The Story Behind the Story by Author/Poet Armand Ruffo of Ontario, Canada.

 Let’s welcome Armand to the Scribbler.

Armand is represented by River Street Writing and the second in a series of visits from their distinguished authors.

Thank you to Hollay Ghadrey of River Street for introducing us.

I’m sure you will enjoy learning about Armand and his writing.

Read on my friends.

 

 

Armand Garnet Ruffo was born and raised in remote northern Ontario and is a band member of the Chapleau Fox Lake Cree First Nation in northern Ontario. He is the author of some dozen books of prose and poetry, ranging from writing Norval Morrisseau: Man Changing Into Thunderbird (2014) and Treaty# (2019), both finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award, to editing An Anthology of Indigenous Literature in English: Voices from Canada for Oxford U Press.  A recipient of an Honourary Life Membership Award from the League of Canadian Poets, and the Writers’ Trust of Canada Latner Poetry Prize, he is recognized as a major contributor to both contemporary Indigenous literature and Indigenous literary scholarship in Canada. His most recent book is The Dialogues: the Song of Francis Pegahmagabow, winner of the 2024 VMI Betsy Warland “Between Genres” Award.  He currently lives in Kingston and teaches Indigenous literature and creative writing at Queen’s University.

 

 

Title: The Dialogues: the Song of Francis Pegahmagabow

 

Synopsis: 

  A poetic narrative (which makes up the libretto for the musical version) about the life of the renowned WWI Ojibwe sniper Francis Pegahmagabow with textual interventions that address the narrative and the reader, raising questions about human-kind’s drive to make war on each other and the very planet that sustains. Moving in multiple directions, The Dialogues employs historical documents, philosophical queries, questions of translation, opera scores, graphic design… each resonating their own kind of poetry, while laying bare the struggle to reach through the past and into truth.

The Story Behind the Story:

The original libretto ­– titled “Sounding Thunder: the song of Francis Pegahmagabow” – was commission by the Festival of Sound in Parry Sound to mark their 35^th anniversary.  Because the production was received with standing ovations (It will be performed in Vancouver at The Chan Centre in early February 2025.), I was asked by audience members during the Q&As if I would consider publishing it.  I thought about it, but because it was not written for the page I had to figure out a way to do it.  Then one morning I awoke knowing what to do.  My subconscious had figured it out.  And so I created a dialogue by stretching out the libretto – the poetic-narrative –on the left-hand side of book and adding new material on the right-hand side, creating what I might call inventions. In a sense, then, the two sides of the book talk to each other resulting in a dialogue which in turn creates a conversation with the reader.  In short, whatever Francis’ story touches on, be it war, politics, spirituality, the environment, residential schools, etc., is opened up on the right-hand side of the page.  By this I mean that elements of the narrative are potentially reframed, expanded, developed, and, in turn, they address and implicate the reader. I hope this is making sense, or at least arousing curiosity.

Website: Please go HERE.

A question before you go, Armand:

Scribbler: Where is your favourite spot to write? Are you messy or neat? Your beverage of choice?

Armand: In the winter I do most of my writing in my home office. It’s cramped and cluttered with books everywhere, filing cabinet overflowing, pictures askew, paddles and bags propped in a corner, but it has a nice big window, and it’s comfortable. In the summer I used to work in a cabin near Haliburton, but the property next door was flipped a few years ago by real estate investors and nearly all the trees were cut down to build a monster cottage. (I mention this in The Dialogues.) For obvious reasons I don’t go there anymore. I now go to a cabin just north of Kingston. In the fall I often head up to remote northern Ontario to visit my family, but I never get much writing done. Too busy visiting and playing!


An Excerpt from The Dialogues: the Song of Francis Pegahmagabow (Wolsak & Wynn, 2024) 

 

SCENE ONE – SETTING THE SCENE -- HEREIN THE NARRATOR MAKES HIS APPEARANCE                    

AND IN A STEADY VOICE INTRODUCES FRANCIS PEGAHMAGABOW 

PICTURE HIM, male, 25, Anishnaabe-Ojibwe

compact, sturdy, brave,

self-reliant, defiant.

 

He steps out of the shadows

and stands quietly

in a distant corner of the trench. 

 

In his left hand he holds a pinch of tobacco

that he raises up

to beseech Gitchi-Manido,

The Great Mystery.

 

He prays aloud so that the Creator

might hear him

and take pity on him and the company. 

 

He begins by honouring the four directions.                                                           

                                                          XXX

 

                                                                            keeper

                                      Wabenokkwe, master of the east.

 

                                                                     keeper

                                                     Shauwanigizik, ruler of the south.

 

                                                                              keeper

                                                     Nanabush, guardian of the west.

 

                                                                        keeper

                                                      Giyuedin, spirit of the north

 

 

Translations can never be exact. In her novel Fugitive Pieces, a book mired in war,

Ann Michaels writes that translating poetry is like kissing a woman through a veil.

You never quite get it.  She refers to the difficulty of translating Greek poetry. What about Anishinaabemowin?  Linguists consider it one of the most complex languages on the planet.

Six Thousand verb forms.  A reflection of a peoples’ reality.

The Dialogues: Winner of the VMI Betsy Warland “Between Genres” Award.

Read about it HERE.

Thank you for being our guest this week, Armand. We wish you continued success with your writing.

 
And another HUGE thank you to all our visitors and readers.

Don’t be shy, tell us what’s on your mind.