Episode 2 | Richard Van Camp

“You want to be continually energized by your students. And that's really the dance of mentorship. And that's the gift of mentorship, is that when you finally get an afternoon to return to your own work, you're going with that hunger that they showed you all the time.”

In this episode, Richard Van Camp discusses his life’s work as a storyteller and writer to pass on teachings for the next generation, and his excitement about the future of Indigenous literature. 

• 0:29 | Realizing as a child that the school curriculum he was learning was cultural theft and how it inspired him to interview Elders and write down their knowledge for future generations
• 4:27 | Becoming the Handibus driver in his community and recording community matriarchs
• 5:00 | Studying Native Management Studies at Arctic College and making the choice to pursue writing over politics
• 8:39 | Getting to meet author and Sahtu Dene Elder George Blondin
• 11: 23 | How he’s carried Maureen Medved’s advice on teaching into his work with the Audible mentorship program
• 13:26 | Why he encourages his students to “write for revenge”
• 15:25 | Recording Elders in Fort McKay and Fort Chipewyan and the teaching he learned from James Grandjambe
• 22:55 | Developing Gather: Richard Van Camp on Storytelling and sharing interviews from Elders who have passed with their living descendants
• 25:25 | How seeing a “World’s Greatest Dad” mug completely changed the storyline in his book When We Play Our Drums, They Sing!
• 30:46 | Ending in the splits

 
Guest Bio:

Richard Van Camp is a proud member of the Dogrib (Tłıcho) Nation from Fort Smith, NWT, Canada. He is a graduate of the En’owkin International School of Writing, the University of Victoria’s Creative Writing BFA Program, and the Master’s Degree in Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia. He is an internationally renowned storyteller and best-selling author. His novel, The Lesser Blessed, is now a movie with First Generation Films and premiered in September of 2012 at the Toronto International Film Festival. He is the author of five collections of short stories, six baby books, three children’s books, five comics and much more.

About the Podcast:

Parallel Careers is a monthly podcast about the dual lives of writers who teach.
Few writers make their living from publication alone; many fill the gaps with teaching in both academic and community settings. Much of the work is precarious, and there are few opportunities for professional development.

Parallel Careers features writers with diverse practices and points of view—writers who are at the top of their game in both craft and pedagogy. Tune in to hear the big ideas and practical tips they take into their classrooms. Take their insights into your own class or craft.
 
Credits:

Parallel Careers is produced by Claire Tacon, in partnership with The New Quarterly magazine. Erin MacIndoe Sproule is our Technical Producer and Story Editor. Music composed by Amadeo Ventura. Financial and in-kind support provided by the Region of Waterloo Arts Fund, St. Jerome’s University, and the Government of Canada.

Access more free writing and teaching tips from Richard Van Camp at: tnq.ca/parallel

You can find Richard’s work here:
 
Gather: Richard Van Camp on Storytelling
The Lesser Blessed
Angel Wing Splash Pattern
Moccasin Square Gardens
We Sang You Home