Advertisement · 728 × 90

Posts by Emily Strempler

A photo of the lakeshore at Waterton townsite, rows of empty docks ring the bottom of the photo, mirrored by a mountain that rises over the lake in the background. The sky is blue and full of fluffy white clouds.

A photo of the lakeshore at Waterton townsite, rows of empty docks ring the bottom of the photo, mirrored by a mountain that rises over the lake in the background. The sky is blue and full of fluffy white clouds.

Photo of a large bighorn sheep with massive horns sitting passively in the front yard of a small house with a river-stone facade in the town of Waterton.

Photo of a large bighorn sheep with massive horns sitting passively in the front yard of a small house with a river-stone facade in the town of Waterton.

A photo of a man in a black ballcap and a black denim jacket beaded with traditional Red River Metis florals standing at a lookout point on the upper trail at Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump. In the background the cliffs can be seen rising over the prairies under a cloudy, windswept sky.

A photo of a man in a black ballcap and a black denim jacket beaded with traditional Red River Metis florals standing at a lookout point on the upper trail at Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump. In the background the cliffs can be seen rising over the prairies under a cloudy, windswept sky.

A photo of Lundbreck Falls from above. A river winding through a dusty brown spring landscape splits in two just before the cliff edge and tumbles over in two large falls.

A photo of Lundbreck Falls from above. A river winding through a dusty brown spring landscape splits in two just before the cliff edge and tumbles over in two large falls.

Spent the week in the Waterton area (got to Crowsnest Pass, Pincher Creek, Fort McLeod, Head Smashed in Buffalo Jump). The weather was terrible but the hotel was lovely. We checked out some great shops, breweries and restaurants, and went for a few windswept hikes. Bought tons of books!

Photo dump:

1 day ago 1 0 0 0
A library copy of "Pourin' Down Rain" by Cheryl Foggo resting on a wooden café table. The cover depicts two young black women holding an umbrella over their heads.

A library copy of "Pourin' Down Rain" by Cheryl Foggo resting on a wooden café table. The cover depicts two young black women holding an umbrella over their heads.

#currentlyreading "Pourin' Down Rain," Cheryl Foggo's brief memoir of growing up Black on the Canadian prairies. Spotted this brand new 30th anniversary edition at the library last week and had to grab it. So far, a very friendly read: interesting anecdotes, good writing, lots of photos. 👍

📚💙

1 week ago 3 0 0 0
White text on a blue-green background decorated with small, white, dot-painted flowers reads, “[Stylized Li Isprii Logo], Book Review: Metis Floral Beadwork Resources”

White text on a blue-green background decorated with small, white, dot-painted flowers reads, “[Stylized Li Isprii Logo], Book Review: Metis Floral Beadwork Resources”

In white frames on a blue-green background decorated with small, white, dot-painted flowers the cover images for “wâpikwaniy: A Beginner’s Guide to Métis Floral Beadwork”, “kôhkominawak ocihcîwâwa - Our Grandmothers’ Hands: Repatriating Métis Material Art”, and “Medicines To Help Us: Traditional Métis Plant Use” appear. All three covers feature traditional Metis floral art, two are beadwork, one is a dot painting.

In white frames on a blue-green background decorated with small, white, dot-painted flowers the cover images for “wâpikwaniy: A Beginner’s Guide to Métis Floral Beadwork”, “kôhkominawak ocihcîwâwa - Our Grandmothers’ Hands: Repatriating Métis Material Art”, and “Medicines To Help Us: Traditional Métis Plant Use” appear. All three covers feature traditional Metis floral art, two are beadwork, one is a dot painting.

A quote in white text on a blue-green background decorated with small, white, dot-painted flowers reads, “When I was first learning to bead, I had wâpikwaniy and a beading kit that came with a series of online video lessons. Somehow, this slim 37 page book was by far the more useful of the two.”

A quote in white text on a blue-green background decorated with small, white, dot-painted flowers reads, “When I was first learning to bead, I had wâpikwaniy and a beading kit that came with a series of online video lessons. Somehow, this slim 37 page book was by far the more useful of the two.”

There aren't a lot of resources out there for beaders working in the Red River Metis floral style. Today in Li Isprii, Jeremy Allard discusses what's available, and what beaders might find useful in each book.

#metis #beadwork

www.liisprii.ca/magazine/202...

1 week ago 2 1 0 0
Preview
Homepage - Jehanne Dubrow Craft & Inquiry With more than two decades of experience mentoring high schoolers, undergraduates, and graduate students, as well as many nontraditional students outside of academia, Jehanne is excite...

