Using language shows to explore the social turn (by Mehdi Babaei)

It was a hot summer day in Montreal and I was sitting on the terrace of a Greek café with a couple of friends. We gathered once a week to read short stories and discuss literary theories. We were having a discussion about Bakhtin, the Russian literary critic, and his ideas about Dostoevsky, when I saw a seagull swoop in to filch the leftovers from a nearby table.

Stories have to be told or they die, and when they die, we can’t remember who we are or why we’re here. – Sue Monk Kidd (The Secret Life of Bees). (by Sumanthra Govender)

I love going back to Edmonton whenever I get the chance. It’s where I’m from; it’s what I know; it’s part of who I am. Other than my friends and family, there are many things I miss about Edmonton: the clean smelling air, the river valley close to my house, and the sound of the birds and the elephant from the zoo nearby… yes I did say elephant. Another thing I miss is hearing family stories.

Vive l’Acadie! Sociolinguistic reflections of a « tête carrée » (by Stephen Davis)

We are thrilled to have our first guest blogger, Stephen Davis. He is a student in the Master of Arts in Second Language Education program at McGill University. He has taught in a French immersion program in Saskatoon, SK, and volunteers with non-profit organizations in Canada and internationally. His research interests include multilingual education, French immersion, and language education for newcomers to Canada.

Celebrating Indigenous Literature at the Six Nations of the Grand River (by Heather Phipps)

Be strong, O paddle! be brave, canoe!
The reckless waves you must plunge into.
Reel, reel,
On your trembling keel,
But never a fear my craft will feel

– E. Pauline Johnson, The Song My Paddle Sings