Winter鈥檚 Tales Author Reading Series presents Eden Robinson
鈥淚 was born on the same day as Edgar Allan Poe and Dolly Parton,鈥� jokes Eden Robinson, the next featured author in the Winter鈥檚 Tales Author Reading. 鈥淚 am absolutely certain that this affects my writing in some way.鈥�
Robinson is a powerful fiction writer of Haisla heritage born on the northern coast of British Columbia. She will bring her sense of humour and her visceral, impassioned, and deeply empathic new novel, Son of a Trickster, to the Confederation Centre Art Gallery in Charlottetown on Monday, March 13 at 7:30 pm.
The website notes that 鈥淩obinson has become one of Canada鈥檚 first female Native writers to gain international attention, making her an important role model.鈥� She has been an advocate for Indigenous health care, housing, access to jobs, and land rights, and a critic of detrimental government policies. Her fiction has contributed significantly to the renaissance of Indigenous culture.
Robinson鈥檚 first book, a collection of stories, Traplines (1998), won the Winifred Holtby Prize for the best work of fiction in the Commonwealth. Traplines, which grew out of her Indigenous heritage, was a New York Times Editor鈥檚 Choice.
Her second book, the immensely popular novel Monkey Beach (2000), 鈥渋s a mesmerizing tale of a young native woman coming of age while dealing with the demons that haunt her dreams, her family, and her heritage鈥� (Peg Hill, Northern Star Magazine). Monkey Beach was nominated for the 2000 Governor General鈥檚 Award for fiction and the 2000 Giller Prize.
Son of a Trickster is a coming-of-age novel. Jared is a burnout kid in high school who sells weed cookies and has a scary mom who's often wasted. He smokes and drinks too much, but also has an immense capacity for compassion and an impulse to watch over people more than twice his age. He puzzles over why his maternal grandmother has never liked him and says he's the son of a trickster, that he isn't human. But ravens do speak to him鈥攅ven when he's not stoned.
Eden received the 2016 Writers鈥� Trust of Canada Engel/Findley Award for a writer in mid-career with a remarkable body of work. The jury wrote, 鈥淚n a world where the legacies of colonial violence are alive and present every day, Robinson鈥檚 work resonates with crucial political and ethical questions that everyone needs to consider. This is vital, engaged, and artful writing that sticks in the memory and makes us think about who, and where, we are.鈥�
Eden Robinson鈥檚 reading is sponsored by the 91探花 Faculty of Arts, the Department of English, and the Canada Council of the Arts. A book signing will follow. The public is invited and admission is free. For further information phone 902-566-0389.
The 91探花 prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions鈥擯rince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan鈥檚 University鈥�91探花 has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. 91探花 is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.