Super pleased to announce that Jehanne Dubrow will serve as the final judge for our summer contest categories: prose poem, flash fiction, and flash creative nonfiction. May 31 deadline. Visit our website for contest details. baltimorereview.org

2 weeks ago 5 2 0 0

Finally got my first obviously AI "we want to share your work with our readers" email. Hilariously, they picked out a real niche piece of flash fiction. What do I do with it now? Frame it for posterity? 😂

#writingcommunity

2 weeks ago 1 0 0 0
A white edged orange rectangle slants across the middle of the image. Inside, white text reads, “[Stylized Li Isprii Logo], Stitching Circle, Join us for a casual online meetup. Bring a beadwork, craftwork, or fiber art project to work on. Free for members of the Li Isprii patreon. $10 for non-members. Hosted by Jeremy Allard. April 28th, 5-7pm MT.” Behind the rectangle, in the corners of the image, a photo of crafting supplies arrayed across a wooden table, can be seen.

A white edged orange rectangle slants across the middle of the image. Inside, white text reads, “[Stylized Li Isprii Logo], Stitching Circle, Join us for a casual online meetup. Bring a beadwork, craftwork, or fiber art project to work on. Free for members of the Li Isprii patreon. $10 for non-members. Hosted by Jeremy Allard. April 28th, 5-7pm MT.” Behind the rectangle, in the corners of the image, a photo of crafting supplies arrayed across a wooden table, can be seen.

Join us on April 28th for a casual stitching meetup, hosted by Jeremy Allard. Bring along a beadwork, craftwork, or fiber art project to work on. All events and meetups are free for members of the Li Isprii Patreon. $10 for non-members. Profits support the magazine.

www.patreon.com/posts/stitch...

2 weeks ago 1 1 0 0
A shelf of Metis-authored books rendered in a painterly style fills the bottom half of the image. The top half features white text on a light blue background reading, “[Stylized Li Isprii Logo], Metis Reads — Book Club”

A shelf of Metis-authored books rendered in a painterly style fills the bottom half of the image. The top half features white text on a light blue background reading, “[Stylized Li Isprii Logo], Metis Reads — Book Club”

The Metis Reads Book Club is a low-pressure, "read at your own pace" book club, featuring work by Red River Metis and select First Nations authors. Join our community on Patreon to support the magazine and gain access to both the book club and our online events and meetups.

www.patreon.com/LiIsprii

2 weeks ago 2 1 0 0
Advertisement
Rows of book covers line the top and bottom of the image. In the centre, white text on a light blue background reads, “[Stylized Li Isprii Logo], Metis Reads, April 2026”

Rows of book covers line the top and bottom of the image. In the centre, white text on a light blue background reads, “[Stylized Li Isprii Logo], Metis Reads, April 2026”

The April edition of Metis Reads is here! Featuring books by Brandi Bird, Wilfred Burton, Jónína Kirton (@jkirton.bsky.social), Elinor Florence, and more. Jump in and find a few great books available for pre-order!

#Metis 🌎📚💙

www.liisprii.ca/magazine/202...

2 weeks ago 7 2 0 0
Quote from page 145 of Bad Indians Book Club by Patty Krawec: "Toni Morrison, in her essay 'Rootedness: The Ancestor as Foundation,' attributes the popularity of the contemporary novel to the rising middle class and its isolation from extended family and community, where the stories we just thought up have traditionally been held. Morrison explains that in the absence of multigenerational families and stable communities, we needed some way to teach each other how to be human. We needed to teach others how we express our humanity, to learn to live together in communities that are constantly coalescing and remaking themselves. Novels become a kind of permanence in an impermanent world."

Quote from page 145 of Bad Indians Book Club by Patty Krawec: "Toni Morrison, in her essay 'Rootedness: The Ancestor as Foundation,' attributes the popularity of the contemporary novel to the rising middle class and its isolation from extended family and community, where the stories we just thought up have traditionally been held. Morrison explains that in the absence of multigenerational families and stable communities, we needed some way to teach each other how to be human. We needed to teach others how we express our humanity, to learn to live together in communities that are constantly coalescing and remaking themselves. Novels become a kind of permanence in an impermanent world."

An interesting idea: In a fractured but cosmopolitan society, perhaps fiction doesn't merely teach us "how to be human," but also what it might feel like to interact with the world as someone else, bridging social divides. Either way, a vital technology in the current moment.

