Poetry & Prose Reading

Online Poetry and Prose Reading
Featuring Duncan Mercredi, Marie-Anne Redhead and Özten Shebagegit
Moderated by Dr. Paul DePasquale

Due to circumstances beyond our control, this event has been postponed. We will announce a new date when it has been confirmed.

All are welcome to attend this free online poetry and prose reading which has been re-scheduled from spring of 2020. This event was originally planned to take place in conjunction with the traveling exhibition Alootook Ipellie: Walking Both Sides of an Invisible Border, which was on view at Gallery 1C03 earlier this year.

Among his many creative talents, Inuit artist Alootook Ipellie (1951-2007) was a gifted writer of poetry and prose. Several of his culturally, socially and politically engaged poems were included in the exhibition and a google search will elicit more of his often ascerbic creative texts which are still so relevant during our current time.

In the spirit of honouring Ipellie, three locally-based Indigenous writers have been invited to share their work. Readings will be presented by Duncan Mercredi, Marie-Anne Redhead and Özten Shegagegit. Dr. Paul DePasquale, Associate Professor of English at The University of Winnipeg, will moderate this event.


Duncan Mercredi is a Cree/Métis poet, writer and storyteller. A longtime resident of Winnipeg, he was born in Misipawistik (Grand Rapids) and grew up listening to his grandmother’s stories. His affinity for the wilderness and his sensitivity to the deep cultural prejudices of the broader culture inform his writing.

He has published four poetry collections, including Spirit of the Wolf: Raise Your Voice and The Duke of Windsor: Wolf Sings the Blues. His work has appeared in countless anthologies and periodicals including Prairie Fire and CV2, including the special joint issue ndncountry, published in 2018. He has appeared at storytelling and literary festivals across North America and for close to two decades he has been conducting workshops for school children all over Manitoba.

Duncan is currently completing a manuscript entitled this city is red, a series of reflections on the city he calls home. The work was developed through his long-standing membership in Winnipeg’s Indigenous Writers Collective. In October 2020, Wilfrid Laurier University Press will release mahikan ka-onot: The Poetry of Duncan Mercredi, a collection spanning from his earliest work to recent unpublished poems.

Duncan was the 2019 writer-in-residence at the University of Manitoba’s Centre for Creative Writing and Oral Culture and he is presently Winnipeg’s Poet Laureate for 2020 and 2021.

Marie-Anne Redhead (Ininiw/francophone) is a member of Fox Lake Cree Nation and an emerging curator and writer. She is currently completing her Bachelor of Arts (Honours) degree in English at the University of Winnipeg with the intent to pursue an MA in the curatorial stream of the Cultural Studies program. Her research and writing practice is interested in the liberating potentiality of decolonial and Indigenous art forms, as well as in language and relationship or placed-based identities.

Özten Shebagegit is a member of Northwest Angle 33 First Nation. She studied English at the University of Winnipeg, and is a current MFA candidate at the University of Saskatchewan. Her work is featured/forthcoming in juice, Grain, Prairie Fire and PRISM international

Paul DePasquale is an Associate Professor in the Department of English at the University of Winnipeg. His research and teaching interests include Indigenous literature, history, and culture; Indigenous oral narratives and life writing; and Indigenous representations in historical and contemporary texts, including popular media. Paul is a member (Upper Mohawk) of the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, Ontario.


This event has been made possible, in part, by funding from the Department of Canadian Heritage and with support of The University of Winnipeg English department and Contemporary Verse 2: The Canadian Journal of Poetry and Critical Writing.


For more information, contact:
Jennifer Gibson, Director/Curator, Gallery 1C03, The University of Winnipeg