From the page to the stage and screen, discover the many ways Indigenous stories are told, shared, and carried forward!
Join us for three days of thought-provoking conversations, creative workshops, poetry, and live performances. Explore everything from children’s literature and filmmaking to writing across genres, the power of poetry, and the importance of storytelling across generations.
Curated by acclaimed Ojibwe poet and writer Armand Garnet Ruffo.
Being a Filmmaker 101 with Darrell Dennis
Friday, November 13 | 12:30–1:30pm ET | Virtual (link sent on registration)
How does a story get from the page to the screen? Actor, comedian, playwright and screenwriter Darrell Dennis has worked in nearly every part of the business, from a lead role on CBC’s Northwood to writing for APTN to directing his own feature films. In this practical session, he walks through the path from idea to finished film: developing a script, finding collaborators, and getting work made and seen. It’s for writers curious about screenwriting, emerging filmmakers, and anyone who has wondered what it actually takes.
Darrell Dennis is a Secwepemc comedian, actor, screenwriter and filmmaker from British Columbia. His one-man show Tales of an Urban Indian toured across North America, and his screenplay adaptation was selected for the Sundance Screenwriters Lab. He made his feature directing debut with The Great Salish Heist (2024), followed by Sweet Summer Pow Wow (2025).
The Next Generation of Readers: The Importance of Kids’ Lit
Saturday, November 14 | 12–1pm ET | Virtual (link sent on registration)
The books we read as children shape how we see the world and whether we see ourselves in it. Three authors talk about writing and illustrating for young readers: why Indigenous stories for children matter, how to write for kids without talking down to them, and what it means to hand stories on to the next generation. For parents, educators, librarians, and anyone who writes for, or wants to write for, young people.
Richard Van Camp is a Tłı̨chǫ Dene author and storyteller from Fort Smith, NWT, and a recipient of the Order of the Northwest Territories. He has published 31 books, including baby books, children’s books, comics, short fiction, and the novel The Lesser Blessed.
SJ Okemow is a Nehiyaw and Eastern European multidisciplinary artist and a member of Bigstone Cree Nation. Âmî Osâwâpikones (Dear Dandelion) is her debut picture book.
Moderator: Melanie Florence is a Toronto writer of Cree and Scottish heritage. Her picture books Missing Nimama and Stolen Words won the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award and the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award.
Professional Development: Building Your Practice with Richard Van Camp
Saturday, November 14 | 2–3pm ET | Virtual (link sent on registration)
Thirty-one books in thirty-one years doesn’t happen by accident. Richard Van Camp has sustained a writing life across novels, short stories, comics, children’s books and film, while also mentoring other writers as a writer and storyteller in residence. In this session, he shares what he has learned about building and sustaining a creative practice: habits, community, saying yes, and keeping the work going over a career. For writers at any stage.
Richard Van Camp is a Tłı̨chǫ Dene author and storyteller from Fort Smith, NWT. He has been Storyteller in Residence at Calgary Public Library, Writer in Residence at the University of Alberta and MacEwan University, and a mentor with the Audible Indigenous Writers’ Circle. His book on craft is Gather: Richard Van Camp on Storytelling.
Word Music: An Evening of Indigenous Arts
Saturday, November 14 | 7:30–9pm ET | In person at Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Ave., Toronto
An evening of stories, poetry, performance and more with some of the most exciting Indigenous artists working today. Playwright and humourist Drew Hayden Taylor, storyteller and theatre-maker Yolanda Bonnell, poet Armand Garnet Ruffo, and spoken word poet Sarah Lewis share the stage with other guests in a night that moves across forms and voices. Come early, stay late, and celebrate together.
Drew Hayden Taylor is an award-winning Ojibway playwright, novelist, columnist, filmmaker and humourist from Curve Lake First Nation, and one of Canada’s leading Indigenous playwrights.
Yolanda Bonnell (she/they) is a 2 Spirit Ojibwe and South Asian storyteller, performer, playwright and facilitator from Fort William First Nation, now based in Tkarón:to. Her play bug was shortlisted for a Governor General’s Literary Award, and My Sister’s Rage won the Playwrights Guild of Canada’s Tom Hendry Award.
Armand Garnet Ruffo is an Ojibwe poet, writer and scholar.
Sarah Lewis is an Ojibwe and Cree spoken word poet, activist, songwriter and author from Curve Lake First Nation, and Peterborough’s inaugural Poet Laureate. Her work has been featured on TED Talks, CBC Arts and Global News.
Sounding Thunder: A Sound Installation
Sunday, November 15 | All day, between sessions | In person at Heliconian Hall
No registration required.
Francis Pegahmagabow was an Anishinaabe soldier from Wasauksing First Nation who became one of the most decorated Indigenous soldiers in Canadian history during the First World War. After coming home, he served as chief and spent decades fighting for his community’s rights. Sounding Thunder tells his story in music and words. It is a chamber music and theatre work composed by Tim Corlis, with a libretto by Ojibwe poet Armand Garnet Ruffo, based on Brian McInnes’s book Sounding Thunder: The Stories of Francis Pegahmagabow.
Selections play throughout the day in Heliconian Hall. Drop in between sessions and listen.
Opening Ceremony with Elder Shishigo
Sunday, November 15 | 10:30am ET | In person at Heliconian Hall
No registration required.
Writing Between and Across Genres: Where Does My Work Fit?
Sunday, November 15 | 11am–12pm ET | In person at Heliconian Hall
Plays that read like poems. Novels that grew out of a stage show. Stories that refuse to fit on any one bookstore shelf. Three writers who move between theatre, fiction, poetry, non-fiction and performance talk about working across forms. They’ll discuss how a story chooses its shape, what each form makes possible, and how Indigenous storytelling traditions are not limited by the borders of Western genre.
Drew Hayden Taylor is an award-winning Ojibway playwright, novelist, columnist and humourist from Curve Lake First Nation whose work spans drama, fiction, non-fiction and television.
Armand Garnet Ruffo is an Ojibwe poet, biographer, librettist and scholar, and guest curator of this symposium.
Yolanda Bonnell (she/they) is a 2 Spirit Ojibwe and South Asian storyteller, playwright, performer and director from Fort William First Nation, now based in Tkarón:to. She has just completed her first novel, the first in a young adult trilogy.
Moderator: Kelly Boutsalis is a Toronto writer and journalist, originally from Six Nations, whose work has appeared in the New York Times, The Walrus, The Narwhal, Elle Canada, Chatelaine and the Toronto Star.
Why Poetry? Singing Word Music
Sunday, November 15 | 2–3pm ET | In person at Heliconian Hall
Why does poetry matter now, and what can it do that other forms can’t? Poets talk about sound, rhythm, voice and the breath behind the line, and about poetry as something meant to be heard as much as read. Expect conversation and some poems read aloud.
Sarah Lewis is an Ojibwe and Cree spoken word poet, activist, songwriter and author from Curve Lake First Nation, and Peterborough’s inaugural Poet Laureate. Rooted in Indigenous storytelling and lived experience, her work explores cultural identity, intergenerational trauma, healing, resilience and our relationship with the land. She has performed on TED Talks, CBC Arts and Global News, and on stages across Canada and around the world.
Moderator: Gabrielle McMann is a journalist of mixed Ojibwe heritage from the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. Her reporting and essays have appeared in The Local, The Narwhal, The Globe and Mail and Canada’s History.
Writing Masterclass for Youth Writing Delegates
Sunday, November 15 | 3:30–4:30pm ET | In person at Heliconian Hall
Closed session for registered youth delegates.
A hands-on writing masterclass for the symposium’s youth writing delegates, led by Armand Garnet Ruffo.