📚💙

3 weeks ago 0 0 0 0
Quote from page 64 of "Bad Indians Book Club" by Patty Krawec. It reads: "How we arrive in a place, and then how we receive others, matters deeply. When I studied social work, a professor once asked us to make a list of the things that somebody would need to do to make a cup of coffee. What steps are involved? We started with the obvious: boil water. Then he asked what room we were in. Why did we assume that the person we were writing the instructions for was in the kitchen? So, we backed up. Go to the kitchen, we added as an instruction. Then our professor asked: How are they supposed to do that? What assumptions are we making about the person and where they lived? By the end of the exercise, we had more than two hundred steps involved just to make a cup of coffee. Nobody working in an assisted-living facility or doing homecare work was going to provide a list of over two hundred steps for a client who needed to make a cup of coffee. But it forced us to think about everything we assumed. It forced us to shift the centre."

Quote from page 64 of "Bad Indians Book Club" by Patty Krawec. It reads: "How we arrive in a place, and then how we receive others, matters deeply. When I studied social work, a professor once asked us to make a list of the things that somebody would need to do to make a cup of coffee. What steps are involved? We started with the obvious: boil water. Then he asked what room we were in. Why did we assume that the person we were writing the instructions for was in the kitchen? So, we backed up. Go to the kitchen, we added as an instruction. Then our professor asked: How are they supposed to do that? What assumptions are we making about the person and where they lived? By the end of the exercise, we had more than two hundred steps involved just to make a cup of coffee. Nobody working in an assisted-living facility or doing homecare work was going to provide a list of over two hundred steps for a client who needed to make a cup of coffee. But it forced us to think about everything we assumed. It forced us to shift the centre."

This is a great exercise and reminds me of a similar practice I use in my own day to day. When interacting with insitutions, I try to stop and ask, "Where are the failure points?" In this mode, I've noticed all kinds of systemic roadblocks (for example: un-translated translation support signs).

💙📚

3 weeks ago 4 0 1 0
Photo of a quote from "Bad Indians Book Club" by Patty Krawec. It reads: "What would it take for an urban child to see the night sky? At the end of the conversation in April, I posed that question to the panelists. What do our communities need to see the night sky, to connect with the natural world around us? We need our land back, and for that land to be free. We need a world where a single mother has the means and the time to take their child to a place where the city lights do not drown out the sky. We need a world of mobility, free from physical and financial barriers. We need oceans filled with fish instead of plastic. And we need time for curiosity, a life free from the exhaustion that strangles our desire to see."

Photo of a quote from "Bad Indians Book Club" by Patty Krawec. It reads: "What would it take for an urban child to see the night sky? At the end of the conversation in April, I posed that question to the panelists. What do our communities need to see the night sky, to connect with the natural world around us? We need our land back, and for that land to be free. We need a world where a single mother has the means and the time to take their child to a place where the city lights do not drown out the sky. We need a world of mobility, free from physical and financial barriers. We need oceans filled with fish instead of plastic. And we need time for curiosity, a life free from the exhaustion that strangles our desire to see."

#currentlyreading "Bad Indians Book Club" by Patty Krawec. Just started this one and I've already pestered Jeremy with a bunch of quotes (always a good sign).

This passage, considering a question first raised by Chanda Prescod-Weinstein in "The Disordered Cosmos," is from pg 57.

💙📚

3 weeks ago 1 0 1 0

Congratulations to all the Best of the Net winners and to Baltimore Review contributors Hannah Keziah Agustin (poetry) and Anne Rudig (creative nonfiction) on being honored as finalists!

3 weeks ago 11 2 1 0
White text on a blue-green background decorated with small, white, dot-painted flowers reads, “[Stylized Li Isprii Logo], Art Review, Cheryl L'Hirondelle: where the voice touches (((acts, utterances, transmissions for freedom)))”

White text on a blue-green background decorated with small, white, dot-painted flowers reads, “[Stylized Li Isprii Logo], Art Review, Cheryl L'Hirondelle: where the voice touches (((acts, utterances, transmissions for freedom)))”

In a white frame on a blue-green background decorated with small, white, dot-painted flowers an image of Cheryl L’Hirondelle’s “ēkaya-pāhkāci - Don't Freeze Up v2” appears. The silhouette of a woman looms within large white tent. Colourful blankets are laid out across the floor of the galley in front of the tent, inviting visitors to sit.

In a white frame on a blue-green background decorated with small, white, dot-painted flowers an image of Cheryl L’Hirondelle’s “ēkaya-pāhkāci - Don't Freeze Up v2” appears. The silhouette of a woman looms within large white tent. Colourful blankets are laid out across the floor of the galley in front of the tent, inviting visitors to sit.

