Award-winning Nipissing First Nation youth writer hopes to inspire readers to honour relationships – Anishinabek News

August 4, 2021

TORONTO — Nipissing multidisciplinary artist Kelsey Borgford was honoured to be recognized on July 25 with the Runner-Up award at the Second Story Press 2021 Indigenous Writing Contest for her short story, What’s in a Bead?.

“To me, the story is one of resilience,” says Borgford, who began beading about five years ago. “I was inspired to write this story when I was working as an early childhood educator and I was thinking of my longtime friend and co-worker Tessa Pizzale’s relationship with her late Gokum. I remember being at her house a couple years ago sewing skirts with her mom, Lauree, and she told us about how she learned to do a two-needle stitch from her and now she will only bead with a two-needle stitch.”

Borgford says the story, which is about the bond forged between a Cree grandmother and her young granddaughter, “just sort of came to” her, as though it was meant to be written.

Read More: http://anishinabeknews.ca/2021/08/04/award-winning-nipissing-first-nation-youth-writer-hopes-to-inspire-readers-to-honour-relationships/