I've had people who see all my characters as Native, even if they aren't. It's kind of like assuming all a writer's characters are really female because the writer is a woman. I've learned to let that go. Eden Robinson More Quotes by Eden Robinson More Quotes From Eden Robinson The world is fine. Our place on it is precarious. Eden Robinson precarious fine world I usually tame my off-kilter sense of humor for novels. Eden Robinson sense-of-humor novel I don't see the point of pretending we're clones. Eden Robinson pretending In general, Americans like to be entertained. Canadians seem more suspicious of it. Eden Robinson suspicious seems The States has more publishers and a wider range of aesthetics but so much more competition - the amount of writers vying for the same spot as you is staggering. I think they're different challenges, but equally frustrating when you're trying to get your foot in the door. Eden Robinson feet doors thinking Fewer publishers mean you have a limited set of aesthetics, so you know who can and can't send your work to. You have more situations where you take the offer or don't get published or you learn to self-publish. Eden Robinson situation self mean Our ability to factory farm animals is coldly psychopathic. Eden Robinson factories ability animal Our ability to turn off empathy for specific kinds of humans and then use faulty logic to justify our beliefs is messily sociopathic. Eden Robinson empathy logic use People with antisocial personality disorders aren't automatically bad - they simply approach the world with a more ruthless set of lenses. The lack of empathy or very weak empathy and the ability to read other people's weak spots can be a flammable combination when you get in the way of something they want. But they aren't a different species. They're a part of our spectrum. Eden Robinson empathy personality people Dad and Mom were frustrated artists - Dad wanted to study engineering or architecture and Mom wanted to be an actress - but the world was a different place when they were young so Dad became a public works foreman and Mom became a stay-at-home mom. When I said I wanted to be a writer, they were thrilled. They did everything in their power to support me. Eden Robinson dad mom home Writing about your community is difficult for any writer. Eden Robinson difficult community writing I don't think anyone's normal. Eden Robinson normal thinking Canadians are fond of darker stories, serious stories, so if you're a Mystery writer or a Romance writer or Fantasy Writer, you will most likely have an American publisher and agent. Eden Robinson romance serious stories In a pine tree behind me, an eagle waits out the rain, hunched into himself, brooding. Crows squabble, a murder chasing a raven. Seals cruise the lines of fishing nets bobbing in the water, hoping for an easy meal, the tender bellies of salmon. Eden Robinson me rain tree water A potlatch is similar to a court case in that both are prohibitively expensive; both involve lengthy speeches and the vigorous examination and debate of the actions, rights and legal responsibilities of the participants. One has food, singing and spiritual rites; the other, not so much. Eden Robinson legal singing spiritual food The First Nations Financial Transparency Act insulted the integrity of the very people in our communities who guide our economic policy and act as our mediators with provincial and federal governments. Eden Robinson act transparency integrity people The Haisla named this point Obela. Not so long ago, the bay was lined with longhouses and canoes, totem poles and fishing gear. The reserve was once a winter village, a place to celebrate the sacred season, when memories passed in dance and song and stories from one generation to the next with great feasts called potlatches. Eden Robinson dance winter song memories I'm a novelist from the Haisla and Heiltsuk First Nations of British Columbia, both small coastal reserves hugging the rugged shores of the west coast. Eden Robinson first small british nations While hereditary chiefs inhabit the apex of our traditional social systems, it would be a mistake to think they hold all the power. They aren't kings. They aren't dictators. They're answerable to their clans and their matriarchs. All decisions that affect our communities require lengthy, deliberate discussions and careful negotiation. Eden Robinson decisions think power mistake The land and the ocean are living, breathing entities that supported us, clothed us, fed us, and nurtured our culture from time immemorial. Eden Robinson living ocean time culture
