 1942-


This book is a series of stories from the oral tradition of the Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg as told by Elder Gidigaa Migizi (Doug Williams). In his own words, he shares the history of the Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg discussing their origin stories, alliances, diplomacy, resistance and relations to the lands and waters in their homeland.
Date Published:2018

The Condor and the Eagle Meet : Slam Coalkan Performance Poetry.

Murrin, Jennifer


FNMI First Voices Anthology .
Date Published:2022

Baby driver

Kerouac, Jan, 1952-,


"The first novel by Jan Kerouac, daughter of Jack--a thrilling work of autobiographical fiction that hops from Mexico to Manhattan, Sante Fe to South America, describing with inspired detail a life colored by drugs, abandonment, loss, far-flung travel, occasional danger, and like her father, a relentless quest for pure experience. "Was it January or February? The coconut fronds waving, shining like green hair in the sun, gave no clue." Fifteen-year-old Jan is pregnant, gamely living off rice and whatever fish her boyfriend John can catch in Yelapa, Mexico. She and John, who introduced her to Beckett, Kafka, Joyce, and Dostoevsky, are writing a novel together. Before she can leave for Guadalajara where she plans to deliver her baby, she goes into labor three months early, and the baby is stillborn. She turns sixteen soon after and decides to head north."-- Provided by publisher.
Date Published:2025

"The first novel by Jan Kerouac, daughter of Jack--a thrilling work of autobiographical fiction that hops from Mexico to Manhattan, Sante Fe to South America, describing with inspired detail a life colored by drugs, abandonment, loss, far-flung travel, occasional danger, and like her father, a relentless quest for pure experience. "Was it January or February? The coconut fronds waving, shining like green hair in the sun, gave no clue." Fifteen-year-old Jan is pregnant, gamely living off rice and whatever fish her boyfriend John can catch in Yelapa, Mexico. She and John, who introduced her to Beckett, Kafka, Joyce, and Dostoevsky, are writing a novel together. Before she can leave for Guadalajara where she plans to deliver her baby, she goes into labor three months early, and the baby is stillborn. She turns sixteen soon after and decides to head north."-- Provided by publisher.

Date Published:2025

Mikissuk's Secret

Lafonta, Isabelle


"Mikissuk dreams of going hunting on the big dogsled, but her brother says she is too small and not tough enough. Can Mikissuk convince him that she is ready? Maybe she can, but only if her"
Date Published:

The Hutchinson atlas of World War II battle plans : before and after /


Fall of France -- Battle of Gazala -- Operation Bagration -- Anzio -- D-Day -- Iwo Jima -- Operation Barbarossa -- Second battle of El Alamein -- Kursk -- Battle of Britain -- The Schweinfurt raid -- Monte Cassino -- Sink the Bismarck! -- Pearl Harbor -- Operation Pedestal -- Battle for Crete -- Operation Market-Garden (the bridge at Arnheim) -- Operation Thursday -- Stalingrad -- Battle of Manila -- Battle of Berlin.
Date Published:2000

Fall of France -- Battle of Gazala -- Operation Bagration -- Anzio -- D-Day -- Iwo Jima -- Operation Barbarossa -- Second battle of El Alamein -- Kursk -- Battle of Britain -- The Schweinfurt raid -- Monte Cassino -- Sink the Bismarck! -- Pearl Harbor -- Operation Pedestal -- Battle for Crete -- Operation Market-Garden (the bridge at Arnheim) -- Operation Thursday -- Stalingrad -- Battle of Manila -- Battle of Berlin.

Date Published:2000

Beyond crazy: journeys through mental illness

Nunes, Julia


"Stories of real Canadians, some celebrities and some not, who have suffered and survived mental illness, including Ronnie Hawkins, Scott Thompson, Margot Kidder, Elizabeth Manley and Michael Wilson. Includes side-bars with summaries of symptoms, etc."
Date Published:

Christmas customs & traditions

Muir, Frank,


Includes index.
Date Published:1977

The Old Man and the Sea

Hemingway, Ernest



Date Published:

