Turtle Island Reads initiative has officially launched!

Turtle Island Reads has officially launched!

The Turtle Island Reads initiative celebrates stories written by and about Indigenous Canadians. Now in its third year, the objective of TIR is to connect readers with Indigenous stories.

Each year, we choose three books of fiction written by an Indigenous Canadian author, as well as three advocates who will act as a "champion" for each book.

Nantali Indongo, host of CBC Radio One's The Bridge, revealed this year's Turtle Island Reads books, authors and advocates. They are:

• DaynaDanger, a Mtisvisual artist based in Montrealwill champion the graphic novelWill I See,by David A. Robertson.

• Tracey Deer, a Mohawk filmmaker based inKahnawake, will champion novel The Marrow Thieves,by CherieDimaline.

• LucyTulugarjuk, an Inukactor, film director andthroat singer based in Montreal, will champion the novel Those Who Run with the Sky, byAviaqJohnston.

The three advocates will champion their chosen book and tell the audience why Indigenous literature is personally important to themand why everyone, Indigenous and non-Indigenous, needs to read these and other books.

New to Turtle Island Reads this year, three high schools in Quebec have been selected to each champion one of the books. The students and teacher from these three classrooms will work with the advocates, by throwing out a "lifeline"to select the "best book" during the live public event in April2019.

The high schools are:

• The Kahnawake Survival School, where three Language Arts teachers will be reading The Marrow Thieves with a total of 43 students in grade 10. Teachers Heather White, Krissy Goodleaf and Rainbow Jacobs and their students will work with book advocate Tracey Deer.
• LaSalle Community Comprehensive High School with teacher Jennifer Beaudoin, who teachesGrade 10 English and Canadian history to a group 20 students. Jennifer and her class will read Those Who Run with the Sky by Aviaq Johnston and will work with advocateLucy Tulugarjuk.
• New Richmond High School in the Gasp. The school consists of 65% Mi'kmaq students from the community of Gesgapegiag First Nation. Teacher Jennifer Roy will readWill I Seewith a dozen grade 10 and 11 students. Their book advocate isDayna Danger.

These selected schools, as well every English-language and Indigenous school in the province of Quebec, will receive copies of each of the three championed books for their libraries.

We are also releasing two teacherguides to support the project. Available for download now, theintroductory guideprovidesbackground on the project, outlines special considerations, and offers a pre-reading activity and extension activities to begin exploring the Indigenous-settler narrative in Canada.

A second guide, to be released onDecember 3, will offer book backgrounders and activities specific to each of the three Turtle Island Reads 2019 books.

The Turtle Island Reads initiative is a partnership between CBC Montreal,LEARN,Quebec Writers' Federation,CODE NGOandMcGill Faculty of Educationas well as McGill University's Social Equity and Diversity Education Office.