Reconciliation Reading Series (#2): “Medicine Walk”
This event series took place in November 2022
rec·on·cil·i·a·tion
/ˌrekənˌsilēˈāSH(ə)n/
“Establishing and maintaining a mutually respectful relationship between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal peoples in this country. In order for that to happen, there has to be awareness of the past, an acknowledgement of the harm that has been inflicted, atonement for the causes, and action to change behaviour.” - Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) report [2015]. Learn more about Reconciliation on the Indigenous Corporate Training Inc website.
Spiritual Path to Awakening (SPA) is proud to introduce Julia Rohan’s Reconciliation Reading Series, as an opportunity for learning and dialogue related to reconciliation. SPA takes pride in our commitment to making Indigenous Knowledge and Truth and Reconciliation an integral part of our event culture.
The primary focus of the series will be on Indigenous authors from across Turtle Island but may also include books from indigenous allies who use their writing to advocate in solidarity with Indigenous peoples. If you have a novel to suggest, kindly email it to path.awakening@gmail.com.
The second Reconciliation Reading Series will take place over 4-consecutive weeks in November and focus on “Medicine Walk” by Richard Wagamese. By the celebrated author of Canada Reads finalist Indian Horse, this is an unforgettable journey of a father and son, set in the dramatic landscape of the BC Interior. The full book description and about the author can be found below & on the Penguin Random House Canada website.
As an attendee of the Reconciliation Reading Series, you are responsible for obtaining your own copy of the novel and having the first 60 pages read by the first session on Wednesday, November 9, 2022. SPA has created a suggestion list on where to get your copy HERE.
Registered attendees will be provided a digital “Book Study Guide,” developed by the facilitator, by email ahead of the first session. Upon registering, you will be prompted to download a digital document that contains all the event details. Please email path.awakening@gmail.com if you have difficulty downloading the pdf.
Reconciliation Reading Series (#2): “Medicine Walk” by Richard Wagamese
Weekly: Wednesday, November 9, 2022 - Wednesday, November 30, 2022
Downtown Abbotsford, Conference Room B, Trinity Memorial United Church
2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. (each week) NEW Time!
$20.00 (total for the full 4-week series)
This event is eligible for the SPA Autumn Seniors Discount Code, inviting seniors (60+) to register and attend 80% off. Details of the Autumn Seniors Discount Code and a step-by-step how to redeem guide can be found on the Senior Discount Code section of the SPA website.
This event is open to all members of the community. Space is limited, please pre-register on the SPA website to reserve your spot.
Trinity Memorial United Church is located at 33737 George Ferguson Way in downtown Abbotsford, BC. V2S 2M4. Free parking is available onsite (in the church parking lot) for event attendees. If you require accessible parking/entry, please contact the SPA Coordinator immediately following your registration at path.awakening@gmail.com. The event will take place in “Conference Room B,” located on the upper level of the church. We kindly request arriving at 6:50 p.m. each week to park and get settled in.
By attending this event, you consent to you and your party (if applicable) potentially having your photo taken. The photos may be shared on the website and/or social media accounts for Spiritual Path to Awakening and the event facilitator.
By registering for this event, you also agree to SPA's Event Ticket Cancellation Policy, downloadable HERE.
ABOUT THE EVENT FACILITATOR:
Julia Rohan is an author, singer-songwriter and visual artist. A graduate of the Honours English Literature program (with Distinction) at Concordia University in Montreal, she has since self-published a fantasy trilogy (“The Weaverworld Trilogy”) and produced two CDs of original music. In 2002 she was a runner-up in the CBC-QWF short story contest.
Since moving to BC in 2018, she has published two more books. One is a work of local history entitled “The Trethewey Women: 1800-1900”, available through Heritage Abbotsford Society. The other, a book of quotes, poems, prayers, photographs and lyrics by various contributors, is available from the author and at local retailers. Titled “Everyday Inspirations”, it includes her own work as well as that of friends and famous writers throughout the centuries.
Julia has been twice nominated for the Abby Award given out annually by the Abbotsford Arts Society – once in 2019 and again in 2020. She is currently at work on a book regarding certain women in the Bible. She and her husband, retired architect Ted Yudelson, enjoy sharing their passions with others – and Reconciliation is high on their list of priorities.
ABOUT THE NOVEL:
Franklin Starlight is called to visit his father, Eldon. He's sixteen years old and has had the most fleeting of relationships with the man. The rare moments they've shared haunt and trouble Frank, but he answers the call, a son's duty to a father. What ensues is a journey through the rugged and beautiful backcountry, and a journey into the past, as the two men push forward to Eldon's end. From a poverty-stricken childhood, to the Korean War, and later the derelict houses of mill towns, Eldon relates both the desolate moments of his life and a time of redemption and love, and in doing so offers Frank a history he has never known, the father he has never had, and a connection to himself he never expected.
A novel about love, friendship, courage, and the idea that the land has within it powers of healing, Medicine Walk reveals the ultimate goodness of its characters and offers a deeply moving and redemptive conclusion. Wagamese's writing soars and his insight and compassion are matched by his gift of communicating these to the reader.
From Penguin Random House Canada
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
RICHARD WAGAMESE, an Ojibway from the Wabaseemoong First Nation in northwestern Ontario, was one of Canada's foremost writers. His acclaimed, bestselling novels included Keeper 'n Me; Indian Horse, which was a Canada Reads finalist, winner of the inaugural Burt Award for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Literature, and made into a feature film; and Medicine Walk. He was also the author of acclaimed memoirs, including For Joshua; One Native Life; and One Story, One Song, which won the George Ryga Award for Social Awareness in Literature; as well as a collection of personal reflections, Embers, which received the Bill Duthie Booksellers' Choice Award. He won numerous awards and recognition for his writing, including the National Aboriginal Achievement Award for Media and Communications, the Molson Prize for the Arts, the Canada Reads People's Choice Award, and the Writers' Trust of Canada's Matt Cohen Award. Wagamese died at the age of 61, on March 10, 2017, in Kamloops, B.C. Starlight is his final work of fiction.
