Cascadia Daily, April 19, 2019

Poetry at Cascadia Magazine: Tricks a Girl Can Do

Susan Rich’s poem “Tricks a Girl Can Do” is an ode to British Columbia photographer Hannah Maynard, who was a pioneer of experimental photography in the early 20th century. Maynard’s collages and use of multiple exposures were revolutionary, and she employed the medium of photography to deal with grief over the death of her daughter from typhoid at the age of 16.

Susan’s poem is a sharp and concise exploration of the Maynard’s life and work:

“I will hang myself in picture frames
in drawing rooms where grief
is not allowed a wicker chair”

Rich is a Seattle-based poet who helped co-create the Poets on the Coast writing retreat for women.

Read the full poem online here.

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Weekend reading: curbing abuse on the Umatilla reservation

If you haven’t yet read it, this weekend set aside time for Gosia Wozniacka’s great feature, “Demanding Justice for Native Women,” about how the Umatilla Indian Reservation is using a new law to prosecute non-Indians for acts of domestic violence. You’ll meet Taryn Minthorn, whose life was changed after a successful prosecution, and Desiree Coyote, who works with victims of domestic violence and who says renewal of the Violence Against Women Act will help her tribe turn the tide of violence against Indigenous women. To learn how you can support VAWA reauthorization, visit the NCADV website.
Read the full article here.

Playing politics with safe injection

Melissa Santos at Crosscut notes that Republicans in the Washington state legislature have inserted language into a bill funding treatment options to address the opioid crisis–that would prevent funds from being spent in any city that establishes a safe injection site (namely, Seattle, which is considering one). In related news, Travis Lupick reports on a protest in Vancouver this week demanding “safe supply” to address overdose deaths in BC. And the Seattle Times covers a unique program in Spokane that keeps families together while parents get treatment for addiction rather than putting children in foster care. And Annette Cary says the Tri Cities in central Washington should go forward with a needle-exchange program.

Oregon legislature passes youth sentencing reform

OPB reports that a tight vote in the Oregon Senate resulted in a bill being passed that would reduce and reform mandatory sentences for youth offenders. And in response to investigative reports on the abysmal conditions in Oregon’s foster care system, Oregon governor Kate Brown has established a task force to investigate.

Racism surfaces in reaction to BC caribou protection plan

Sarah Cox, writing for The Narwhal, observes that the public comment process associated with the BC government’s plans to protect endangered caribou is giving rise to misinformation and racism against First Nations. CBC has an interview with West Moberly First Nation chief Rolland Willson, who clears up misconceptions about the plan.

How would Snake River dam removal affect communities?

The Inlander looks at community meetings the state of Washington is hosting to gather input about how removing dams on the lower Snake River would affect a variety of local communities, including wheat farmers who depend on inexpensive river barging. In related news, the Thompson Reuters Foundation reports on how Washington tribes are fighting to be included in negotiations between Canada and the US over the Columbia River dams treaty.

Remembering two Indigenous carvers

At Raven Chronicles, read Steve Griggs’ longform nonfiction piece about the police killing of Native American carver John T. Williams in 2010 and the continuing problem of racism in policing. And Geist recommends the documentary Meet Beau Dick: Maker of Monsters, about the late First Nations carver who was possibly the greatest traditional Kwakwaka’wakw wood carver since colonization. Watch a preview of the documentary on YouTube.

Omar El-Akkad on climate change narratives

The Fiction/Non-fiction podcast at Literary Hub has a great conversation with two novelists about the challenges of including narratives about climate change in fiction. The second half of the podcast features Portland’s Omar El-Akkad, who’s the author of American War, a dystopian novel about a future American civil war.


That’s today’s smattering of news, environmental reporting, arts, and culture from all corners of the Cascadia bioregion. Enjoy your weekend–and if you’re in BC we hope you have a relaxing holiday weekend. Allow plenty of time waiting for BC ferries if you’re traveling across the Salish Sea. –Andrew Engelson