By extension, do you feel that writing is an act of reciprocity? CFG: We can see another dimension of that “not enough” complex in Tommy, the Métis cop investigating  the crime with his non-Indigenous partner. There was a feeling that it wasn't real or genuine; that we had to get to the bush in order to be real Indians. Writers are such sadistic assholes. You’re always working with others, collaborating, and that makes magic happen but also presents new challenges, especially for introverts like me. It is on the Canada Reads 2017 longlist. Katherena Vermette was born on Treaty 1 territory, in the heart of the Métis Nation in Winnipeg, ​Manitoba​. I did get some great criticism that helped me grow and met some wonderful teachers who changed my life. Room to read. Lou and Paul are also educated and married out of their community — "city half breeds" and "real Indians" are colloquial for urban Métis and rural Status Indigenous persons, very different groups. I had and have a beautiful circle of trust, of women, my mother, my best friends, my daughters who always teach me something. When I wrote the poetry book [North End Love Songs], my friend Duncan told me that my first book had to be about me introducing myself. Fictionalization of fact has a role, too. But in a lot of ways I wasn’t. They are taking care of each other, and themselves, the best way they know how. They [the Indigenous family in the novel] are of both the bush and of the city, but those are conflicting desires and wants. I see more strengthening than turning myself. I wanted to fill up that picture. For the Elsie scene, I was thinking about how even horrid, despicable things happen in regular spaces. I don’t necessarily position things on purpose all the time, but I am drawn to how the profound moments are held in the seemingly mundane. I think that’s what most writers do with their first books, but Indigenous writers seem to do so very deliberately. CFG: They’re all wonderfully subtle characters with complex motivations. Katherena Vermette on capturing the brutality and beauty of Winnipeg's North End, Métis poet Katherena Vermette shares love of Winnipeg's North End in video, How Katherena Vermette turned a terrible vision into a visionary debut novel. I've heard of writers doing this, but I don't or can't. Katherena Vermette is a Métis writer of poetry and fiction. CHRISTINE FISCHER GUY: Congratulations on the publication of your first novel and belated congratulations for winning the 2013 GG for your first book of poetry. She comes from violence. CFG: How long were you writing The Break? It's a tragedy that begets more tragedy. Her debut novel opens in a place locally known as The Break, a barren strip of hydro land in that same Winnipeg neighbourhood, as the sole witness to a violent crime recounts what she saw to police. A shaking my fist at the sky sort of — how can someone do this?! Finding empathy for people who do bad things. As a younger person, I only saw contention between the two groups, so it seemed like it would involve a lot of issues. “A real house in a real community  with a real family,” she says. *Even though “Indigenous” is more correct,  “Indian” is a constitutional artifact and still used in that context. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. KV: Thanks for mentioning that shot of the baby stroller. I saw that a lot growing up. Most recently, she won the 2017 Canadian Screen Award for her documentary This River. You’ve said that relationship was “complicated.” Has this novel brought you any closer to resolving those feelings about it? And, as much as all Indigenous nations have common threads, relatives and ground, it's very important to recognize our individual nationhood. How much intention do you give to reciprocity? Does it become any easier? Her short fiction has appeared in Canadian and US journals and has been nominated for the Journey and Pushcart prizes. For example, when the character of Tommy is talking to his mom, who shares a story with him about her life, Tommy consciously thinks about a story he can give back to her. I don't know if I or anyone can ever really know what makes a person commit violence. That in itself was overwhelming, but the film was also about telling heartbreaking, gut-wrenching stories, one of which was one of my own. Who did you trust as you wrote this novel? We're not far away from a rural experience and something that's perceived as "traditional" and that "real" Indigenous experience. What I do know is that the violence that happens in someone, anyone, isn't divorced from the violence that has happened to that person. She has no one that she can rely on wholly. The Break. KV: I definitely lived with all of them for a very long time. As police piece together the events that led to the sexual assault of a 13-­year-­old Métis girl, the community makes a reckoning of its own. That's how I framed Tommy, anyway. There were so many balls in the air—between the actual filming, lining up and taking care of those involved and being interviewed, as well as developing story and thinking of how it’s all going to look. House of Anansi Press. It felt like there were a lot more technical things to manage to make it all make sense. The community doesn’t completely trust him, and he puts up with a lot from his partner. Katherena Vermette's comments have been edited and condensed. Some, like Phoenix, were very complicated relationships, but most were pretty easy to love. Katherena Vermette won the Governor General's Literary Award for her 2013 poetry collection North End Love Songs, an ode to her Winnipeg neighbourhood. On an emotional level, how difficult was this project? In addition, right after we wrapped, I started the last round of edits for the novel [The Break]. I love that kind of stuff. The novel [The Break] was the continuation of that conversation. The Governor General's Literary Award-winning poet discusses her debut novel, The Break. There are situations, stories and elements that hurt, but as much as I see the issues, I see the solutions. Things change when they are portrayed artistically. I knew they were never going to break down, not in the duration of this story anyway. So the short answer is, the novel itself took about two intense years, but these girls and women have been living with me for years. This River. It took me a long time to “find my voice” and it’s never easy to try your best and have someone say they don’t think you’re ready yet.

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