A quote in white text on a blue-green background decorated with small, white, dot-painted flowers reads, “The artwork is a collaboration, rooted in a specific context, and can only exist if all the collaborators are acknowledged, respected, and continue to consent to their inclusion.”

A quote in white text on a blue-green background decorated with small, white, dot-painted flowers reads, “The artwork is a collaboration, rooted in a specific context, and can only exist if all the collaborators are acknowledged, respected, and continue to consent to their inclusion.”

"where the voice touches (((acts, utterances, transmissions for freedom)))", an exhibition of the work of Metis artist Cheryl L'Hirondelle, will be at the Walter Phillips Gallery in Banff from Feb 13th to Jun 21st, 2026. Not sure what to expect? We checked it out!

www.liisprii.ca/magazine/202...

4 weeks ago 2 1 0 0

Imho, the only sustainable way to get good writing done. Nothing kills creativity like feeling trapped in a boring conceptual box.

1 month ago 1 0 1 0

I ran an event a bit like this last year (a "Book Share" where attendees each got five minutes to pitch everyone else on a book they love). Attendees got really into it, and it turned out to be a ton of fun! I imagine the event you're describing would also be very popular.

1 month ago 1 0 1 0
White text on an orange background decorated with small, white, dot-painted flowers reads, “[Stylized Li Isprii Logo], Concepts in Metis Art: Attribution and Self-Introduction”

White text on an orange background decorated with small, white, dot-painted flowers reads, “[Stylized Li Isprii Logo], Concepts in Metis Art: Attribution and Self-Introduction”

A quote in white text on an orange background decorated with small, white, dot-painted flowers reads, "Storytellers are also teachers, and when we accept a story as 'ours,' we take on the messages and values it carries with it. Because of this, proper attribution of stories has always included relational context, including the identity, family relationships, and intellectual lineage of the storyteller. - Jeremy Allard"

A quote in white text on an orange background decorated with small, white, dot-painted flowers reads, "Storytellers are also teachers, and when we accept a story as 'ours,' we take on the messages and values it carries with it. Because of this, proper attribution of stories has always included relational context, including the identity, family relationships, and intellectual lineage of the storyteller. - Jeremy Allard"

A quote in white text on an orange background decorated with small, white, dot-painted flowers reads, “...artists face significant pressure to use website space in ways that conform to industry standards, forefronting official, word-count limited bios, approved marketing text for their projects, tightly structured CVs, and accolades. When Metis artists do shape their websites and professional image to meet community standards, they often do so at the expense of meeting the expectations of curators, editors, agents, managers, and producers. - Jeremy Allard”

A quote in white text on an orange background decorated with small, white, dot-painted flowers reads, “...artists face significant pressure to use website space in ways that conform to industry standards, forefronting official, word-count limited bios, approved marketing text for their projects, tightly structured CVs, and accolades. When Metis artists do shape their websites and professional image to meet community standards, they often do so at the expense of meeting the expectations of curators, editors, agents, managers, and producers. - Jeremy Allard”

White text on an orange background decorated with small, white, dot-painted flowers reads, “Read the full essay at liisprii.ca”

White text on an orange background decorated with small, white, dot-painted flowers reads, “Read the full essay at liisprii.ca”

In our first long-form essay, Jeremy Allard discusses attribution and self-introduction in the context of Metis art, storytelling, and literature, both historic and modern.

#Metis #MetisArt

www.liisprii.ca/magazine/202...

1 month ago 1 1 0 0
Advertisement
Preview
Emily Strempler: Newsletter

This month I've stumbled into a list of book recommendations entirely by Black and Queer authors: a romp through 60s Atlanta, a study of passing, and an exploration of all things queer food. Sign up to get all 3 reviews in your inbox bright and early on the 10th!

🌈📚💙

estrempler.com/newsletter

1 month ago 3 0 0 0

Oh cool! I had no idea she'd written a book. Her standup is a riot!

1 month ago 1 0 0 0
Rows of book covers line the top and bottom of the image. In the centre, white text on a light blue background reads, “[Stylized Li Isprii Logo], Metis Reads, March 2026”

Rows of book covers line the top and bottom of the image. In the centre, white text on a light blue background reads, “[Stylized Li Isprii Logo], Metis Reads, March 2026”

The March edition of Metis Reads is here! Featuring books by Tara Gereaux, Cheryl Isbister, Carole Lindstrom, and Louise Erdrich, plus illustration by Rhael McGregor and Natasha Donovan. Jump in and find a few great books available for pre-order!

