Kateri, Part 2!

Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm is amazing. Enough said. Enjoy the second part of the interview folks!

Can you tell us a bit about your publishing house, Kegedonce Press?

Kegedonce Press publishes the work of Indigenous writers. You can check the website for more info (www.kegedonce.com). What I do want to say is that Kegedonce Press survives because of the commitment of those involved. Without the dedication of Renee Abram, Kegedonce Press would not survive these difficult times in publishing and more importantly, as Indigenous publishing inCanada is developing.

I noticed that you are the editor of Without Reservation: Indigenous erotica. Could you tell us a little bit about that?

Without Reservation came about partly in response to the testimonies of sexual abuse that started coming out when Residential School Survivors began to come forward with their stories about the reality of life in theIndianResidentialSchoolsystem. It was overwhelming to realize that so many of our children had suffered in that way. I needed, and I believed other Indigenous people needed, some positive stories and images to help us get through this and to overcome it. Initially, I was looking for stories about love and healthy relationships between Indigenous people and was shocked that I found very very little. Even when I looked internationally. So, I started talking to other Indigenous writers and artists about it and collecting work for what would eventually become Without Reservation. Today, I believe it is a very important anthology – perhaps the most important one in the past several decades – because it opened a dialogue. In a way, it gave us permission to once again express our sexuality in the way that we wanted and not simply in response to racist and colonial actions.

What are some of the projects you are currently working on (if you’re at liberty to say)?

I’m always working on a few different projects. I’m currently trying to find time to complete two collections of short stories. I also have been working, slowly, on a libretto for an opera – but that’s a longer term project.

And now for some lighter questions:

What is your favourite book?

One of my favourite books is Love Medicine and One Song by Gregory Scofield. Another is Potiki by Patricia Grace, a Maori writer.

Play?

That’s difficult, I’m not sure. I do like Marie Clements’ work.

One thing you would love to do in the next 5 years.

In the next five years I’d love to be able to spend a year devoted to writing.

One place you would love to visit.

For years I’ve been wanting to go to Iceland but haven’t made it yet.

If you were standing on a mountain and you had one thing to shout out to the world and they would all hear it, what would you yell?

I would yell: Love one another!