The Counternarrative Magazine | Issue 01

for your listening experience, as you journey through the pages…

welcome friend,

The Counternarrative (TCN) has been a long time coming. So many minds put this together—an incomplete offering, of course, because we have been waiting for you.

To propose a counter-narrative is to disrupt a status quo. We exist for/by/because of radical creativity. Our work is intergenerational, multilingual, and multicultural, and everything you see and read is lovingly created by racialized gender diverse folks from across the prairies of Turtle Island. TCN’s main objective is to make space for a community of people that have not been made visible yet in the publishing world, especially in this country. Our work is intentional, and as such, the work featured in our inaugural issue is so special to us. We hope it will become special to you too.

We had a vision for what “ Homecoming ” might mean… homecoming as celebration, homecoming as “coming home,” and over and over again we have found the word re-imagined by artists in ways that made our reason for being so clear.

For my part, I have been lucky to have experienced many homes over the course of this issue coming to life. I have not been in one place for too long , often changing locations and communities, having to move and resettle in what initially felt like too short a time frame. I struggled with this lack of consistency

I usually call my mom when I feel this way. She is my favourite philosopher. On one of our calls she told me this:

“This time - let it be a time of shedding. Befriend your own skin. Befriend your own soul Befriend your own self There is comfort in feeling known , but even I do not want to know you now! You are becoming someone else. Your old anxieties, your old friends, these things remind you of versions of yourself that you no longer are. You need to shed this. Embrace not knowing anything. You do not need to cling to what you think of yourself. Let no one hold you back to who you were yesterday. This is your freedom - to not be in your own room, in your comfort zone. Let it fall apart

Be no one, be nothing! Who cares? How freeing! Even if you feel insecure, let it be, be no one for a minute! Reorient yourself as a person. Everything is coming to a crash. Reinvent yourself. What a relief for you to go through this.

You are a butterfly. It is ok. You are fine. Do this for your soul… Just be…”

I thought to look inward. My resolve to “root ” myself in my environment and people and things was slowly being replaced by a desire to fall into the intuitive rhythm of my life. A version of myself that could change all the time, any time, the freedom to define myself beyond what I told myself I was or where I used to feel at home. The freedom to let myself be undefined. I chose my words intentionally, I let myself be silent, I grit my teeth through what felt like stagnancy. Slowly, as I let myself “be” and loosened my grip on the archetypes, people, and places I thought I belonged to, I discovered a sense of self-respect .

I think this kind of release is particularly important for people who look and identify like us, who may not have had

the luxury of self-definition. Now, I insist on staying as close as possible to everything that is within me. I am determined to feel more, to be satisfied, to honour my intuition, to do things with integrity (as encouraged by Audre Lorde!). And because I have this freedom, I want others to feel free around me too. I feel a responsibility to live in relation to others, to steep myself in meaningful subjectivity and storytelling , to come closer. I want to hear you, I want to understand, and I want us to give each other room to change

There is time to be all the versions of yourself. There is time to explore all your curiosities. There is always time for change. This is always the right time for change. There will always be time if you have courage. There will always be time to pursue authenticity. There will always be time enough to care for yourself through failure. This is a risk worth taking , a beautiful kind of intimacy because I believe myself to be worthy of being at home within myself. I can leave the spaces that are predicated on distance and numbness and access the clarity and energy within myself.

This is all to say that to me, homecoming is a return to self. A mindful return, a mindful release. I continue to realize this as things around me change at a pace I have never experienced before. Home is wherever I meet myself.

I invite you to explore that pull inward. To let yourself be for a minute, to allow yourself to exist as you are irrespective of place or people.

Here’s to building homes within us. Enjoy!

notes from the editor .

Tonquin Valley

Jasper, Alberta

Nicole • @nyazon

“If a word could perfectly encapsulate the exact opposite of regret, that would be it.”

home is where the heart is, and you are my heart

wherever i am, wherever i will go my heart is anchored to you. if a compass could show me the way home it would always point to you. because, for the longest time you were the only radiance my heart ever did know.

if you were with me

i think that i would be fine anywhere. because home is where the heart is. and you are my heart.

when i am with you, is when i am home.

Home is where the heart is, and you are my heart (poem)

Deena Goodrunning

Illustration by Denise • @_deka.art

grandma’s house is always full of memories

Thalia Clacken • @dreminflim.jpg

“This piece was created to experiment with materials. I like to create studies using different materials and techniques to see what is possible for larger pieces. Like all others, it is a self-portrait”

Ornament & Crime (Sculpture)

Raneece Buddan • @artbybuddan Han Sungpil (photo on the left page)

Deena Nicole

My name is Nicole, a first-generation immigrant living in Edmonton, Alberta. I started taking photos with my iPhone 4 at the age of 12 and slowly made my way to using my family’s DSLR, an old Canon camera. I would take photos of birds , flowers , and simple landscapes .

