Heart Stories

A friend of mine is deep in the words and emotions of Richard Wagamese's sparse and spacious novel, Indian Horse. She told me of her journey into his tale of residential schools and cultural alienation all in the name of subscribed progress. When I mentioned to her that Richard Wagamese would be offering a course with us in May, she set her intention then and there to be a part of those days.

I'll be there. I'm already imagining the wills of stories and words swirling on a mythic wind. Wagamese is not only a writer but a holder of tales and a passionate guardian of the ancient tradition of oral telling. Over the years I've heard many storytellers, men and women who know the secret passage into our collective heart is through the spoken word. All we have to do is remember the feeling we had as a child when we were read a storybook or listened in rapt splendour to the magic spoken by an impassioned storyteller and we can't help but know the wisdom in apprenticing to this most elder of story traditions.

Last weekend I took part in a workshop that embraced both writing and reading our work aloud. As the hours crept on our subjects became more and more intimate, and at times I questioned whether I felt brave enough to share what I had scribed. It was an option, for all of us, yet we each spoke and the power of the words on the page seemed to both soften and expand as they met the open welcome of listeners who shared in those moments a common ear for language and for our hearts.

I hope you'll join us for StoryWalk: Creative Writing with Richard Wagamese, a three-day writing and storytelling retreat on May 23-25, 2014.

What story does your heart want to tell?

Tess Wixted
Learning Associate

Visit us at cstudies.royalroads.ca.