I am a collector of bones… no, not in a horror movie kind of way… more like in a Victorian era naturalist, gentleman scientist kind of way. I have several whale vertebrae in my collection, for example. One fossil vertebra was mundanely added: I bought it at one of those mineral/fossil shows that I frequent from time to time. Once, in Newfoundland, I traded a giant pyrite crystal for a sperm whale vertebra. But, by far the coolest and certainly the smelliest method by which I obtained a vertebra was by actually collecting it directly from a whale, in a Victorian era naturalist, gentleman scient ..read more

One hundred years Since the year I never saw One hundred years watching, Waiting Wondering in awe. I looked at you all, As you grew, as you died too. Like weeds you continued, Flowering and disintegrating As summers faded into cold fall.   So much has changed— And yet, the world Is still the same. So much I have never done, And never will.   We move through time And yet, we change nothing. A short life or a long life— The end is the same. Carved stone and 6 feet of sediment, That hold your bones as flesh turns back To feed the earth.   One hundred years Since the year I never sa ..read more

I was raised Roman Catholic. We were LIED to. We were told in our white schools and churches that bad things that happened to natives was “a long time ago” and many more lies. I promise you some of us white folk care but were straight up lied to and told it was just a bunch of “alcoholics” who were “ungrateful”. The shit you’d hear in communities was more divisive than helpful. Then there’s the church who tries to say it was only there to HELP people… and yet they were killing children. I have no words other than, “I am sorry.” Now, I do think that there needs to be work done in so many commu ..read more

I am not a perfect artist, but these paintings are directly related to my other story on lighthouses and my love of the ocean. This is where I find peace. Click to view slideshow.   Artwork by Shaylynn Hayes-Raymond ..read more

What’s it like being an Atlantic Canadian artist? The beauty of being an Atlantic Canadian artist is that you’re part of a tight-knit community of musicians. No matter where you play in the Maritimes you always feel welcomed by the artists splitting that evening’s bill.  Do you feel there are significant challenges in Atlantic Canada for musicians? There is sometimes a preconceived notion in the industry that you need to be from one of the big three cities to make it; leaving you to feel like you need to put in twice the amount of work.  What advice do you have for other singer/song ..read more

What’s it like being an Atlantic Canadian artist? I personally love living in the Maritimes! Atlantic Canada is so rich in talent, and I love the diversity in the genres and styles. There is also, for the most part, a great camaraderie with other musicians which is nice to be a part of. Do you feel there are significant challenges in Atlantic Canada for musicians? We live on PEI so we do feel somewhat isolated here. We have a smaller population so less people to play for, but it’s surprising how many venues here have entertainment! It’s quite amazing. In the Summer you can find music in almost ..read more

There’s not a lot we can do in a democracy other than vote for candidates. Other than that, we can try to volunteer our time, campaign, and support lobbyists for our causes. But, first and foremost, the power of democratic societies is our choice of representatives and values. I want to mention that I have a Bachelor’s in Political Science. Not because I’m proud of it, so much, more to point out that I’ve been engaged in politics for a while now. With that said, I am going to try really hard to be respectful of Jenica Atwin as I write this piece. I don’t want to attack her as a person, and I w ..read more

Please note: sensitive content. This video is concerning, and has been taken down on several news sites (including CBC). I am posting it because I believe it is important that the public is aware of the work the RCMP does on their behalf. According to the CBC, “New Brunswick RCMP have sought an independent review after a video of what appears to be an officer striking a man he was arresting was posted to social media.” The CBC also reports that Chanel Roy, the president of the New Brunswick Police Association, said “There’s always a context of what took place prior to what was captured on vid ..read more

This Canada Day, I’m not in the mood to celebrate. The reveal of the residential schools hit me harder than I ever expected it would. I can’t get those children out of my head. More than that, I have reflected on my own views on treaty rights, aboriginal treatment in Canada, and the way that we Canadians often react to aboriginals. Things like “the vikings were here before them and it was never their land” are things that are said regularly. People abuse treaty rights for low blood percent to try and hunt and fish, and there is a great dispute on what is an acceptable amount of fishing for nat ..read more

When the possibility of opening in March was dangled in front of me, I was ready to go. I hadn’t seen my mom and dad since December, and the depression was already mounting. Then, this was delayed, and I was told I could go without isolating in April. I waited. Instead, what came was a total lockdown. I could not go home isolation or not. Finally, I was told by June 23rd I could go home, I could do so without isolating. See my grandmother, see my family, my parents, work on the novel inspired by there (that I have been losing focus on with this depression). Now, today, that carrot that was dan ..read more