Human Book Catalogue | Human Library 2011
Brock Adams - TITLE: But I thought all Druids wore funny hats and lived in England
Catalogue Description: As if practicing a 35,000 year-old religion wasn't enough, try convincing your neighbours their pets are really safe!... a story of the trials and tribulations of a Druid living on the prairies in 2011.
Thursday 7 - 8:30 p.m. | Friday Noon - 4 p.m. | Sunday 1 - 4 p.m.
Ismaila Alfa - TITLE: All Mixed Up
Catalogue Description: Born in Nigeria to a British/French mother and Nigerian father, I was moved to Pipestone, Manitoba at the age of 2 months and a few months later...off to Sydney, Australia. At 3 we moved to Edmonton for three more years before coming to Winnipeg. I was a star athelete in High School and University who quit it all to pursue a career in music. Since then I have found myself working as a draftsman, custodian, waiter, cook, administrative assistant and even as a radio personality. So you want to find out how mixed up my life really is? Come check me out!
Thursday 7 - 8:30 p.m. | Saturday 1 - 2:30 p.m.
Ariana - TITLE: A Journey of excitement and apprehension: Why is Freedom important?
Catalogue Description: When our rights were taken away and the place that I called home looked strange and threatening, the only option left was to search for freedom where I could live with dignity, respect, peace and security. My journey started at a young age when I lost many of family members during the Soviet invasion in Afghanistan. I came to Canada to be free and live in peace. This journey led me to Winnipeg where I live now active as an advocate for refugees.
Thursday 7 - 8:30 p.m. | Friday Noon - 4 p.m.
Cherrilyn - TITLE: Poor, Black, Woman. Poor Black Woman?
Catalogue Description: "Born and raised in Winnipeg," I proudly state to those who ask. The question is posed a lot; both in my home city/province/country and abroad. Most people don't let it rest at that though. My answer isn't good enough. Canadian by law, even Canadian by birth but still not accepted as Canadian. How many generations in do you have to be, to be actually considered a Canadian? Or maybe it's not based on birthplace or time spent but something more visible, tangible -- easily understandable? If a white person, without a (foreign) accent affirms they are Canadian, are further questions asked? Do they get "But really, where are you from? Like where are your parents from?" and then "Oh, what part of Africa is that?" Are they good enough?
Francophone but still not the image of "Canadian." What is "Canadian"? Really? The only time I'm Canadian is in the eyes of the law. Funny, the law doesn't usually do me justice. Poor, Black, woman. Poor Black woman. Pitied but not supported. Watched but not looked out for -- not looked after."
-- Excerpt from "Nothing", March 2007
I am a young, academic, activist child of immigrant parents who came to Canada from the Caribbean, and I live my life in the intersections of all these (and more) identities. If when you look at me, you only see "poor,", "Black," "woman" ("poor Black woman"), you're missing all those intersections, all the complicated, multi-layered pieces of myself and my life. Tell me about your life, and I'll tell you about mine. Together, let's create a whole new Canadian conversation.
Thursday 7 - 8:30 p.m. | Saturday 1 - 4 p.m. | Sunday 1 - 4 p.m.
Sharon Costello - TITLE: A Perfect Storm With Courage
Catalogue Description: A survivor's story of life on the street, drugs, sex, family, and the recovery that changed my life to what it is today.
Thursday 7 - 8:30 p.m.
Allison Crilly - TITLE: That Kid Just Ain't Quite Right
Catalogue Description: Weirdo, freak, loser, growing up with undiagnosed Tourette Syndrome and a related alphabet soup of neurological and learning differences, I heard these words a lot. I'm weird, I'm happy to be weird and I'm happily raising, and homeschooling, an equally weird teenage son. I don't mind being odd, I just wish people would stop trying to cure me.
Thursday 7 - 8:30 p.m. | Friday Noon - 4 p.m. | Saturday 1 - 4 p.m. | Sunday 1 - 2 p.m.
Damien - TITLE: "But Mom... You ARE a Boy!"
Catalogue Description: I am a transgender single parent who is in the process of transitioning from female to male. I used to be 'Mom', tried for 'Dad', and ended up 'Bob' in order to avoid confusion at the grocery store. I face systemic discrimination at the university I attend, struggle for acceptance among the parents of my children's peers, and compare my mustache to my teenage son's. I'm not afraid of the tough questions!
Thursday 7 - 8:30 p.m. | Friday Noon - 4 p.m. | Saturday 1 - 4 p.m. | Sunday 1 - 4 p.m.
