Brampton Library Blog

Written by Todd Kyle, Chief Executive Officer

Category: Blog

Published: 04 June 2021

June is Indigenous History Month, with June 21 set aside as National Indigenous Peoples Day, and BramptonLibrary invites you to listen, read, learn, and reflect on the tragedy, injustice, and promise of the first peoples of Canada.

From broken treaty promises, to residential school abuse, to the “Sixties Scoop”, to the innumerable missing and murdered women, girls and two-spirit people, the history of Indigenous peoples is difficult and continues to have repercussions today. We only have to look at the recent revelation of the graves of 215 children at the Kamloops Indian Residential School to remark on the continuing trauma. 

Yet there is hope, and a new generation of Indigenous authors, artists, leaders, academics, journalists, and activists to show us what a universal recognition of human rights can look like. I encourage you to listen to these voices and to reflect on both the mistakes and the promise of Canada’s relationship with its First Nations, Inuit, and Métis people. 

To help you, Brampton Library is proud to showcase lists of Must-Read Titles for National Indigenous History Month, as well as two bookshelves of ebooks in cloudLibrary: Celebrate National Indigenous History Month and Indigenous Reads for Kids & Teens.

My own personal recommendations include the book Indian Horse by Richard Wagamese and the excellent film based on it. If you prefer something lighter, but no less edifying, I recommend Peace Pipe Dreams: The Truth About Lies About Indians from comedian/activist Darrell Dennis. 

A couple of recent winners of the Governor General's Literary Award are also available to borrow. The play Kamloopa: An Indigenous Matriarch’s Story, currently an Amazon Bestseller for Canadian Dramas and Plays, has been ordered and can be placed on hold from the Library. Another winner is Five Little Indians: A Novel, available in print and eBook formats.

Lastly, I want to offer this piece of wisdom for all Canadians that I learned from library colleagues: We are all Treaty people, whether Indigenous, settlers, immigrants, newcomers... We are on the same road together. Start your journey to reconciliation at the Library!

Written by Meagan Gilpin

Category: Blog

Published: 03 May 2021

Sheung-King is a Toronto-based author whose debut novel, You Are Eating an Orange. You Are Naked. is shortlisted for the 2021 Amazon First Novel Award and was longlisted earlier this year for CBC’s Canada Reads. Brampton Library is very excited to host Sheung-King’s creative writing workshop series Writing Futures! Interested participants may sign up for either of the two-part virtual workshops, on May 26th and June 2nd (registration closed) or June 9th and June 16th. Additionally, our Up for Discussion Book Club members will be discussing his critically-acclaimed book at our May 31st and June 3rd meetings! Register here to join the conversation. 

We sat down for a virtual interview with Sheung-King to discuss Writing Futures, his own writing process, and his book.

Can you give a brief outline of the Writing Futures workshop?

“For this virtual workshop, we will be imagining a character using simple questions [about the future] like, “What is the perfect day in 2041?”, and “What is work in the future in 20 years?”.... We're not just relying on the past. Future is ever-emerging. It's multifaceted. So after we do this exercise will be hypothesizing at least three futures: The possible, probable, and preferable. And so by doing that we're going to understand the present better...and we'll use that as a topic to write a story.”

You mentioned that this is a version of the Writing Futures workshop that you have run before?

“I do this as a unit in the course that I teach at the University of Guelph, using this methodology to teach Creative Writing that is more multidisciplinary. This is not relying on literature. It's relying on your perspective, how you understand the world.”

That's interesting that you're not necessarily teaching people who are aspiring to be writers [at the University of Guelph]. Do you think that this [workshop] would be suitable for people who are aspiring writers and those who just want to hone their writing skills?

“Of course! Those who are aspiring writers can learn from those who are from other disciplines and vice versa. Those who aspire to become writers might focus on craft and would benefit from working with those coming from a more research-focused discipline.”

Has this technique been an important part of your own writing process?

“In a way, yes. I don't think so much about craft or about developing character. That's probably because I didn't come from a literature background, and I didn't actually start writing in English until I moved back to Canada from Hong Kong in high school, so I didn't have that background in me. But perhaps coming from the standpoint of stories from deconstruction, like an ESL approach to it. I couldn't see myself starting from craft or character or one set point. It needs to come from elsewhere. So I focus more on how the idea of something can manifest the story.”

