North Shore Writers Festival: The Shape of Story: Contemporary Indigenous Storytelling

Hear from Kung Jaadee, Frances Koncan, Selina Boan, & Ashleigh Giffen as they explore the craft, impact, and responsibility of storytelling.

Since time immemorial, Indigenous peoples passed knowledge and culture from generation to generation through storytelling. Stories shape the world, help us understand one another, and imagine what’s possible. 

This dynamic panel brings together a diverse group of writers who tell stories through plays, picture books, poems, novels, and more. 

FREE! Registration is required to secure your spot. Drop-in seating may be available but is not guaranteed.

Interested in attending more than one Festival event? You must register for each event separately to guarantee your spot at each event. 

For more information on this and other festival events, visit www.northshorewritersfestival.com 

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About the presenters

Ḵung Jaadee is an Indigenous storyteller, singer, drummer, children’s author of Squamish, Musweuam, Tsleil-Waututh, Hawaiian, Haida, and Tlingit ancestry. She was born and raised on Haida Gwaii, where her parents, sister and many cousins still live. She moved to Vancouver nearly 8 years ago. Her cousin Crystal Robinson presented her with Haida name in August 2008, at Ḵung Jaadee’ great uncle’s memorial feast. A few years ago her Hawaiian auntie gave her the Hawaiian name Hi’ilawe; auntie Lei named her after a waterfall in Hawaii. She is from the Yahguu’laanaas Raven clan of the Haida Nation, as her mother and her maternal Naanii Audrey Baker (nee Brown) was from this clan; her Naanii married William Baker of the Squamish Nation; his mother was Caroline Sparrow of the Musqueam Nation, and our family is also connected to the Tsleil-Waututh through the George family. Her father is Haida and Tlingit.  

In 2024, Ḵung Jaadee was the Indigenous Storyteller in Residence at the North Vancouver City Library. She is the author of the popular children's books I Am Connected, Raven's Feast and Gifts from Raven.

Frances Koncan (they/she) is an Anishinaabe-Slovene playwright originally from Couchiching First Nation in Treaty 3 territory. They are a graduate of the University of Manitoba (B.A. Psychology) and the City University of New York Brooklyn College (MFA Playwriting) and are currently an Assistant Professor at the University of British Columbia's School of Creative Writing where they teach playwriting and screenwriting. She likes theatre a lot.  

Koncan’s plays include Murder on the Pacific Spirit Express, Medea’s Masquerade, Space Girl, The Crows, Women of the Fur Trade, and zahgidiwin/love.

Selina Boan is a white-nehiyaw (Cree) writer, beadwork artist and educator living on the traditional, unceded territories of thexʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), səl̓ilwətaɁɬ (Tsleil-waututh),and sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) peoples. Her debut poetry collection, Undoing Hours won the 2022 Pat Lowther Memorial Award and the Indigenous Voices Award for Published Poetry in English. Her work has been published widely, including The Best Canadian Poetry 2018 and 2020. She is a poetry editor for CV2 Magazine.

Ashleigh Giffen is a 27-year-old mixed Oji-Cree multi-disciplinary artist exploring fragmented histories, place, and memory. Her first play, Kamwatan Nipe (Quiet Water) held its first reading at the Arts Club Theatre company, followed by a silver commission and artist in residency at the Arts Club. Her work has been featured in Briarpatch Magazine, Canadian Arts and Stories, and she was the second place winner of Room Magazine poetry contest. She has been in several cohorts and theatre programs including, Green Thumb, Momentum 180, and Block A with PTC theatre. She currently lives in the occupied territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), and səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) nations with her two kitties. 

About the Festival

The North Shore Writers Festival (NSWF) is presented in partnership by North Vancouver City Library, North Vancouver District Public Library, and West Vancouver Memorial Library. The NSWF would not be made possible without support from the Friends of the Library groups at NVDPL and WVML, North Shore Writers’ Association, Kidsbooks, and the North Shore News.

The Festival takes place on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), səlilwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) , and xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) Nations. The Coast Salish Peoples have long used oral storytelling to pass on and preserve their cultural teachings. This powerful tradition highlights the important role that stories play in our lives. We are grateful to host the North Shore Writers Festival on the lands of these Nations and honour the art of storytelling.