Indigenous Speakers Series: Lee Maracle with Bill Coleman

The Indigenous Speakers Series presents renowned author and teacher Lee Maracle, who will be joined by choreographer Bill Coleman for an integrated lecture/dance performance. 

Lee Maracle is a member of the Sto:Loh Nation; grandmother of four and mother of four who was born in North Vancouver, BC. Her works include the novels Ravensong, Bobbi Lee, and Sundogs; short story collection, Sojourner’s Truth; poetry collection, Bentbox; and non-fiction work I Am Woman. She was a Co-editor of My Home As I Remember and Telling It: Women and Language Across Cultures, editor of a number of poetry works, Gatherings journals and has been published in dozens of anthologies in Canada and the U.S. An award winning author and teacher, she is currently a mentor for Indigenous students at University of Toronto where she teaches Indigenous studies. Ms. Maracle acts as the Traditional Cultural Director for the Indigenous Theatre School and also functions as the schools part-time cultural instructor. 

Bill Coleman is a choreographer and performer whose work has transcended traditional theatrical settings to include mountain tops, rainforests, prairies and urban construction sites. He has created a bold collection of large-scale, site-specific works, collaborating with diverse groups including WWII veterans, Aboriginal communities, fishing villages, ranching towns and urban neighbourhoods. He uses dance as a means to unite communities within their natural environment and past locations include Banff, Gros Morne and Grassland National Parks, the steppes of western Mongolia, Long Plain First Nation Pow Wow in Manitoba, the Great Bear Rainforest in BC and Toronto’s Regent Park neighbourhood.

The Indigenous Speakers Series is co-presented by the Waterloo Indigenous Student Centre, the Faculty of Arts, and the Department of Communication Arts. The series highlights the voices of Indigenous artists, writers, activists, and leaders from across Turtle Island, offering UWaterloo students, faculty and staff opportunities to learn from, understand, and engage with Indigenous issues.

Illustration of Lee Maracle by Catherine Dallaire.