This week on The Chat, we speak to poet and spoken word artist Rebecca Thomas about her debut picture book I’m Finding My Talk (Nimbus Publishing), a collaboration with illustrator Pauline Young and a companion piece to Rita Joe’s iconic poem I Lost My Talk.

Rebecca Thomas is an award-winning Mi’kmaw poet. She is Halifax’s former Poet Laureate (2016–2018) and has been published in multiple journals and magazines. She coordinated the Halifax Slam Poetry team from 2014 to 2017, leading them to three national competitions with the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word. I’m Finding My Talk is her first book.

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I’m Finding My Talk is a companion picture book to Rita Joe’s poem I Lost My Talk. Why was it important for you to take on this work?

My father went to the same residential school as Rita Joe. However, unlike Rita Joe, my dad didn’t ever return to his home community. That fracture separated us, his children, from a significant part of who we are. It wasn’t until I was an adult that I felt like I knew where I came from and why I was so different growing up in my small, mostly white town. If my siblings and I struggled to connect to our Mi’kmaq culture, then we can’t be the only ones. I wanted to take on this work to help folks who are seeking out where they come from or trying to learn things as an adult feel validated in the sometimes awkward and clumsy way we reclaim culture. It’s not too late to start.

The book explores variations on the powerful refrain “I’m finding my talk,” through spoken word, drumbeats, beading, speaking to family and elders, and other forms of connecting with culture, community, and legacy. Who do you most hope to reach with the poem?

I really hope to reach everyone! Young kids, older adults, Indigenous and non-Indigenous. There are so many ways the book can be interpreted. It can serve as a tool for empathy, understanding and management of expectations for the non-Indigenous community. It can be a way to make Mi’kmaq people and other Indigenous folks feel okay about where they are in their journeys with culture. It’s also a way to stay soft with ourselves when things take more time than we’d like.

The book is a collaboration with visual artist Pauline Young, whose gorgeous illustrations complement the poem. What was it like to work together?

To be honest, I didn’t meet Pauline until the book launch. I forwarded her some pictures of me and my family and she went through my social media accounts to find more. When we met, we got along like fast friends and many people didn’t believe that we hadn’t ever met. She is a joy. She included all these things into the book that I didn’t even notice until she pointed it out. I still find new things when I re-read the book.

Rita Joe was such a cherished and important writer for so many. Did you feel any pressure or expectation taking on the project?

I felt heaps of pressure! It was so important that her family liked the book and response. I didn’t ever think I would find myself in a place where I would be mentioned in the same sentence as her, let alone co-release a children’s book with one of her most iconic poems. Her writing means so much to me. I just really wanted to honour her memory.

You speak powerfully of the ways that connecting with your language is vital to rediscovering culture, and as a tool to undo some of the harms of colonialism. How are others—particularly young people—reacting to the book?

I had a wonderful opportunity to read to groups of school children. A few weeks later, I received hand-written thank yous from the kids. They had written things like “I hope you and your dad re-learn Mi’kmaq” and “I want to be a writer like you when I grow up.” It was so moving. I’ve also been sent videos on social media of little kids reading my book out loud. It’s all been a bit overwhelming. I never thought anyone would really care about what I had to say. I’m quite certain I’m still processing this all.

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Page spread from I'm Finding My Talk