Sinclair named USask Storyteller-in-Residence
SASKATOON – University of Saskatchewan (USask) Métis drama professor Bruce Sinclair has been named the University Library’s Indigenous Storyteller-in-Residence at USask for 2023.
Sinclair, a Métis theatre artist, teacher, student of the nehiyawewin (Cree) and Michif languages, begins his 12-week residency this month.
“As important as stories in our lives, making time for others, to share and hear and learn, for acceptance of many cultures and stories, to teach our children … to actualize and realize the essence of story in our places of education,” Sinclair said about his role as Storyteller-in-Residence.
Sinclair teaches drama to USask students in the Saskatchewan Urban Native Teacher Education Program (SUNTEP), Indian Teacher Education Program (ITEP) and Indigenous Student Achievement Pathways (ISAP), and acts, directs, writes plays/stories, and strives to merge artistic practice with life. Sinclair will hold regular office hours at the Murray Library on the USask campus and spend a portion of his residency delivering programming to the community, made possible through a partnership with the Saskatoon Public Library.
“We’re excited to have Professor Sinclair take up this important role in the library,” said Dr. Melissa Just (EdD), dean of the University Library. “The Indigenous Storyteller-in-Residence is a unique opportunity for Indigenous artists to develop their practise in an environment that supports and encourages creative expression. It’s also a significant opportunity for the library and the wider university to hear and learn from Indigenous perspectives through storytelling.”
Sinclair follows poet and author Zoey Roy, who held the position last year, and hip-hop artist Lindsay (Eekwol) Knight, who was the inaugural Storyteller-in-Residence in 2021. Sinclair’s selection as the 2023 Storyteller-in-Residence supports the residency’s aim of creating and delivering opportunities designed to promote intercultural understanding and story-sharing between and among Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities.
“The fact that this is the third consecutive year of this residency speaks to the success of the program, and how important we believe it is to create spaces on campus to engage with Indigenous perspectives,” said Just.
The residency culminates in a presentation of a project during the university’s Indigenous Achievement Week in March.
The Indigenous Storyteller-in-Residence is made possible through the generous support of University Library donors, and the programming efforts of the Saskatoon Public Library.
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For media inquiries, contact:
Victoria Dinh
USask Media Relations
306-966-5487
victoria.dinh@usask.ca