News

• Posted on
  January 24th 2012
  at 9:57am
  

  Favourite Foote Photos: David Carr

  As a part of our search for the ‘lost’ photographs of L.B. Foote, U of M Press is asking artists and historians and photographers and politicians and art historians and journalists to tell us about their favourite Foote photo. We’re documenting this search on a blog called Lost Foote Photos.

  David Carr, U of M Press’ director, contributed this piece about Foote’s photograph entitled Elks at the Promenade of Progress, September 1921:

  “It’s almost impossible to pick just one Foote photograph to write about. Foote had an enormous and diverse range and any single photo seems to ignore the many other themes and styles that weave through his fifty years of photo taking.

  /images/books/SIS_N2832_Elks.jpeg

  Chose one of the great historical images (the North End slum photos for instance) and you seem to forget about the beautifully glossy portraits, such as the young Duke of Windsor standing, looking quite bored, next to a brilliantly polished black locomotive. Chose one of the portraits, and you‘re missing the powerful emotive images of ‘everyday’ family and private life.

  I’ve chosen a photo that doesn’t seem to have any of these characteristics. It’s a long, overhead shot of the Elks (Winnipeg Lodge No. 10) marching up Main Street as part of something called “The Promenade of Progress.” “Marching” is perhaps not the right way to describe a group of men dressed in white pants and beanies carrying striped umbrellas at the end of September, although its probably unfair to call it “sashaying” either. It is, nevertheless, one of those strikingly incongruous images that run through Foote’s work.

  It is this kind of photo, like the banquet in the sewer or the crew tasting the ice on the Red River, that always makes Foote seem like the artistic grandfather of Guy Maddin. What in the world could these men, dressed for some sort of odd Sunday outing, have to do with anyone’s idea of “progress?”

  But the date and place put this strange little parade into another context. The “Promenade” took place September 28, 1921. Just a little more than two years before, only a few hundred feet further north on Main Street, Winnipeg’s working class had tried its hand at a very different and much more serious movement towards progress. No one, of course, would have know this better than Foote himself, who had famously recorded those events of the 1919 General Strike in very nearly the same spot.

  Throughout the first part of the last century, this stretch of Main Street between the CNR Station and City Hall was the city’s ceremonial centre, certainly as chronicled by Foote himself. Every type of parade or procession went this route, and it may be adding too much symbolic weight to the crossing paths on Main Street of the strikers and the Elks. Nevertheless, its hard not to think that striped umbrellas and beanies in tight formation are exactly what Winnipeg’s city fathers thought was just what was needed to help erase memories of those nasty events two years before. And L.B. Foote was, as always, there to record it.”

• Posted on
  January 9th 2012
  at 11:48am
  

  University of Manitoba Press Seeks LOST Foote Photos!

  Next fall, University of Manitoba Press will publish a new book of photos by Winnipeg’s most famous photographer, L.B. Foote (1873-1957), prepared and introduced by award-winning historian Esyllt Jones.

  From the 1919 Winnipeg General Strike to Winnipeg Beach in its heyday, from nurses in the North End to construction workers on top of the Fort Garry Hotel, the Newfoundland-born Foote shot it all.

  “Many of us have seen Foote photographs, whether or not we are aware of their origins. For at least thirty years, since the creation of the Foote archive at the Manitoba Archives in the early 1970s, these photographs have been used to tell the story of Winnipeg’s past,” says Jones, author of Influenza 1918: Disease, Death, and Struggle in Winnipeg. “They have been used to illustrate everything from academic histories to posters for rock concerts.”

  There are approximately 3,000 images at the Manitoba Archives but that’s just a fraction of the photographs Foote took in the more than five decades that he documented Winnipeg and parts of Manitoba outside the perimeter.

  University of Manitoba Press is looking for some of the lost Foote photos and is hoping that Winnipeggers are willing to rummage through their attics and photo albums.

  “Even though Foote’s most famous work is of princes and processions, his bread and butter was shots of weddings, funerals and Winnipeg’s small businesses,” says David Carr, Director of University of Manitoba Press. “And that’s what we’d like to see and possibly share with a wider audience.”

  People with photos to share can contact UMP Promotions/Editorial Assistant Ariel Gordon at (204) 474-8408 or gordoajd@cc.umanitoba.ca. (We’ve also launched a blog to document this process: Lost Foote Photos.)

• Posted on
  November 21st 2011
  at 4:31pm
  

  Larry Krotz: Three events in three days!

  UMP author Larry Krotz has three events scheduled for the first week of December.

  In fact, he has three events in three days!

  Krotz will be reading from The Uncertain Business of Doing Good: Outsiders in Africa and speaking about his upcoming UMP book, Piecing the Puzzle: The Genesis of AIDS Research in Africa (due in spring 2012) at events on December 3 and 5th.

  In between the readings, he’s leading a non-fiction masterclass December 4.

