Kegedonce - Aboriginal and Native Literature, Cree, Ojibway, Kwantlen , Books, Poetry- Cape Croker Reserve, Chippewas of Nawash First Nation Wiarton Ontario Canada

Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm

"I believe she is one of the best up-and-coming younger writers in North America and I am always watching to see what she is doing.”

Joy Harjo, 1999

Kateri is an Anishnaabe writer of mixed ancestry from the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation.

She lives and works at Neyaashiinigmiing, Cape Croker Reserve on the Saugeen Peninsula in southwestern Ontario.

Her writing has been published in various anthologies, journals, and magazines in Canada, the U.S., Aotearoa/New Zealand, Australia, and Germany and in the collection my heart is a stray bullet.

Currently, she is completed work on a CD of spoken word poetry and music; a collection of poetry; a collection of short stories; an anthology of erotica by Indigenous writers; and various multidisciplinary and publishing projects.

She is the founder and managing editor of Kegedonce Press.

"Her writing strikes me as a blend of things in a new way. It deals with the elemental, dreams and memories, but her portrayal of these things haunt you, they speak to you. She has attached herself to the vision sense of poetry. It makes her poetry powerfully mysterious," says Johnson. (Gordon Johnson is a Professor in the English Department at Trent University in Ontario.)

"Akiwenzie-Damm's poems are filled with anguish, fear and confusion..." Brenda Payne in "Voices of Hope," Canadian Literature: A Quarterly of Criticism and Reviews

Author's Blog

Books

Reviews:

New from Indian Country - Interview with Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm
Follow Link: http://indiancountrynews.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6113&Itemid=79

Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm - 2008 WestFest link http://epoch-archive.com/a1/en/ca/yow/2008/06-Jun/20/b2.pdf

TDR Interview: Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm
by Mary Williamson

[January 2009]

I spoke with Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm in Montreal where she was performing with Taqralik Partridge, Moe Clark, Guido del Fabbro and Mad Eskimo in Tusarnituq—a Festival of Words, Music and Images (sponsored in part by Wired on Words Productions http://www.wiredonwords.com/) held at Casa Del Popolo this past November.

Before my micro cassette starts recording, Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm and I have discussed the dehumanising elements of modern capitalism, land claims in Ontario and recent outrage over comments made by McGill University Chancellor Richard Pound, who, during an interview with Montreal's La Presse in relation to the Bejing Olympics and issues of human rights in Canada, asserted that "400 years ago, Canada was a land of savages, with scarcely 10,000 inhabitants of European descent, while in China, we're talking about a 5,000-year-old civilization."

For Complete Interview Please Go To:
http://www.danforthreview.com/features/interviews/kateri_akiwenzie_damm.htm

Interview with Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm
of Kegedonce Press
by Celu Amberstone

Vancouver July 4 - 12 where Kateri was interviewed about erotica & Without Reservation on Sounds Like Canada, CBC radio's national morning show.

It aired on Thursday July 7 at 10 a.m. During my visit to Vancouver Kateri also met with Kegedonce author Joanne Arnott. (Steepy Mountain and Laura Crema.

Prior to Vancouver Kateri was in Calgary performing at the Calgary International Spoken Word Festival on June 30. Afterwards, participated in a Spoken Word Summit in Banff, from July 1-4. Photos from Brian Nation

MEDIA RELEASE

Standing Ground: a new spin on Indigenous music

Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm & the Nishin Spoken Word project
S tanding Ground featuring Te Kupu, Marcos Arcentales, Raven Kanatakta Polson-Lahache,
Joy Harjo, Koru, John Thorp, Rhys B & Luis Abanto

"Dazzling, enchanting and groovy, standing ground is a masterpiece."
- Richard Van Camp, award-winning author, The Lesser Blessed

CD REVIEW - Standing Ground:
Katerie Akiwenzie-damm and the Nishin Spoken Word Project This Spoken word CD is a collaboration with many artists set to the words of Kateri. Kateri is a whirlwind of a woman producing CD's, running Kegedonce Press and writing. She is a woman of passion. You can hear that passion, the anger and the love in this just-released CD of spoken word. It is always nice to hear the voice of the author, to give you a feel for the character, the life behind words on paper; Kateri's voie is soothing in some tracks and hardened and powerful in others. I am a bit of a hard-ass so I like the tough sounding Kateri but there is enough in here to please the easy-listening crowd with Kateri's soothing vocals and the flute and drum accompaniment. The CD also uses some experimental beats in the tough side, I like this. I like tough Kateri, proud Indigenous woman Kateri.

REDWIRE MAGAZINE

Five years in the making, standing ground was recorded over two years in four countries. The instrumentation varies from acoustic Native drums, guitar & flutes, to programmed hip-hop beats, tribal trance, Andean, and live rock/blues/ alternative. Vocals include spoken word, singing, chants, rap, and vocables. The poetry ranges from playful to hardcore but never strays from a solidly Anishnaabe perspective.

