Monster

Publisher's Description (CBC):
Dennis Saddleman performs his poem Monster, about the residential school he was forced to attend as a child.

Author Biography (The University of British Columbia):
Dennis Saddleman from the area known as the Nicola Valley, is a respected and widely-known poet who is a Residential School Survivor. In his late twenties, Saddleman embarked on a healing journey with the support of other survivors. He returned to education, and eventually took writing classes at Penticton’s En’owkin Centre, an Indigenous cultural and creative arts organization. The power of Dennis Saddleman’s spoken word is transformative. His resiliency speaks for itself.

Resource type: Book (poetry), digital / media / art

Age recommendation: Grades 7-9, 10-12, post secondary

Keywords: Reconciliation, history, resistance, residential schools, truth and reconciliation, calls to action, decolonization, colonialism, Residential School, generational trauma, intergenerational trauma, self-reliance, self-determination, assimilation, identity, poetry, figurative language, imagery, simile

Year of publication: 2022

Publisher information: CBC