Cheryl Demeria - TITLE: Jail Life to Total Freedom
Catalogue Description: The story of a 43-year-old woman whose criminal practice started at the age of 18, and continued, ongoing, until now.
Thursday 7 - 8:30 p.m.
Faiza - TITLE: One Woman, Many Countries, One Home
Catalogue Description: Born in Saudi Arabia, lived in Italy, raised in Canada... but home is, always was, and always will be Oromia - a country that is not officially recognized as a country. I will share my experience around my struggle to stay culturally connected to my ethnicity, how I made the journey 'back' home for the first time in 2003, and how that experience affected the rest of my life and how I see the world.
Saturday 1 - 4 p.m. | Sunday 1 - 4 p.m.
Heather Geddie - TITLE: The Little Community That Could
Catalogue Description: I'm a 59-year-old female entrepreneur/business owner whose life has been taken over by my involvement in one of Canada's poorest communities, North Point Douglas, the birthplace of Winnipeg. The passion and pride of community that I found here have compelled me to become a part of the community-driven transformation taking place here. From fearful, dismissive outsider to fiercely proud and determined insider, join me in my journey of discovery and witness the Phoenix rising.
Thursday 7 - 8:30 p.m. | Friday Noon - 4 p.m.
Eric Johanson - TITLE: "The Modern Primitive"
Catalogue Description: "In all ages, far back into pre-history, we find human beings have painted and adorned themselves" - H.G. Wells (1886-1946).
I am a 39-year-old male that has transformed my body into a living canvas over the last 22 years. I have chosen to alter my appearance, irreversibly through tattoos, implants, enlarged piercings and other forms of body modification. I have tattooed my body from my lower face to the tops of my feet and have enlarged my ear lobes to a prominent two inches. I cannot hide the choices I have made in my life, as over 90% of my body is tattooed and or altered through the traditional arts of body modification. I have done this to express the practices of the primitive man by using modern technologies. I have persevered my entire adult life to discourage the prejudices of society and promote the acceptance of breaking down societal norms. I do not wish to blend into the socially acceptable manifestations considered tolerable in our civilization. I whole-heartedly identify with my conspicuous exterior. I am the tattooed man.
Thursday 7 - 8:30 p.m. | Friday Noon - 4 p.m. | Saturday 1 - 4 p.m. | Sunday 2 - 4 p.m.
Zanna Joyce - TITLE: Contrarian Extraordinaire!
Catalogue Description: Have you ever felt that your life is one big field study? I have. My circumstances and interests have put me in many different contexts, where I have had a chance to learn and observe. I'm a woman-with-a-disability-single-mom-of-a-son-downtown-dwelling-businesswoman contrarian as a result, and I think you and I are bound to have an interesting exchange of ideas!
Thursday 7 - 8:30 p.m. | Saturday 1 - 4 p.m. | Sunday 1 - 4 p.m.
Lucy Kaikai - TITLE: Silhouette
Catalogue Description: Are you surprised that I speak 'good' English? Are you surprised that my daughter could read before starting kindergarten? Is it because I am a Black immigrant single mom? Well, I might just have a few more surprises in store for you!
Friday 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. | Saturday 2:30 - 4 p.m.
Ken - TITLE:
My Positive Life
Catalog Description: A retrospect on my life from the diagnoses of HIV to today and into the future.
The successes, failures, discrimination, stigma and how life is now. The uncertainty of the future.
The day to day struggles with medications and the virus.
Friday Noon - 4 p.m. | Saturday 1 - 4 p.m. | Sunday 1 - 4 p.m.
Julie Lafreniere - TITLE: Not a Halfbreed: A Metis Woman
Catalogue Description: Metis identity has been somewhat muddled over decades past with various government organizations struggling to define who is Metis. I do not need or want an elected official or a government-issued ID card to tell me who I am.
I've struggled with my identity through most of my childhood and I find myself having to explain who a Metis person is when I self-identify as Metis. I am not half Indian and half French. I am not half Native and half white. I am not a mixed blood or a halfbreed, I am a Metis woman.
Thursday 7 - 8:30 p.m. | Sunday 1 - 4 p.m.
Brian McLeod - TITLE: Walking the Red Road with a Colour Blind Society
Catalogue Description: For many people, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal alike, there is little knowledge of the real story of recent history and present day issues of Aboriginal peoples. Cultural restoration goes beyond knowledge, it is a world-view. The call of the drum, the heartbeat began my journey from being on the street to living the red road and learning from all life upon Mother Earth.
Friday Noon - 4 p.m.
