Métis writer to speak at Swift Current’s Write Out Loud event

SWIFT CURRENT — Métis author Joan Pelletier will speak about her memoir and her experiences growing up in a Michif community during the Write Out Loud series March 18 at the Lyric Theatre.

Pelletier, a Regina writer and retired teacher, is the author of Lebret – Looking Back and Beyond: An Autobiography, published in 2023 by Gabriel Dumont Institute Press.

The memoir recounts her childhood in Lebret, a community steeped in Michif culture that was once home to several Métis road allowance settlements. Pelletier writes about growing up in a close-knit Michif family before leaving the community for life in the city.

She wrote the book during the COVID-19 pandemic, aiming to preserve family memories and cultural traditions for future generations.

Pelletier taught for many years in Regina community schools, working with First Nations and Métis students. She continues to share and promote Michif culture through her writing and public presentations.

Her presentation is part of Write Out Loud, a Swift Current reading series that brings writers, storytellers and performers to the Lyric Theatre to share their work with a live audience.

The evening will begin with entertainment by local musician Roni Hasret Ocak.

The program begins at 7 p.m. at the Lyric Theatre. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Admission is $10.

Write Out Loud organizers said the event is sponsored by SIGA through Living Sky Casino and supported by the City of Swift Current.