Scott Olsen organized Indigenous Books for Indigenous Kids, with the hopes of getting books from Indigenous authors into the hands of Indigenous students at the high school he teaches at. (Submitted by Scott Olsen - image credit)
A high school teacher in greater Edmonton is making sure Indigenous students at his school are seeing themselves reflected on the page.
Scott Olsen, a member of Saddle Lake Cree Nation who was raised in Edmonton, launched Indigenous Books for Indigenous Kids after waking up one Sunday morning with a simple thought.
"Man, I think I could do more," he said.
Olsen is a writer and teacher at Memorial Composite High School just outside of Edmonton, attended by students from nearby Paul First Nation. He started reaching out to Indigenous authors for donated books to give away to students.
He said the idea was inspired in part by his mother, a Sixties Scoop survivor who was raised in a German household away from her community and didn't discover Indigenous authors until later in life.
Indigenous authors donated around 350 books to give away to students. (Submitted by Scott Olsen)
"She was contemplating with me, 'I wonder if a teacher did that for me when I was younger, what my life would have turned out like?'" said Olsen.
For both of them, books by Indigenous authors offered something they hadn't found growing up.
"The characters are much closer to who I am than some of the stories you have to read in high school English," he said.
Olsen built relationships with Indigenous writers through the Audible Indigenous Writers' Circle, where authors such as Richard Van Camp and Chelsea Vowel were mentors.
(Submitted by Scott Olsen)
When he reached out to authors in the spring for book donations, the response was almost immediate.
"It was, 'Yeah, what's the address?'" said Olsen.
By April, about 350 books arrived. Olsen laid them out in the school's music room and invited Indigenous students to take whatever interested them.
Some students hesitantly picked up a single book, while others left carrying armfuls, he said.
Olsen added one student returned to tell him they had read only one of the books they brought home, but their mother had read them all.
A thank-you note from a student for the books. (Submitted by Scott Olsen)
"The effects felt more residual," he said.
"As time passed, more of them started reading the books. It really was quite nice how they enjoyed them."
Olsen himself dropped out of high school but later "became the teacher that I wish I had."
He returned to school, completing his high school diploma, then earned a bachelor's and then a master's degree in education, and is now pursuing a master's in Fine Arts through the University of British Columbia.
He credits Indigenous authors and books with helping repair his relationship with the education system.
Response from authors
Olsen said his book drive was only possible through supportive responses from across the Indigenous writing world.
Stephanie Sinclair, publisher of McClelland & Stewart, part of Penguin Random House Canada, is Cree and Ojibway from Peguis First Nation in Manitoba.
She said Olsen approached her looking for copies of anthologies she co-edited with her sister, Sara Sinclair.
Eager to support, she said she went beyond the request to rally colleagues from her publishing house to contribute.
(oralhistory.columbia.edu, Tundra Books, Penguin Random House)
"I found it inspiring and heartening and really moving to know that there are Indigenous youth who can now have access to free books and find themselves on those pages," said Sinclair.
Author Shane Hawk, who is Cheyenne and Arapaho from Oklahoma, co-edited the best-selling Indigenous horror anthology Never Whistle at Night.
Hawk, who grew up in California, said he didn't hesitate when Olsen reached out.
"We're both high school teachers and I knew how important getting books to [students] would be," said Hawk.
(Submitted by Shane Hawk)
Despite spending around US $500 on shipping fees and tariffs, Hawk donated 25 signed copies of the anthology.
"I really believe in paying it forward," said Hawk.
He hopes the books will inspire more than a love of reading.
"Maybe they think, 'Hey, this is a short story. This is 4,000 words. I could try to do this,'" he said.
"Maybe they get their start."
Author and editor Shane Hawk, donated 25 signed copies of his Indigenous horror anthology, Never Whistle at Night. (Submitted by Scott Olsen)
Olsen now wants to expand the project beyond his school.
He's applying for grants in hopes of donating 1,200 books next year while continuing to call on Indigenous authors for support.
"Who would have thought waking up on Sunday and thinking this up would have sparked so much?" said Olsen.
LINK: https://ca.news.yahoo.com/cree-teacher-built-network-indigenous-080000853.html
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