  Here are the details:

  Larry Krotz: Speaking & Signing
  McNally Robinson Booksellers: Grant Park in the Atrium
  Saturday December 3, 2:00 pm

  A Non-Fiction Masterclass with Larry Krotz
  Manitoba Writers’ Guild: 218-100 Arthur St.
  Sunday, December 4, 9:30 am – 4:30 pm

  In Dialogue: The MWG Reading Series
  Larry Krotz & Mike McIntyre
  Winnipeg Free Press News Cafe: 237 McDermot Ave.
  Monday, December 5, 7:30 pm

• Posted on
  November 10th 2011
  at 11:55am
  

  Extra! Extra!

  Shuja Safavi, a reporter for The Manitoban, profiled University of Manitoba Press in the October 26 edition of the paper:

  Tucked away in a small office in St. John’s College, it is easy to miss the University of Manitoba Press. It is, in fact, one of the country’s leading publishers of books on aboriginal studies and Canadian history.

  Founded in 1967, U of M Press’s publishing program has been ongoing since 1977. It has produced numerous books on variety of topics, such as aboriginal studies, architecture, ethnic studies and Icelandic studies. Books published by U of M Press have won numerous awards in recent years.

  David Carr, director of the University of Manitoba Press, explained that the Press’s primary responsibility is to be a part of the communication and scholarly research.

  “We publish books for both scholarly and general audiences coming out of the research, some of which is done at U of M and much of which is also done at other universities,” said Carr.

  Read more here.

• Posted on
  September 23rd 2011
  at 8:31am
  

  Kim Anderson on CBC’s Manitoba Scene

  Kim Anderson is a Cree/Métis writer and educator living in Guelph, Ontario.

  She is in Winnipeg as part of the Thin Air: Winnipeg International Writers Festival. She’ll be speaking September 20 and 21 about her book Life Stages and Native Women: Memory, Teachings, and Story Medicine.

  In this Q and A posted to CBC’s Manitoba Scene website Kim Anderson explains how traditional knowledge can be applied toward rebuilding healthy Indigenous communities today.

  What do you want people to know about Life Stages and Native Women?
  This book is based on medicines that I have dug up through listening to the oral histories of Michif (Métis), Nēhiyawak (Cree), and Anishinaabek (Ojibway and Saulteaux) elders. My intent is to offer these medicines as a contribution to the healing process we call decolonization.

  Why did you write this book?
  Knowing our history is an integral part of recovery for us as Indigenous peoples and for our communities in general, and it is in keeping with the adage that one often hears in “Indian country”: “You have to know where you are coming from to know where you are going.” We know that the more we understand about Indigenous experiences in the past, the better we will be able to shape our future; the more we understand about colonization, the better we will be at decolonizing ourselves and our communities. It also means learning about the brilliance of our traditional cultures; the systems that can inspire us today as we reconstruct.

  Why are you so passionate about this topic?
  I was moved to do this research because of my role as a parent. As a new mother in the mid-1990s, I was overcome with a desire to learn about Indigenous customs related to pregnancy, childbirth, infant care, and ceremonies that honour children’s life passages. Now, as a mother of teenagers, it has been helpful to explore teachings and stories about adolescence from an Indigenous perspective as I continue to work at knowing and honouring my children. As a middle-aged woman, life cycle teachings offer me reminders on how to respect and care for myself in the work that I do. And as I grow into an old lady, I will take inspiration from the stories about the power of age!

  Some Indigenous people have more immediate access to this knowledge through teachers or lived experience, but this was not my experience as a young woman.

  What was your goal for this project?
  Anthropologist Keith Basso documented how stories “work like arrows” among the Apache. My hope is that as I launch this book into “Indian country” and the world beyond, it will work like an arrow, piercing the injustices of our past and slicing open more avenues for change. I encourage each reader to dig out the medicines that suit his or her particular needs, and continue to dig, as there is so much more to learn.

  What’s next for you? What are you working on now?
  After 20 years of researching and working with aboriginal women and children, I was recently awarded a three-year grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) to study the issues of masculinity among indigenous men.

  The research will be done in partnership with the Ontario Federation of Indian Friendship Centres (OFIFC), who’ve built a burgeoning grassroots social movement of men who are eager to explore masculinities, identities and roles that are not based in Euro-western patriarchy.

• Posted on
  September 16th 2011
  at 9:58am
  

  Kim Anderson On Tour!

  Kim Anderson, a Cree/Métis educator based in Guelph, will be touring her new UMP title, Life Stages and Native Women: Memory, Teachings, and Story Medicine throughout September and October.

  For more information on any of these events, check U of M Press’ fan page on Facebook.