You just mentioned that you didn't come from a writing background. What is your background that led you to this?

“My undergraduate degree is in Film Studies and I did creative writing on the side but I never actually studied English literature. A lot of [authors that interest me] are transnational writers who identify with more than one culture. They’re coming from a space that's also not grounded in one thing.” 

You talked a little bit about writing in English after you moved back to Canada. So I'm also wondering, has that perspective of the two languages, and the transnational nature of your personal history, affected your writing style and your writing process?

“I think it definitely has. I read a lot of books that have been translated from other languages, from Japanese, Chinese, German. Those translated works have this kind of looseness to them [and are] more focused on concepts and are not trying to do too much, and I think that really helped me as a writer.”

I'm going to jump forward and dig into the book a little bit. It seems like parts of the story are personal. How important do you think that it is for writers to draw on their own personal experiences or their own personal identities?

“I think it was important to me that my first book was, just to get it out. I'm borrowing from Ocean Vuong's approach to writing his first novel. He discusses how his first book starts with autobiography and ends with fiction. This is his approach because once he found his voice, he's able to tell the story about being a person of colour in the US beautifully. I feel like, for me, the first book I wanted to write is about the transnational experience.”

Did you sort of write [this book] in pieces and then it came together?

“Some of the chapters came first, and some of the chapters came from experience that was more recent, perhaps that I brought back. Actually the chapter that was set in Taiwan was one of the first ones, and I think that really set the groundwork for the rest of the book because in that chapter I talked about translation. I talked about how these Chinese foods sometimes capture the association...more so than any English word can. And I think those are the themes throughout the entire book.”

There's one part about halfway through the novel where the character “Me” has a standalone paragraph saying, “This is a series of “events”. The events also have no center -- no fulcrum, no singular meaning. In the center of an event is just another chain of events with no center.” As a reader, I found that really compelling because I was looking for a common thread that drew the scenes and stories together….and I think that that's a really creative concept for the book, to take the idea of a story having a center and reject it. So how, as a writer, do you get to the point where you're so comfortable with standard writing conventions that you can play around with them like that?

“I guess the simple answer would be that I was never comfortable with it in the first place. I was coming from a film background, and the first screenwriting course that I took required us to follow a structure. And...I just couldn't follow. I didn't understand why. I don't think that that's helpful…. And I feel like as a person who grew up in Hong Kong, that's how I want to approach my writing. So I guess it's also a rejection of that. I came to realize that maybe I don't need to be comfortable. I'm just going to work in the space of writing in English but thinking of forms or structures of other languages.”

Our book club members will be reading this book in May which is Asian Heritage Month, so it's interesting that you bring that up. This book talks a lot about nationalism and rejecting certain ideas and notions that maybe are brought about because of a background of colonization. I don't necessarily have a question about that, but I just wanted to say I think that it will be interesting for our members to read this book and think of those concepts during Asian Heritage Month. 

“I think it would be worth reflecting on anti-Asian hate. I was talking on the phone with a friend who lives in America [about the recent terrorist attack in Atlanta against Asian-Americans], and what was chilling was that she saw the perspective of these events partially from the perspective of the terrorist. She said that she can understand how one would develop this attitude towards Chinese people in China, because of how China presents itself in the world. So that kind of made me think about how deep colonization has been embodied by these individuals [who immigrate from Hong Kong]. So, I think when we're thinking about these shootings and these hate crimes, and how the rhetoric from the former American president has been perpetuating [them], it’s not good for democracy.”

_________

The rest of our conversation with Sheung-King took a deep dive into his book You Are Eating an Orange. You Are Naked. But, you’ll have to come to one of our Up for Discussion meetings on May 31st or June 3rd to get the scoop on his intention behind the ideas and concepts that create the story. 

We would like to thank Sheung-King for being so gracious with his time and for his enthusiasm during our entire conversation. We look forward to working with him more in May and June! 

Written by Todd Kyle, Chief Executive Officer

Category: Blog

Published: 01 June 2021

Summer is (almost) here and our Summer Club registration is OPEN! We invite you to register online for our summer clubs for children, teens, and adults and participate from June 1 - September 21, 2021, from the comfort of your home. 

Register at this link or visit bramptonlibrary.ca and select the Summer Clubs tab on our homepage to register, or click the tabs about each club to gain more information.

