How are you doing this week? We got a lot of exciting music news in the past week! The Polaris Prize Long List was announced featuring 40 talented Indigenous and Canadian artists and their expertly crafted albums. Locally, just when you thought festival season was not a thing in 2020, RBC Bluesfest and #CanadaPerforms that Bluesfest is coming back in a whole new way with a drive-in style festival later this summer. As well, I got a chance to speak to two Ottawa-based groups, Silla + Rise and Twin Flames! There is a lot to listen to and look forward to.
Still, the fight against injustice in support of Black Lives Matter is at the forefront for me. While the social media posts are quieting down, there is still a lot of awareness we can spread and change we can make happen by signing petitions, supporting black entrepreneurs and creatives and of course educating those around you.
Below I share some of the things I’ve been up to this week and what I have planned for the weekend:
[Listening]
This week I did a deep dive into some of the Polaris albums up for nomination for this year’s prize. A few stand outs for me were Lido Pimenta’s Miss Colombia, Witch Prophet’s DNA Activation and nêhiyawak’s nipiy. If you are on the search for new music, the Polaris Prize long list is where it’s at to support a diverse range of Indigenous and Canadian talents.
This Sunday is National Indigenous Peoples Day. APTN is celebrating with a virtual concert that spotlights Indigenous artists including Carolina East, G.R. Gritt, Julian Taylor and many more! If you are looking for a virtual live festival to check out, this is a perfect event.
[Reading]
This week I’ve been reading the poems of Maya Angelou. Her work handles subject matter around race and gender artfully but in such a way that readers can learn from it too. It’s worth revisiting at this time. As a black woman rising to fame in a difficult time, she had a powerful voice and the striking ability of capturing a range of other voices too. Maya Angelou was a truly prolific poet and her spirit lives on in her incredible work.
[Spending Time] 
This weekend I’m going to check out the Summer Solstice Indigenous Festival’s social distancing pow wow virtual competition. With the pow wow being centred on coming together, I’m curious to see what this will look like! You can check it out here from Friday, June 19 to Sunday, June 21. There are many other events to check it out too. Here’s a nice round up.
As well, I’m planning to head over to a garden centre this weekend to start getting my new garden going. I’m pretty novice though and always looking for new recommendations!
What’s on your #StayHomeClub this week? Comment below?