Eventually, I would make my way towards portrait photography and stayed in that realm for a couple of years. At the age of 16, I started going to the mountains to hike and have been going since then. At the age of 17, I fell in love with landscape photography. Since then, I see myself as a portrait , landscape , and lifestyle photographer

At 18 years old, I was given my first film camera, a Nikon FE. I instantly became infatuated with the idea of not knowing what my photos would look like right away, waiting for photos to get developed and scanned to know what my photos looked like. Since 2018, my main medium to use are film cameras.

I have been a volunteer blog writer for a student group called Women Empowering Women, and a freelance reporter for Alberta Native News.

Apart from writing articles and blog posts, I like to write short stories and poetry for fun in my free time. I really love and admire poetry, because I think poetry is one of the most beautiful art forms there is. And I think it has the potential to touch people’s hearts and change the world. I think it takes so much skill to create a poem that others would consider beautiful and I really admire poets like Louise Bernice Halfe and Gregory Scofield who I consider masters of poetry.

I’m not a really skilled poet myself, but I really do love writing poetry and trying to turn my thoughts and memories and feelings into something beautiful to me

the creatives

My name is Thalia Clacken (she/her). I’m from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. I’m a Pisces, and I love stars, mood boards & watching the sunset. I’ve always had a love for film photography. If I could sum up my work in three words, it would be dreamy, present & meaningful .

My work is inspired by moments and memories. I want to create photos & art that make you feel deeply - that hold sentimental value . Holding a camera is when I feel most present; it allows me to make others feel seen and the most themselves. I love my photos after every shoot, but more importantly, I love the connections I can make behind the camera and how I make others feel.

I immigrated from Jamaica to Canada in 2015 and completed my BFA in Art and Design with distinction at the University of Alberta in 2020.

In my work, I focus on my cultural identity as a Jamaican woman of Afro and Indo-Caribbean ancestry. I show the beautiful merging of these cultures and the complexities of being of multiracial identity in Jamaican society, particularly around hair and skin complexion

My process is based on material exploration and finding figures within the material —the wood grains and mounds of clay. This includes oil painting, woodworking, clay sculpting, printmaking and weaving.

creatives

For Love and And the Black that remind

and Home, Black Women us of both

untitled. (photo) For Love and Home, And the Black Women that remind us of both (poem)

Oh, Joy, Black girl magic Cry, Black girl, sadness Sing, Black girl, forgiveness.

Forgive those, That have no reason to love you. You know love, You know your version of love

Love is your hips, The way it stims back and forth

Like a trustworthy snake

Your arms, built by butterfly wings, Flutter with endurance.

Your lips, every word adorned by gods

Love is looking at a Black woman.

And you are home

Love is home,

And you are home

Thank you for this home

And I know you, You are home

Love is home

And you are home

Sing, Black Mothers!

Your arms rising with each swell of music.

Sway your skirts of neon letterings.

Hoops and hair-twists linking to one.

Circle around your enemies and cry.

Cry in minor C, and scream in D.

Your body eclipsed and frozen.

An unending rhythm of desperation.

Cultivating culture could be so sweet

After midnight.

untitled. (photo) For Love and Home, And the Black Women that remind us of both (poem)

You are the scent of Jollof rice

And chicken following us to work.

The coconut oil trapped between our fingers. The heart-pounding geles and tight wrappers. Festivals, backyard parties, late-night drives, Close friendships, upscale galas, morning hangovers.

Remind us of love and stillness.

Remind us of normality.

That we are more than our skin

Understand, Black Mothers

You are the world’s afterthought, But heaven’s imagination.

Love is home

You are home

untitled. (photo) For Love and Home, And the Black Women that remind us of both (poem)

Peace Akintade

“The title of this piece is Madre Tierra which translates to Mother Earth. I’m an Indigenous person from Chile and my people have a special relationship with the land and all life that exists in our beautiful Mother Earth. I was brought up to practice reverence, humility and reciprocity to honour La Madre Tierra and all her creations.

In my interpretation of her we see her feeding earth with Hoja de Coca (Coca Leaf) a sacred, invaluable plant in Andean Cultures. Coca has been a fundamental part of the religious cosmology of the Andean peoples of Peru, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and northern Argentina and Chile from the preInca period and is heavily present in today’s society as well.