The Brampton Brain Game is our summer club just for kids, from birth to age 12, and their favourite caregivers. Budding geniuses of all ages can read, play, explore, and win some great prizes as they develop their initial and lifelong love of reading.

Teen Summer Reading Club, for ages 13 to 18, invites participants to collect points by logging books they have read, writing book reviews, completing online challenges, testing their wits in virtual escape rooms, and participating in our virtual programs. There are amazing prizes to be won including AirPods, a drone, an instant camera, and an Indigo gift card worth $150!

We haven’t forgotten about the adults, either. The Adult Summer Reading Club also has its rewards. For the pleasure of reading and logging your books and eBooks, and completing online bingo challenges if you so choose, you could win gift cards to the Apple Factory, Ritual Yoga House, Skip the Dishes, President’s Choice, and the Downtown BIA!

So spend your summer with us and enjoy reading for the fun of it. Although our branches are currently closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the wonderful tradition of Brampton Library summer clubs continues. I’ll be back soon with more ways to enjoy your Brampton Library membership this summer.

Written by Meagan Gilpin & Olivia Olford

Category: Blog

Published: 27 April 2021

The past year has brought new challenges to many of us in our professional lives. Careers have shifted, adapted, and in some cases, completely changed. We understand that it’s not easy to forge a new path for yourself, and we are here to help you along the way. Read on for an outline of our digital business resources and several upcoming virtual programs which will help you develop professionally and even start building a new career or business entirely. 

Are you looking for a job?

 Brampton Library is teaming up with Job Skills to offer a two-week Virtual Hiring Event, “Launch Your Future”,  from May 3rd to May 14th! With nineteen employers offering several full-time and part-time positions, there will be opportunities available for anyone looking for a job. Click here to sign up now through May 14th! Be sure to also register for How to Succeed in a Virtual Hiring Event happening on the day of the event’s launch, May 3rd (recorded video). In this workshop, learn how to prepare, what to bring, and gain some interview tips and tricks to help you stand out during these exciting two weeks.

Perhaps you’d like to develop your skills!

Your Brampton Library card gives you a free all-access pass to LinkedIn Learning, an online collection of over 16,000 instructional videos on the latest business, technology and creative skills. Whether you’re looking to upskill and enhance competencies in your profession, or plan on switching careers, the Career Development and Professional Development sections (in Business Skills) offer a place to start. Some great courses are available to provide guidance on Switching Your Career, Defining and Achieving Professional Goals, and Increasing Visibility to Advance Your Career. You can also find more industry-specific content aligned with your career, including interview tips and strategies for getting ahead. We also highly recommend trying out a learning path. Regardless of where you’re at in your career, there is always room to refine your communication skills: learn to clearly articulate your ideas, build trust and approachability, and connect with your audience in the Develop Your Communication Skills and Interpersonal Influence learning path. If you’re looking for ways to challenge your own bias, spark constructive dialog about anti-racism, and champion diversity and inclusion in your workplace, consider the How to Engage Meaningfully in Allyship and Anti-Racism learning path.

If you’d like to become an entrepreneur:

Don’t miss the upcoming edition of our Business Series on May 6th and May 19th in partnership with Brampton Entrepreneur Centre! Chat with local entrepreneurs to hear their stories and learn about their struggles and successes. Speakers will highlight important resources to help participants that are looking to start a business of their own. Click on the dates above to register.

But don’t stop there! We have many digital resources for those building a business, such as Gale OneFile: Entrepreneurship. Designed to support learning for business owners and entrepreneurs at every stage, Gale OneFile: Entrepreneurship is updated daily with content from reliable providers, which means that you get current industry insights and strategies for success from the experts.

A major benefit is unlimited access to current, full-text articles from today’s leading publications, like Canadian Manager, Design: Retail, The Economist, Harvard Business Review, Industry Week, MIT Technology Review, and more. If you’re looking for industry-specific content relevant to your business sector, you may be surprised to find there’s a trade journal or magazine out there just for you. You can easily keep track of your favourite publications by setting up ‘Journal Alerts’ to be sent to your email or RSS feed, and you can also download or send articles directly to your Google Drive or Microsoft OneDrive.

Finally, click here for a playlist of past career-related virtual programs on Brampton Library’s YouTube channel.

We hope these programs and resources create meaningful opportunities for you to advance your career and encourage you to continue making learning an important part of your professional and personal growth.