AlterNatives

Taylor, Drew Hayden, 1962-


A very liberal contemporary couple — Angel, an urban Native science fiction writer, and Colleen, a “non-practising” Jewish intellectual who teaches Native literature — hosts a dinner party. The guests at this little “sitcom” soirée are couples that represent what by now have become the clichéd extremes of both societies: Angel’s former radical Native activist buddies and Colleen’s environmentally concerned vegetarian / veterinarian friends. The menu is, of course, the hosts’ respectful attempt at shorthand for the irreconcilable cultural differences about to come to a head during the evening: moose roast and vegetarian lasagna. A play.
Date Published:2000

A very liberal contemporary couple — Angel, an urban Native science fiction writer, and Colleen, a “non-practising” Jewish intellectual who teaches Native literature — hosts a dinner party. The guests at this little “sitcom” soirée are couples that represent what by now have become the clichéd extremes of both societies: Angel’s former radical Native activist buddies and Colleen’s environmentally concerned vegetarian / veterinarian friends. The menu is, of course, the hosts’ respectful attempt at shorthand for the irreconcilable cultural differences about to come to a head during the evening: moose roast and vegetarian lasagna. A play.

Date Published:2000

Cerulean blue : a comedy in two acts /

Taylor, Drew Hayden, 1962-


A play. "A comedic play about a struggling blues band invited to participate in a benefit concert for a First Nation community in conflict with governmental authorities. Upon arriving, the band discovers the entire lineup of musical acts has cancelled and they're left trapped behind barricades. Complicating the matter, there is conflict within the band and the sudden appearance of an old girlfriend makes the event even more perilous. This play is an homage to fast-moving farces while also addressing Aboriginal issues. Cerulean Blue deals with relationships, perceptions, politics, and what to do when you discover you've been dating your first cousin. Add a few spoonfuls of original blues music, and you've got a fun-filled evening. The play was written for a large ensemble cast, which makes it ideal for musical theatre performances by high school and college students - every student can play a part. Ojibway writer Drew Hayden Taylor is hailed by the Montreal Gazette as one of Canada's leading Native dramatists. One of his most established bodies of work includes what he calls the Blues Quartet, an ongoing, outrageous, and often farcical examination of Native and non-Native stereotypes. His works include Theatre, In a World Created by a Drunken God, and Only Drunks and Children Tell the Truth"--Provided by publisher.
Date Published:2015

A play. "A comedic play about a struggling blues band invited to participate in a benefit concert for a First Nation community in conflict with governmental authorities. Upon arriving, the band discovers the entire lineup of musical acts has cancelled and they're left trapped behind barricades. Complicating the matter, there is conflict within the band and the sudden appearance of an old girlfriend makes the event even more perilous. This play is an homage to fast-moving farces while also addressing Aboriginal issues. Cerulean Blue deals with relationships, perceptions, politics, and what to do when you discover you've been dating your first cousin. Add a few spoonfuls of original blues music, and you've got a fun-filled evening. The play was written for a large ensemble cast, which makes it ideal for musical theatre performances by high school and college students - every student can play a part. Ojibway writer Drew Hayden Taylor is hailed by the Montreal Gazette as one of Canada's leading Native dramatists. One of his most established bodies of work includes what he calls the Blues Quartet, an ongoing, outrageous, and often farcical examination of Native and non-Native stereotypes. His works include Theatre, In a World Created by a Drunken God, and Only Drunks and Children Tell the Truth"--Provided by publisher.

Date Published:2015

In a world created by a drunken God

Taylor, Drew Hayden, 1962-


Jason Pierce, a 31-year-old Canadian half-Native man, is paid an unexpected visit by a 34-year-old American man, Harry Deiter, who awkwardly introduces himself as Jason’s half-brother. What Harry wants from Jason is bizarre: to be compatibility-tested for a possible kidney donation to their dying non-Native father–a man Jason has no memory of ever meeting and who, after a brief and secret affair, abandoned his Canadian Native mother when he was two months old. This play raises powerful questions that transcend issues of culture, morality and history – they cut to the ethical quick of what it means to be human in a chaotic world stripped of the comfortable security of identity politics.
Date Published:2006

Jason Pierce, a 31-year-old Canadian half-Native man, is paid an unexpected visit by a 34-year-old American man, Harry Deiter, who awkwardly introduces himself as Jason’s half-brother. What Harry wants from Jason is bizarre: to be compatibility-tested for a possible kidney donation to their dying non-Native father–a man Jason has no memory of ever meeting and who, after a brief and secret affair, abandoned his Canadian Native mother when he was two months old. This play raises powerful questions that transcend issues of culture, morality and history – they cut to the ethical quick of what it means to be human in a chaotic world stripped of the comfortable security of identity politics.

