I Lost My Talk

Rita Joe's powerful poem is presented anew in this children's picture book with illustrations from Pauline Young. A story of recovering what was lost in residential school, I Lost My Talk will raise conversation about language as a vehicle for truth and reconciliation. Published simultaneously with the companion book I'm Finding My Talk.

I lost my talk
The talk you took away
When I was a little girl
At Shubenacadie school.

Acclaimed poet Rita Joe (1932―2007) of Whycocomagh First Nation wrote seven books, won numerous awards, and continues to be an influence on poets and other artists across Canada. I Lost My Talk is perhaps Joe's most famous poem, and references her time at the Shubenacadie Residential School. The poem inspired an eponymous multimedia performance at the National Arts Centre in 2016 as well as songs written by Indigenous youth across the country. She is known today as the Poet Laureate of the Mi'kmaq.

Pauline Young is a visual artist who was first exposed to the creative world through her father, Phillip Young, an internationally renowned artist, who painted the bottoms of her feet. She still recalls the smooth sensation of paint oozing between her toes. She draws her inspiration from him and the natural environment and is always looking down to see what the ground can offer, such as incorporating beach sand and red oxide sand into her paintings.