David A. Robertson (When We Were Alone) and Katherena Vermette (The Break) are both lauded Indigenous storytellers whose tales weave together a greater understanding of Canada’s past and the repercussions of that history still felt today. But what happens when these authors use not just their words but also bold visual art to explore the lives of Indigenous peoples then and now? Today they share what it’s like to work with a graphic artist, as shown in Robertson’s Sugar Falls: A Residential School Story and Vermette’s Red River Resistance, which documents Métis history in the 1860s through the eyes of a young girl, Echo. Come and see these stories for yourselves.

Sarah Leavitt is a writer and cartoonist who wrote the graphic memoir Tangles: A Story About Alzheimer’s, My Mother, and Me. She teaches in UBC’s Creative Writing Program.

Grades 8–12 and adults.

Presented in partnership with Vancity.