Gordon Atkinson is a journalist who writes about "the people",
"everyday people", who make up the world we live in. With
years of experience under his belt, Gord was recently a finalist in
the Frankly Bob Arts Awards for his story, "The Penny
Dropped", the poignant story of a homeless man and a little
girl who drops a penny into his cup (See STORIES
page). Also "The Penny Dropped" appeared in the January
2003 edition of READER'S DIGEST!
In the coming summer months of 2002, Gord will be travelling out west
to follow the upcoming ABORIGINAL GAMES in Winnipeg and to visit Edmonton.
Check here for more stories and information about Gord in the coming
months.
Check out the PHOTOS
page for some nice shots of events that Gord has covered and people
Gord has known.
Upcoming Events:
PRESS RELEASE October 28, 2002
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Suffering, the critics say, is the source of art. “Healing Journey”,
a book of stories and poems by some of Toronto’s Native homeless,
to be launched this Thursday, October 31st is not for the faint-hearted.
Typical is the four-line poem “Black Robes” by Gordon Pelletier:
Priests showed my father how to be evil
Nuns showed my mother how to inflict pain
You see people who are holy and worthy of praise
I see people who rape angels.
The angel he mentions in his powerful poem is his mother who was raped
by a priest at a residential school when she was a youngster. “It’s
really my way of tormenting these people”, Pelletier said. “I
write so they’ll never forget.”
Another entry in the book is “A Time in the Alleys”. It’s
dedicated to all the homeless women I’ve known who have died on
the streets of Toronto over the last 30 years, said Tona Mason, who
wrote the piece.
Shallen Murray who coordinated the book project said she’d never
forget the day Jason Southwind drew her a red rose as a token of their
lasting friendship. Some time later the gifted artist took his own life.
That rose now graces the front cover of the new publication. “I
never got to say good-bye to him,” said Murray. “It’s
really something special to me.”
Charlene Catchpole, president of Na-Me-Res, is very proud to release
the book. “Healing Journey” is an extraordinary look at our
Aboriginal population.” This is a ‘real’ look into the
lives of many Poignant,” said Catchpole. But even amidst the piercing
cold of Toronto’s winter nights some of the writers were able to
find warmth and humor.
The media and public are invited to the book launch of “Healing
Journey” on October 31 from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. at Native Men’s
Residence (Na- Me-Res) on 14 Vaughan Rd. The paperback is on sale for
$5.00 each.
Proceeds from the sale of the book go to the support the Native youth
shelter Tunivut (our Footprints) set to open in December.
For further information call Na- Me- Res at (416) 652-0334.
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OCTOBER 24, 2002 PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
TORONTO-The heartbeat of many nations will pulsate through
the Native Canadian Centre of Toronto (NCCT) this November 2. The NCCT
on 16 Spadina Rd. is proud to host the second annual Gathering of the
Drums celebration, an all day multi-cultural event to be held throughout
the entire building.
A low-cost buffet of international dishes from 12:00 p.m.
to 6:00 p.m. will add to the flavor of the gathering. The Eagleheart
Singers with their elk and buffalo skinned drums will be joined by African,
Bolivian, Celtic, Japanese and Cuban drummers. One of the featured performers
will be Celtic drummer Graeme Kirkland who is best known for his extraordinary,
award-winning drumming. Maybe he’ll bring some kippers for the
other cultural groups to savor.
The morning agenda features workshops that will repeat
in the afternoon so that you will have an opportunity to take in all
that this day offers.“The artists will talk about their music,
drums and where they come from,” said Brenda Miller, assistant
cultural program coordinator. “The audience will learn everything
they need to know about the music.”
There will also be a Teepee on the front lawn of the NCCT
where two Aboriginal storytellers people will be telling our stories.
The doors to the NCCT open ant 9:00 a.m. and admission
is $2.00 with additional charges for the workshops. The Toronto Arts
Council and Casino Rama are sponsoring the event.
For more information contact Jimmy Dick at (416) 964-9087
ext. 337 or Brenda Miller at (416) 964-9087 ext. 332.
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