Duncan Mercredi - TITLE: Born Red/Tattered Sash
Catalogue Description: The story of a Cree/Metis boy's journey from (to him anyways) an idyllic life in a small northern village to one filled with violence and an alcohol-fueled struggle for survival. With the construction of a hydro electric dam and his rediscovery of the path his grandmother had chosen for him, this book uncovers a whole new life when he resettles in Winnipeg.
Thursday 7 - 8:30 p.m. | Friday 1 - 2 p.m. | Saturday 1 - 4 p.m.
Moss - TITLE:
Planting Seeds: Life on an Eco-Village
Catalog Description: No running water. No hydro. No TV, fridge, or microwave. Heating your home
with only a woodstove in a climate that gets down to -40.
Why would anyone choose to live like this in the twenty-first century?
For the last two years, I have been living in an off-grid, intentional
community. We grow our own food, cut our own firewood, haul our own water,
and make our own decisions, by consensus. Come and find out what it's like
to live close to the earth.
Friday Noon - 4 p.m. | Saturday 1 - 4 p.m. | Sunday 1 - 4 p.m.
Wendie & Sean Overton
A Canadian military retiree and his spouse share their experiences at home and abroad in a 'two-volume set'.
TITLE: Battlefield On Home Ground
Catalogue Description: After 20 years of service, numerous physical injuries and a diagnosis of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome, they engaged in a three-year battle with the Canadian Forces in order to transition to civilian life with dignity.
TITLE: I Assume These Are Foster Children
Catalogue Description: Private adoption is not for the faint of heart, the screening process is very involved and invasive. If you are fortunate enough to be matched with a birthmother, a couple faces financial and emotional risks. We compare a completed adoption to winning a lottery! A lottery we have won twice!
Both my husband's and my skin color differ from that of our two children. At times the courageousness and strength of their birthmothers and the magnitude of the gift of adoption is missed by some. Sadly, it is sometimes lost in a sea of stereotypes. These are not 'foster kids,' these are not rescued or abandoned children. These are two boys that were brought into the world by women who loved them dearly. We would love to share our journey to being a family with you!
Sunday 1 - 4 p.m.
Bonnie Schroeder - TITLE:
Healing Arts Practitioner
Catalog Description: Following your true calling....even when it's not popular!
I worked as a trained professional in the medical system but walked away from a fantastic career to follow my deeper calling. I now offer healing support locally, nationally & internationally. I am intuitive and work with subtle energy, one's beliefs and many other 'invisible' factors that impact health and well being. Some people only believe in hospital medicine and think complementary healing practices are a waste of money. But more and more people are coming to people like me when they are in physical pain, going through an emotional challenge, have a disease like cancer, are going for surgery, or if they are simply in a rut and want to have more meaning in their life.
So, I ‘see’ beneath the surface of one's life and help them bring their body, mind, emotions & spirit back into balance so they can live a more joyful and happy life. I also teach meditation, other stress relief practices & do my work for medical agencies and businesses. I also love to travel the world, enjoy photography and many other things just like an every day person!
Thursday 7 - 8:30 p.m. | Friday Noon - 4 p.m. | Sunday 1 - 4 p.m.
Shahina Siddiqui - TITLE: I'm a Canadian Muslim Woman
Catalogue Description: I feel like I live in a glass house and yet hidden, continuously building bridges, breaking barriers, facilitating access. I am an ambassador of my faith, I am a proud Canadian. I am a visible minority woman who embraces her uniqueness. Who am I and why?
Saturday 1 - 4 p.m.
Veselin - TITLE: Living with Schizophrenia
Catalogue Description: I have schizophrenia. I graduated from high school in Bulgaria and when I came to Canada I got depressed and later was diagnosed with schizophrenia. I was experiencing hallucinations and delusions. Talk to me about disorganized thoughts, lack of concentration, easy to forget things and slow memory.
Thursday 7 - 8:30 p.m.
Valerie Wolbert - TITLE: Free My People: Life as a Disability Advocate
Catalogue Description: Valerie Wolbert is President of People First Manitoba. She is unstoppable in her commitment to making life better for all people who have been labelled with an intellectual disability. Valerie gives of her energy, time and skills to many organizations in the Winnipeg area. She has also co-authored a chapter in the book "Living the Edges" and co-directed a documentary called The Freedom Tour. She lives with her husband and two cats in Winnipeg.
Thursday 7 - 8:30 p.m. | Friday Noon - 4 p.m. | Saturday 1 - 4 p.m. | Sunday 1 - 4 p.m.
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