The first-ever National Day for Truth and Reconciliation happens this Thursday, September 30. Converting the day known as Orange Shirt Day into a federally recognized holiday was one of the recommendations put forth in 2015’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s recommendations. The federal holiday aims to imbue reflection on the legacy of residential schools and honour […]
Rebecca Thomas
Posted inArts + Music
Afterwords Festival keeps it lit(-erary)
If you ask us, the annual Afterwords Literary Festival is the event manifestation of your coolest book-loving pal. You can trust its curated calendar of events to get you up-to-date on the buzziest books and on-the-rise authors, both locally and internationally. The fact that its 2021 lineup is 100 percent online only fortifies the feeling […]
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Coast 25: 30 of the most important things we’ve written
“Adam’s fall” Matthieu Aikins’ award-winning feature on suicides from the Macdonald Bridge is a heartbreaking read even now, a decade after its publication. A year after Aikins’ story was printed, the bridge commission finally decided to install safety barriers along the old bridge to prevent future deaths. Seals of approval One of the most-read stories […]
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Getting blamed for our own murders
I was 18 years old the first time I drank—three years older than Tina Fontaine was when she was killed. It was at a party in university held in my residence dorm. It was one of those parties where the house leaders mix together a big vat of mystery booze in a plastic garbage can […]
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Halifax searching for next poet laureate
Rebecca Thomas has some advice for whoever replaces her as Halifax’s next poet laureate. “Grow thick skin, but keep your heart soft,” she says. The poet’s two-year term as the municipality’s supreme scribe is ending in April and HRM is already seeking nominations for her successor. Applicants can be a poet, storyteller or spoken word […]
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Marking the anniversary of the Halifax Women’s March
Women are marching again. It’s been a year since people gathered in Washington and cities around the world to advocate for issues such as women’s rights, racial equality, LGTBQ+ rights and reproductive justice. The rally was catalyzed by the election of the Trump administration and the hateful rhetoric being spread by many of its supporters. […]
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Deadmau5 headlines Halifax’s FREE Canada Day concert
No problem A post shared by deadmau5 (@deadmau5) on Nov 10, 2016 at 1:31pm PST After months of waiting (OK, maybe that was just me), the headliner for the year’s biggest outdoor birthday party has finally been announced! Today the city confirmed that Deadmau5 will be rocking The Common with what he calls “the world’s […]
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Poet laureate heartened by council’s Cornwallis vote
While Halifax Regional Council was debating the legacy of Edward Cornwallis on Tuesday afternoon, Rebecca Thomas was following along from the other side of the country. The municipality’s poet laureate is in Vancouver this week, competing in the Canadian Individual Poetry Slam. So she wasn’t able to attend Tuesday’s council meeting, where it was approved […]
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Rebecca Thomas isn’t asking nicely anymore
Rebecca Thomas, Halifax’s poet laureate, went to A Tribe Called Red’s concert on Friday. She is a huge fan of their music, which blends electronic beats with aboriginal drumming and singing. While waiting at the bar to get a drink, she sees three folks with war paint on their faces. After giving them a double […]
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What’s the First Nations economy worth?
The performance of Atlantic Canada’s Indigenous economy is worth $1.14 billion, according to a new study released Wednesday. The pan-provincial assessment, completed by the Atlantic Policy Congress of First Nations Chiefs Secretariat, aims to shift stereotypes about Indigenous communities and their contribution to the economy, says secretariat executive director and study co-chair John G. Paul. […]
Posted inArts + Music
Reason and rhyme: meet Rebecca Thomas, Halifax’s poet laureate
The first time you hear Rebecca Thomas perform her spoken word poetry, something will happen to you. Your mind will calm as the tide of her voice takes over, the conviction of her words buoying you up until she reaches the ultimate, perfectly crafted finale and her perspective crashes down, challenging you in one hand […]