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| Shandi Mitchell will read from her debut novel, Under This Unbroken Sky, Thursday, Oct. 28, 7 p.m. in the Special Collections Reading Room, Killam Library. |
After graduating from AV俱乐部 with a BA in English and Theatre, Shandi Mitchell began making short films like Tell Me, Baba鈥檚 House and Gasoline Puddles. Her adventures in filmmaking netted her stellar reviews, festival showings and more awards and accolades than you can shake a stick at. But she never published a novel until 2009鈥檚 Under聽This Unbroken Sky 鈥� a novel, which like her films, picked up a bevy of awards including the Commonwealth Regional Prize, Thomas Head Raddall Fiction Award, and Margaret and John Savage First Book award.
Now Ms. Mitchell is about to undertake another new experience; she鈥檚 visiting Dal for the first time since she graduated. She'll read selections from her debut novel at a reading tonight in the Special Collections Reading Room聽of the Killam Library.
When asked to describe her book, Ms. Mitchell first laughingly warns that 鈥淚t鈥檚 always sudden, trying to encapsulate your work.鈥� She then explains (with a coy succinctness that belies her disclaimer) 鈥淚t鈥檚 about pride, and hunger, and the cost of surviving.鈥� The novel, which follows the lives of Ukrainian immigrants to the Canadian prairies, was in part influenced by Ms. Mitchell鈥檚 own background; she has Ukrainian heritage and lived in the Prairies as a child.
鈥淭he inspiration came from a fact I discovered years ago,鈥� she says of the book鈥檚 inception. 鈥淚 was always told then my grandfather had died of the flu in the 鈥�30s, and the fact was he had not.鈥� As for the significance of the titular reference to the sky, 鈥淚t鈥檚 the one thing that鈥檚 not broken in this book.鈥�
Though Under聽This Unbroken Sky is her first novel, Ms. Mitchell says its composition was 鈥渆xciting. I found it exhilarating. To have the freedom to create without the need of permission鈥� I could be inside a character, and that鈥檚 very different from the experience of a filmmaker鈥� I鈥檓 hoping to start working on the next book.鈥� She鈥檚 keeping the fine points of that project a secret for now. 鈥淚鈥檓 superstitious. I actually don鈥檛 like talking about a work until I know what it is.鈥�
She鈥檚 more comfortable talking about her new film, which is further along in development. 鈥淭hat story鈥檚 actually set in Nova Scotia鈥� in the Atlantic Ocean. Six men, two dories and the fight to get home.鈥� Ms. Mitchell isn鈥檛 concerned about juggling prose writing and film. 鈥淪o far I鈥檝e been able to leapfrog.鈥�
'They understand the horizon'
Whether the open ocean or the lone prairie, Ms. Mitchell almost compulsively orients herself around the implications of location in her writing. 鈥淭he geography for me and the character are almost inseparable,鈥� she says. 鈥淚t鈥檒l inform your values, your point of view.鈥� She says the geography of the Prairies and of the Maritimes have a lot more in common than one might think. 鈥淭here鈥檚 something about an infinite horizon,鈥� whether it鈥檚 rolling wheat fields or the endless sea. 鈥淧eople can find it quite oppressive to be in that environment. It challenges you.鈥�
She even asserts that in her experience, Prairie natives rarely get as seasick as their landlocked counterparts. She recounts being told by a ship鈥檚 captain that 鈥淭he Prairie people come out here and they鈥檙e okay. They understand the horizon.鈥�
When asked about her inspirations, Ms. Mitchell is mild. 鈥淛ust ordinary people inspire me鈥� I don鈥檛 have heroes. I鈥檓 interested in the good, I guess.鈥� And what advice would she give to aspiring writers who might also enjoy winning various prizes and giving public readings at Dal? 鈥淩ead. Write. Travel. Live.鈥� I point out that it is likely anyone reading this article will at least nominally be living (Dal News鈥� zombie readership is down) and she clarifies. 鈥淭o live, I would define it as to be open, to go beyond your world鈥� for me it鈥檚 about listening, and observing, and receiving what鈥檚 given to you. It鈥檚 about living in the world that you鈥檙e in.鈥�
That belief in 鈥渓iving鈥� informs Ms. Mitchell鈥檚 work as both a writer and a filmmaker. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 know if you can be fully inside yourself to be an artist. You have to be in tune with the world around you鈥� you have to find your own voice.鈥�
Shandi Mitchell will read from her debut novel, Under this Unbroken Sky, Thursday, Oct. 28, 7:30 p.m.聽 in the Special Collections Reading Room of the Killam Library.