  September 14: Launch, 5:00-8:00 pm
  Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health
  Ottawa, ON

  Sept. 15: Poetry Reading & Book Launch w/Joanne Arnott, 3:00-5:00 pm
  Four Directions Aboriginal Students’ Centre, Queens University
  Kingston, ON

  Sept. 18: Reading with Olive Senior & Alex Andrew (Nikashant Antane), 12:30-1:30 pm
  Eden Mills Writers’ Festival
  Eden Mills, ON

  Sept. 20: Big Ideas Lecture, 4:30-5:30 pm, Millennium Library
  Winnipeg International Writers Festival
  Winnipeg, MB

  Sept. 21: Campus Reading, 11:30-12:20, University of Manitoba’s St. John’s College
  Winnipeg International Writers Festival
  Winnipeg, MB

  Sept. 22: Launch, 1:00- 2:15 pm, Luther College Auditorium
  Indigenous Peoples Health Research Centre, University of Regina
  Regina, SK

  Sept. 23: Reading, 12:00-3:00 pm, SUNTEP 3rd floor main lounge area
  Saskatchewan Urban Native Teacher Education Program, University of Saskatchewan
  Prince Albert, SK.

  Sept. 27: Launch, 7:30 pm
  McNally Robinson Booksellers
  Saskatoon, SK

  Sept. 28, Lecture, 7:00-9:00 pm, Room 103 Physics Bldg
  Department of Native Studies, University of Saskatchewan
  Saskatoon, SK

  October 4, Launch, 7:30 pm
  Northern Women’s Bookstore
  Thunder Bay, ON

  Oct. 18: Launch, 6:00-7:30 pm
  Aboriginal Resource Centre, University of Guelph
  Guelph, ON

  Oct. 20: Launch, 6:30 pm
  Toronto Women’s Bookstore
  Toronto, ON

• Posted on
  August 29th 2011
  at 8:48am
  

  Howard Pawley 2011 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient!

  Howard Pawley is the University of Manitoba’s 2011 Distinguished Alumni Award recipient.

  The Distinguished Alumni Award is an honour presented annually to a graduate who demonstrates outstanding professional achievement and community service, and who also maintains links with the University of Manitoba. It is traditionally awarded at the fall convocation.

  An interview with Howard appears in the August issue of the U of M alumni magazine, On Manitoba.

• Posted on
  August 8th 2011
  at 12:31pm
  

  Manitoba Day Award for Jim Blanchard’s Winnipeg’s Great War

  In early May, Jim Blanchard’s Winnipeg’s Great War: A City Comes of Age was one of nine recipients of the Manitoba Day Award, presented by the Association of Manitoba Archives.

  The award recognizes users of archives who have completed an original work of excellence which contributes to the understanding and celebration of Manitoba history.

  The fourth annual awards were presented at a ceremony at the City of Winnipeg Archives on William Ave.

  Winnipeg’s Great War: A City Comes of Age also received the 2010 Margaret McWilliams Popular History Award.

• Posted on
  July 25th 2011
  at 11:03am

  Jo-Ann Episkenew talks about Taking Back Our Spirits

  Jo-Ann Episkenew, author of Taking Back Our Spirits, was recently interviewed by Cassandra J. Opikokew for the University of Regina’s YOURblog.

  Here’s an excerpt from the interview:

  If you had to sum up what your book was about in a few sentences, how would you describe it?
  My book is about the damage that the poorly conceived policies of the Canadian government have inflicted on Indigenous people through making white privilege and attitudes of superiority a cultural norm that Canadians do not question. It is also about the ways that Indigenous literature can heal both writers and readers.

  What did you learn from writing this book? What sticks with you?
  I think that I also understood intuitively the healing power of literature. I’ve been a life-long book worm. What sticks with me is what I learned about how this healing power actually operates, and I am committed to studying further how to transfer my skills in literary analysis to my work in health research.

  You discuss literature as a form of healing. How do stories, health, and policy connect?
  Canadian government policies have injured Indigenous people individually and collectively. They are responsible for the education deficit, chronic disease, poverty, and violence in our communities to name but a few. Without access to the discourse of public policy, Indigenous people had to turn to the only discourse available to critique Canadian government policies, and that was their stories. When I’ve experienced trauma, my mind is like a hamster on a treadmill, but by writing it down the feelings move from the inside to the outside where they can be examined and better understood. Telling our stories is an act of agency, of empowerment, and that can be incredibly healing. When my mind is like a hamster on a treadmill, it is healing to read the story of someone who has suffered a similar experience. Sometimes her story helps me shape my story, which is also healing. Read the rest here.

• Posted on
  June 28th 2011
  at 11:33am
  

  Jo-Ann Episkenew on CBC’s The Next Chapter

  Jo-Ann Episkenew, author of Taking Back Our Spirits appeared on the June 27 edition of CBC’s The Next Chapter, entitled A Prairie Feast of Saskatchewan Writers.

  Shelagh Rogers interviews Jo-Ann from fellow interviewee Amy Jo Ehman’s library.

  To listen to the podcast, click here. (Episkenew’s interview starts at 33:20.)