A member of the Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation is the University of Saskatchewan’s new Indigenous Storyteller-in-Residence.
Zoey Roy, a Cree, Dene and Métis poet who grew up in Saskatoon, has been working as an artist for 15 years.
As Storyteller-in-Residence, Roy will be working with aspiring artists during weekly workshops.
“I have created eight workshops that people will be able to participate in online between Dec. 10 and Feb. 11,” Roy said. “Through these eight workshops, people will start to gain inspiration from other artists. They’ll be able to write, edit and perform their own original poem, and I will coach them through the process.”
Roy said she looks forward to helping new artists with their writing.
“I’m excited to work with people, you know, after we’ve taken so much time to incubate, to be alone with our thoughts in our minds, in our reflections, and now we get to come together to share these, to create solutions for a better future,” Roy said. “I’m so excited to be a part of that.”
Roy says the role is mainly about helping people tell their stories.
“It’s a political role that has an apolitical purpose in that it is really about making space to amplify the voices of people who have something to share.”
Participants of the workshops will be able to perform their poetry twice, once for the University and another time for the Saskatoon Public Library.
(PHOTO: Zoey Roy has been working as an artist for 15 years and was recently a part of a national ad campaign for an Indigenous beauty brand. Photo courtesy of Zoey Roy.)