Standing ground is diverse, unique, radical, evolving, and always Indigenous. Guaranteed you’ve never heard anything like it before!

“With an open heart and a strong vision, Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm has created a CD that pushes cultural boundaries and crosses musical genres. A beautiful CD!”
- Laura Crema, Maximum Jazz/Universal recording artist

GET YOUR COPY TODAY:

$16cdn/$15us + $3 shipping & handling

Please email any orders to dammwrite@sympatico.ca

Coming Soon: news about the official standing ground release party.

"...the finest spoken word CD I have ever heard."
- Richard Van Camp>

For more information, interviews, or review copies contact:
Nishin Productions
Cape Croker Reserve
Ontario, Canada
N0H 2T0
519 373-5178 cell
dammwrite@sympatico.ca

"stand strong stand your ground kia kaha nau-neebiwik stand strong stand your ground kia kaha"

• KATERI'S BIO

Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm (Anishnaabe) is of mixed ancestry from the Chippewas of Nawash First Nation. A strong Indigenous arts activist, Kateri is a well known writer, publisher and spoken word artist. Her writing has been published in a collection my heart is a stray bullet, a chapbook, and in anthologies, journals, and magazines in Canada, U.S., Aotearoa/New Zealand, Australia, & Germany. She edited Without Reservation: Indigenous Erotica & co-edited skins: contemporary Indigenous writing. In February 2003 “Beneath the Buffalo Robe,” a radio piece co-written and performed with Gregory Scofield, aired nationally on CBC Radio One. Kateri was a librettist commissioned by the Bell’Arte Singers, on the composition “Between Earth and Sky” which premiered October 18, 2003. She’s now completing a collection of short fiction and her second full collection of poetry.

Te Kupu/Dean Hapeta (Maori) has been at the forefront of the Maori music & spoken word scene for more than a decade. A singer, producer, composer, and filmmaker, Dean is a strong proponent of international Indigenous alliances and has been the key collaborator for this project, contributing original compositions, music performance, engineering, mixing, technical advice & assistance, vocal ‘training’ & production, networking, and mastering.

Joy Harjo (Mvskogee) is a highly acclaimed, award-winning, internationally known poet, writer & member of Joy Harjo & The Real Revolution. Already an established poet of recognized excellence, Joy Harjo is one of the foremost, best known, most accomplished Native artists working in this artistic form in North America. Joy has contributed original sax trax to three Nishin cd trax.

Marcos Arcentales (Huacaychishca Cachun) of Kanatan Aski, originally from Ecuador, has met and worked with Dean and Kateri in Ottawa and with Kateri in Toronto and Vancouver. A key collaborator, Marcos contributed original composition, music trax, networking, & vocals.

Raven Kanatakta Polson-Lahache (Algonquin/Mohawk) collaborated as a composer, a musician & recording engineer. Raven has a degree from the prestigious Berklee School of Music, and supplied music, performances on guitar, piano, & drums and produced several trax.

John “Johnny Win” Thorp (Mvskogee) is a vocalist, traditional drummer & singer, & musician with a degree in performing arts from the University of Hawai’i. John contributed traditional & background vox to 2 tracks during a recording session at Mekko Studios; Hawai’i.

• THE WORD SO FAR...

"Dazzling, enchanting and groovy, standing ground is a masterpiece. It's 12 tracks fusing phat beats, spoken word poetry, bling bling tempos, peyote chants, rap from the heart and lyrics from the land blasted through a heart -- all from the vision and voice of Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm and backed by the Nishin Spoken Word Project.

The album features saxophone work by the great Joy Harjo, flutes by Luis Abanto, slide guitar and organs by Raven Kanatakta Polson-Lahache, scratching by Rhys B and guitars and hand drums by Marcos Arcentales. There are back-up vocals by John Thorp and Te Kupu. Te Kupu has been at the forefront of Maori music and spoken word since the 1980s. A singer, producer, composer, and filmmaker, he was Kateri’s key collaborator for standing ground, contributing original music, performance, mixing, and mastering. The result is that nothing but pure medicine shines through in every song.

Just when you think she couldn't be more amazing, Kateri and her crew comes out with the finest spoken word CD I have ever heard. If you don't know, Kateri is a world-renowned poet and has a collection of poetry out: my heart is a stray bullet. She is also the publisher behind Kegedonce Press, and a kick-ass editor.

Standing ground is sensual, pissed off, angry, hurt, wounded and loving, wishing for release, fearless..."

- Richard Van Camp, award winning author, The Lesser Blessed

• LINKS (for more information on Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm check out the following links):