Episode 11: "Alina Pete and Kel McDonald; Guest host: Dr. Gordon Henry, MSU"

<p>In this episode Julian and Justin are joined by guest host Dr. Gordon Henry to speak with comics creators Alina Pete, who is Nehiyaw (Cree) and Kel McDonald about their new comics Kickstarter, <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ironspike/cautionary-fables-and-fairy-tales-north-america/description"><em>The Woman and the Woods and Other North American Stories</em></a>: an all-new anthology of fantastic comics inspired by original North American folktales―from the thrilling tale of Chokfi the trickster rabbit, to the stirring story of the White Horse Plains― as told by Indigenous creators.</p> <p><br></p> <p>We talk with Alina and Kel about the significance of bringing together an all-Indigenous group of creatives, as well as the necessary responsibilities in faithfully following storytelling protocols set down by each group. Then, Gordon and Alina speak to the tension between literature and oral traditions over who gets to tell the stories and which stories, before getting into how comics offer ways of representing these storied beings who travel <em>with </em>these stories -- especially when some of these storied beings can never be named. We hear from Kel and Alina about the power of graphic narratives to reach kids and educators, and to bring authentic folktales to unfamiliar audiences through visually representing diverse populations. AND, while we were recording, the Kickstarter reached a significant milestone: $80,000! <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/ironspike/cautionary-fables-and-fairy-tales-north-america/description">At time of posting (9am), the Kickstarter is live for two more weeks and ends on September 10th, 2021 at 11:59pm (and it's nearing $90,000!). Go check it out!&nbsp;</a></p> <p><br></p> <p><strong>Alina Pete</strong> is a Cree artist and writer from Little Pine First Nation in western Saskatchewan. They are best known for their Aurora award-winning webcomic, <em>Weregeek</em> (<a href="https://urldefense.com/v3/__http:/weregeek.com/__;!!HXCxUKc!jEGifPlC4pif5gaUxvGskp