Date Published:2006

Dead White Writer on the Floor

Taylor, Drew Hayden,


"Dead White Writer on the Floor uses two literary conventions—theatre of the absurd and mystery novels—to create one of the funniest and thought-provoking plays ever about identity politics. In Act One, six “savages”; noble, innocent, ignorant, fearless, wise and gay, respectively; find themselves in a locked room with the body of a white writer, which they stash in a closet. None of them can figure out how he died or which of them might have killed him. They realize as they point fingers at each other, however, that they are all profoundly unhappy with their lives as they’ve been constructed over the past four hundred years: Old Lodge Skins wants to know what it feels like to be a young man; Billy Jack wonders what spreading healing rather than pain would feel like; Injun Joe is desperate for an education; Kills Many Enemies is exhausted by his deadly seriousness and yearns for a sense of humour; Pocahontas seeks to feel respected as a woman rather than lusted after as a child sex object; and Tonto wants to “come out of the canyon” and be the one wearing the mask for a change. Gradually, they figure out that the latest iteration of Gutenberg’s invention buzzing like a beehive on the dead writer’s desk is actually a dream-catcher, which they can use to rewrite their lives in the image of their own inner beings. Imagine their surprise when they reappear in the same locked room in Act Two as Mike, Jim, Bill, John, Sally and Fred—attending an A.A. meeting and bickering among themselves about reserve politics, unmanageable family relationships and whether Bingo has a place in their new air-conditioned casino—and realize the white writer must still be very much alive in their community; his body in the closet is still warm!" A play.English course text - Sept. 2023.
Date Published:

"Dead White Writer on the Floor uses two literary conventions—theatre of the absurd and mystery novels—to create one of the funniest and thought-provoking plays ever about identity politics. In Act One, six “savages”; noble, innocent, ignorant, fearless, wise and gay, respectively; find themselves in a locked room with the body of a white writer, which they stash in a closet. None of them can figure out how he died or which of them might have killed him. They realize as they point fingers at each other, however, that they are all profoundly unhappy with their lives as they’ve been constructed over the past four hundred years: Old Lodge Skins wants to know what it feels like to be a young man; Billy Jack wonders what spreading healing rather than pain would feel like; Injun Joe is desperate for an education; Kills Many Enemies is exhausted by his deadly seriousness and yearns for a sense of humour; Pocahontas seeks to feel respected as a woman rather than lusted after as a child sex object; and Tonto wants to “come out of the canyon” and be the one wearing the mask for a change. Gradually, they figure out that the latest iteration of Gutenberg’s invention buzzing like a beehive on the dead writer’s desk is actually a dream-catcher, which they can use to rewrite their lives in the image of their own inner beings. Imagine their surprise when they reappear in the same locked room in Act Two as Mike, Jim, Bill, John, Sally and Fred—attending an A.A. meeting and bickering among themselves about reserve politics, unmanageable family relationships and whether Bingo has a place in their new air-conditioned casino—and realize the white writer must still be very much alive in their community; his body in the closet is still warm!" A play.English course text - Sept. 2023.

Date Published:

Midnight Sweatlodge

Waubgeshig Rice


"Midnight Sweatlodge tells the tale of family members, friends and strangers who gather together to partake in this ancient healing ceremony. Each person seeks wisdom and insight to overcome their pain and hardship. Through their stories we get glimpses into their lives that are both tearful and true. Capturing the raw emotion and unique challenges of modern Indigenous life, this book offers an unflinchingly realistic and genuine look at the struggles First Nations people face. "
Date Published:2025

"Midnight Sweatlodge tells the tale of family members, friends and strangers who gather together to partake in this ancient healing ceremony. Each person seeks wisdom and insight to overcome their pain and hardship. Through their stories we get glimpses into their lives that are both tearful and true. Capturing the raw emotion and unique challenges of modern Indigenous life, this book offers an unflinchingly realistic and genuine look at the struggles First Nations people face. "

Date Published:2025