#Metis 🌎📚💙

www.liisprii.ca/magazine/202...

1 month ago 64 13 1 2

This is great!

1 month ago 1 0 1 0

I always assumed it was some sort of print fidelity test, but I could be completely wrong 🤷‍♀️

1 month ago 1 0 0 0
Rolston Recital Hall at the Banff Centre, filling up before the show. Seating in the foreground with scattered people sitting, a stage in the centre under a display that reads "Toga da wôhnagabi."

Rolston Recital Hall at the Banff Centre, filling up before the show. Seating in the foreground with scattered people sitting, a stage in the centre under a display that reads "Toga da wôhnagabi."

Catching the first Toga da wôhnagabi participant concert at the Banff Centre with Jeremy ✨👌

1 month ago 0 0 0 0

I love that the cover also looks a bit frosty ❄️

1 month ago 1 0 1 0

If you believe @tacobellquarterly.org, "literary clout" is also fake. But what I can promise is that every piece we publish @baltimorereview.bsky.social, was chosen because we genuinely loved it. Fake or not, "clout" is a nice little bonus, though. 😉✨

#lit #writing

1 month ago 17 2 2 0
Post image

We'd like to show a little Baltimore Review love by offering a free generative writing session on Valentine's Day. Noon, Eastern Time. We promise it won't be cheesy. Well, not too cheesy. Interested? Email editor@baltimorereview.org to receive a Zoom link.

2 months ago 6 2 1 0
White text on a blue-green background decorated with small, white, dot-painted flowers reads, “[Stylized Li Isprii Logo], Book Review: Inkwo for When the Starving Return”

White text on a blue-green background decorated with small, white, dot-painted flowers reads, “[Stylized Li Isprii Logo], Book Review: Inkwo for When the Starving Return”

In a white frame on a blue-green background decorated with small, white, dot-painted flowers a poster for “Inkwo for When the Starving Return” appears. The image features the protagonist’s young face, against the backdrop of an icy landscape. Hostile figures lurk at the bottom of the frame beneath the title.

In a white frame on a blue-green background decorated with small, white, dot-painted flowers a poster for “Inkwo for When the Starving Return” appears. The image features the protagonist’s young face, against the backdrop of an icy landscape. Hostile figures lurk at the bottom of the frame beneath the title.

A quote in white text on a blue-green background decorated with small, white, dot-painted flowers reads, “They say that unless there is snow on the ground, you should never speak the name of the wheetago out loud...”

A quote in white text on a blue-green background decorated with small, white, dot-painted flowers reads, “They say that unless there is snow on the ground, you should never speak the name of the wheetago out loud...”

Jeremy Allard reviews Amanda Strong's wintery stop-motion film Inkwo for When the Starving Return, based on the short story Wheetago War by Richard Van Camp. In a future stalked by starving monsters, a young hero must learn to harness their medicine and fight back.

www.liisprii.ca/magazine/202...

2 months ago 1 1 0 0
Advertisement

In 2022, JAKE published a story of mine that I loved but wasn't sure would ever find it's home. But, more importantly, they published "trans culture is hating shirts" by Sophie Dufresne, a poem I used in an important conversation with a trans friend, back when they were still figuring things out.

2 months ago 3 0 1 0
The Baltimore Review A journal of poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction

Our poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction doors are now open in Submittable. baltimorereview.org

2 months ago 10 8 0 1
Rows of book covers line the top and bottom of the image. In the centre, white text on a light blue background reads, “[Stylized Li Isprii Logo], Metis Reads, February 2026”

Rows of book covers line the top and bottom of the image. In the centre, white text on a light blue background reads, “[Stylized Li Isprii Logo], Metis Reads, February 2026”

The February edition of Metis Reads is here! Featuring illustration work by Natasha Donovan, Rheal McGregor, and other titles of interest. Jump in and find a few great books available for pre-order!

#Metis 🌎📚💙

www.liisprii.ca/magazine/202...

2 months ago 2 1 0 0
Preview
Mizuki Yamamoto: Mars is not as dry as they told us Mizuki Yamamoto is a writer from Japan, currently living in the foothills of the Rocky Mountains with her half moon and two very spoiled farm dogs. Mizuki’s writing has appeared in or is…

"I don’t tell her how high the maternal mortality rate is here. Or how challenging it is for newborns to survive in this atmosphere . . . That it’s become even harder lately for Martian-born to be granted an Earth visa." - Mizuki Yamamoto baltimorereview.org/winter_2026/...

2 months ago 3 1 0 0