At the County of Prince Edward Public Library we know the value of hearing an author speak.

It can bring a book to life and give you the opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the work. Over the past few years we have been delighted to expand our reach and bring authors to you virtually via Zoom. This allows us to connect with authors who couldn’t reasonably travel to the County for an author conversation.

Mark your calendars for Feb. 8, 2023 at noon when Dr.Norma Dunning will join us from Alberta to talk about her work. Thanks to the financial assistance of the Canada Council for the Arts through The Writers’ Union of Canada for making this possible. Norma Dunning is an Inuk writer, professor, and grandmother. Her book, Tainna (the unseen ones), received a Governor General’s Literary Award in 2021. Her other publications include Annie Muktuk and Other Stories and Eskimo Pie: A Poetics of Inuit Identity.

Her recent work, Kinauvit? What’s Your Name? The Eskimo Disc System and a Daughter’s Search for Her Grandmother is an exploration of her family and community’s history as well as a broader look at part of Canada’s history.

In 2001, Dr. Norma Dunning applied to the Nunavut Beneficiary program, requesting enrolment to legally solidify her existence as an Inuk woman. But in the process, she was faced with a question she could not answer, tied to a colonial institution retired decades ago: “What was your disc number?” Still haunted by this question years later, Dunning took it upon herself to reach out to Inuit community members who experienced the Eskimo Identification Tag System first-hand, providing vital perspective and nuance to the scant records available on the subject.

Written with incisive detail and passion, Dunning provides readers with a comprehensive look into a bureaucracy sustained by the Canadian government for over thirty years, neglected by history books but with lasting echoes revealed in Dunning’s intimate interviews with affected community members. Not one government has taken responsibility or apologized for the E-number system to date — a symbol of the blatant dehumanizing treatment of the smallest Indigenous population in Canada. We appreciate Dr. Dunning taking the time from her work at the University of Alberta to talk about her works with us.

If you are interested in joining, you can register at peclibrary.org or by calling the Picton Branch of the Library (613) 476-5962. You can also call in advance of the talk if you need help getting started with Zoom. If you would prefer to watch in person, drop by the Picton Branch where we will be playing the conversation on the television.

-Liz Zylstra