The March Blog
Shé:kon sewakwé:kon! Ayá:wen’s sewatakarí:te. Hello everyone, I hope you’re all well. I’m writing on the last day of the month again, as has become my wont. I started off the month with a virtual visit with an English class at Queen’s University. They had read my book Pride & Rezjudice, and it was quite nice to revisit that story and talk about it with them. I admit, that it made me miss my own undergraduate days, but even though I’m not often writing essays about what I’m reading, I’m happy I’ve been reading more than usual this year. But more on that later.
Pride & Rezjudice cover art.
It was something of a month for university visits, as I also had a very nice visit to a language revitalization class at the University of Toronto, and was grateful to have been on a panel with some truly inspiring language speakers. I’m deep into my language learning right now, so it was nice to hear about the experiences of learners and teachers who are quite a few years ahead of me, but I’ve also been doing research on Indigenous languages and AI, and thinking about resources for language learning, and it was interesting to talk through some of what has been on my mind with respect to that. I also got to visit UoT’s First Nations House, which was a first for me, and was quite taken with their library. I’m a fan of SNP’s Deyohahá:ge:, and I think that this space captures a similar vibe.
Visiting First Nations House, UofT, March 2025
We also stopped by Niagara Falls during the March Break. It was a short but much needed visit, and it was still nice to take a few walks and make an offering. The Falls never fails to cut through some of the noise of life, and the parks in the area continue to get more and more beautiful.
Tsi tewa’sénhtha - Niagara Falls. March 2025.
Finally, as today is Indigenous Languages Day, I’m pleased to share that our publishing company Spirit & Intent is happy to offer the first two books of our first Cayuga book series for free! I’m also really happy to share this new release with you all. It’s called The Story Stone, and it’s a story about a young woman who becomes a storyteller, inspired by other stories we have that tell of story stones or the origins of stories. It’s actually the first book I’ve written and illustrated all on my own for our company, and it has also been translated into Cayuga. We’ve been working to develop new stories ideas and I’m quite excited about those, but it’s really great to be able to share this one.
The Story Stone, 2025.
Here are a few snapshots of some of the images from it! It’s ebook only at this time, but we’ll be looking to release physical copies of it this June! Until then, I hope if you pick it up, you enjoy it!
A few of my illustrations from The Story Stone.
That’s all for me today. It has been a wonderful, busy day overall. As ever, I hope you are all well, staying close, building community and being true to yourselves in these days we all face. Til next month.
Sara.