talk that talk.
The major thrust of this chapter of my life is steeped in the on-going discovery and active honouring of my ancestral and spiritual roots. I know that this journey must be inwardly rigorous and outwardly grounded, otherwise it is of no use at all. Folklore and Folkways, the Spoken and Embodied Word, the Forests, the Waterways…. these are my guides at this time. I do not know what the “ends” will be, but I trust that the process is where the true fruit will lie. This space is where I will attempt to gather up and share some of my reflections along the way.
These reflections are nestled within a greater project of mine known simply as Black & Rural , funded by the Canada Council of the Arts, the BC Arts Council , and other generous provincial and regional supporters. To all of you, thank you.
another long while.
It has been sometime again.
a long long while indeed.
As can be expected when such a long time has passed, things are shifting. Have shifted. My relationship to “Black & Rural” is evolving, as well as my own relationship to my '“rurality”.
a long time comin’.
My last post was Dec 4, 2020.
Today, it is Oct 22, 2022.
This is a wordy post. I don’t expect you to make it to the end.
and this is ok.
22 months, 2 weeks and 4 days have passed since my days of “Pathfinding”. The Black & Rural Project is still alive. I have completed nearly 40 interviews, I have listened, laboured, and learned and much has taken shape over this last long while.
recalibrating.
…This is not a quick, whip it off to the press matter. I fear my fervor to get the word out has betrayed what I actually want to do. The very process of finding these souls with dignity, with respect, may prove to be what the heart of this project is truly about. Listening to the hidden voice. The quiet and untold story. This is what I seek.
baby steps.
To tell you the truth, I feel rather inept when it comes to this stuff - this ‘reaching out’ business. But this is the path I want to walk, and come what may, I will walk it.
Black & Rural Project
What does it mean to be Black and Rural?
What do the voices of these souls have to say?