KFPL, Queen’s Library host Canada Reads author Clayton Thomas-Müller
Just before the 2022 CBC Canada Reads debates begin, Kingston Frontenac Public Library patrons are invited to listen, learn and engage with finalist author Clayton Thomas-Müller at a talk co-sponsored by Kingston Frontenac Public Library (KFPL) and Queen’s University Library.
Thomas-Müller is a member of the Treaty #6-based Mathias Colomb Cree Nation also known as Pukatawagan in Northern Manitoba. He authored Life in the City of Dirty Water, one of five CBC Canada Reads finalist books. According to a release from KFPL, he has campaigned across Canada, Alaska and the lower 48 states organizing in hundreds of First Nations, Alaska Native and Native American communities to support Indigenous Peoples to defend their territories and is an advocate for environmental justice.
During this co-sponsored event, Thomas-Müller will speak about topics including the urban Indigenous experiences throughout Canada, and environmental advocacy and land rights in Canada and the United States, the library stated. Participants will have the opportunity to further engage during a fifteen-minute Q&A session following the talk.
“We are excited and fortunate to have Clayton speak with our community,” shared Jake Miller, Librarian, Adult Programming, KFPL. “His advocacy for land and environmental rights, along with his lived experiences in urban and rural Indigenous communities, gives a panoramic perspective on the situations of Indigenous peoples in North America. His roles as a filmmaker, author and social organizer show that there’s so much more to come from Clayton Thomas-Müller.”
Queen’s Vice Provost and University Librarian Mark Asberg shared Miller’s enthusiasm: “This event, and the book which inspired it, are valuable opportunities to engage with and learn from issues that have shaped history, and which continue to impact communities and discourse today. Presenting these issues through the lens of Clayton’s experience and celebrated body of work is something we’re extremely grateful to be able to do.”
Canada Reads is a “literary Survivor,” with celebrities championing books, the library said. Each day, panelists vote to eliminate one book, until a single title is chosen as the title the whole country should read this year. For nearly 20 years, this annual initiative has brought together people, authors and communities across Canada, according to the release.
The first winner, Michael Ondaatje’s In the Skin of a Lion, sold 70,000 copies after the show, years after the novel was first published. Since then, every winning book has become a national bestseller, and in recent years, all five books have become bestsellers, KFPL stated.
Registration is required for this event, which will take place online on Wednesday, Mar. 23, 2022, from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. Register online at https://calendar.kfpl.ca/event/6218217 or by calling 613-549-8888.
Interested in learning more about Indigenous cultures and experiences? Register for the Indigenous Canada: Course Discussion group and Feasting Together cooking demonstrations.