On this snowy evening we welcomed Tara McGowan-Ross to host our Indigenous Literatures Book Club featuring Alicia Elliott's A Mind Spread Out on the Ground. A rich discussion ensued, leaving us with plenty to chew on. 

 Mental health was a theme that wound through the book and our discussion. Perfectionism as a survival strategy within colonialism was a pertinent topic. Other methods of self-soothing came up as well, including alcohol and sugary foods. Diabetes as a legacy of inter-generational trauma brought up the important question of access to healthy food (as currently defined by the Food Pyramid) and food as an element of one's cultural inheritance. 

"Food that carries the love of our ancestors can be our medicine"

A sense of fragility surrounding one's culture and the experience of coming into one's culture exacerbates the delicate balancing act between the individual and the community.

"She writes about her own story and how it fits into the world. It's all connected". The way the author narrowed and expanded their focus within this collection resonated with our readers who found it raw and honest. 

"Something shattered and deconstructed" - 

Is the reader entitled to a resolution? Could it be considered a political act on the part of the author, leaving things unresolved? 

"It's a perfect piece of creative non-fiction".