She wears a crown of Aloe Vera, which is also considered sacred and a plant that holds the secrets to immortality. Her hair contains the stars—symbolic of my people’s belief that we come from the stars. The stars are the homes of ancestors, animals, plants, and spirits. The stars serve as calendars, a law book, and inform all aspects of daily life & culture.”

madre tier ra

ra

an afro almost as jet black as the prairie night sky sits on my head. with a life of its own, it curls, fri z zes, tangles, or knots when it wi s seh t .o

growing up, no comb, brush, or hot iron could tame it.

Priscilla

a resilient ecosystem growing in my heart.

growing from my scalp.

Theolderi get, t he moreidespisedmyhair . themoreiwish e d forthetype of hair thewomen on t h e frontcovers of ElleandVoguehad. themore my h eartbegan toswellwithself-doubt forevery un wantedtouch onmyhair untilit co l l apsedintomybody , and i

viewing the world through windows of discomfort, i was a stranger to my own body.

Priscilla Ojomu

r.

one night, my grandmother whispered, “your hair is a wondrous map to freedom, ” i n Yoruba as she styled my brittle 4C curls into bantu knots while i winced from her grip a n d t hen i knew the limits of an unstable heart and then the strength of voluminous hair

of wearing my afro hair proudly like my ancestors who adorned and style theirs through thick and thin, like home.

Illustration by Denise • @_deka.art

thus began a journey

the creatives

Peace

I identify as an African-Canadian Interdisciplinary Poet and Storyteller from the proud Yorubaland, Nigeria. I immigrated to Canada ten years ago with my mom and siblings, and I’m currently working as a Public Speaker with the Office of the Treaty Commissioner, and a full-time Interdisciplinary Artist based in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.

My form of Interdisciplinary poetry can be described as the “ integration of poetry in every crevice of the art media ”. Think lyrical personalization meets an over-romanticized plea for humanity. Think decolonizing spirituality meets mocking the importance of ““good english””. I want my essence to ring poetry, and breathe poetry! For the past eight years, I’ve worked to expand the reliability of poetry by moving through the circles of contemporary dance, chorus- poem playwriting, beat poetry, hiphop, jazz, art exhibition e.t.c

Every day, I sit on my human-shaped bean bag and ask myself, ““what does it mean to be calm? what does it mean to be still?”” Everyday, I mull over the question as I attend meetings, facilitate workshops, sew totebags made of African prints, teach seminars or go for brunch with festival administrators. I ask them, ““what does it mean to be peaceful?”” There is no answer! Yet, when I write and create worlds imaginable and unique to me, I am calm, still and in peace.

I am named Peace Akintade, the Peaceful Warrior because I “ “fight the paper for peace” ”. When people listen or read my words, I want them to be at peace.

Luna

My name is Luna and I am an interdisciplinary artist . I’m also the Executive Director of La Sala de los Sueños , a charitable organization that provides dream rooms for children struggling with trauma.

I’ve been making work since I can remember and I was 12 years old when I came across a book about Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. That was the moment I realized what I wanted to be when I grew up. I remember resonating with Kahlo’s use of color and using pain and trauma to fuel her work.

Most of my work has recurring themes such as things that occurred in my homeland prior to my life in Canada and my unresolved trauma but a lot of my work is also about my love of animals and being beautiful in fragments

Hello! My name is Priscilla Ojomu, and I am a Nigerian Canadian with big hair and dreams of tackling the big problems in the world. I am a fourth-year Bachelor of Arts student majoring in Psychology and minoring in Sociology at the University of Alberta.

I am passionate about expressing themes of advocacy through writing , design and photography.

Writing especially allows me to organize my thoughts, process my emotions and amplify my voice. I enjoy writing poetry, short stories, and non-fiction pieces. In my spare time, literature, podcasts, art, film, family and friends, and volunteering keep me busy.

Priscilla

“

Soo kac, meaning wake up in Somali, is a series of photos and poems exploring my journey of becoming. I captured images of loved ones in moments of vulnerability, tenderness, and power.“

soo kac

Soo kac (photo series)

kac

I’ve lived in Edmonton nearly all my life and I’m sort of in love with this beaver

The North Saskatchewan river is beautiful and blue I see it sometimes in the morning and the sunlight sparkles off it

And it flows gently as if dancing with the breath of the earth I’ve been filled with it nearly my entire life

T h e s w i f t f l ow i n g r i ve r t h a t flowed a l l t h e w a y f r o m t h e C o l u m b i a I c e f i e l d f l o w s in me

whe n I d r i n k f r o m t h e c it y t a p s . i.

ii. iii.

F o r m a n y m a n y y e a r s , m y l u n g s h a v e o n l y i n h a l e d t h e c o u g h s o f E d m o n t o n ’ s c h i m e y s a

ndthe

Y o u c o u l d s a y I ’ v e b e e n f i l l e d w iththe b r e a t h o f E d m o nt o n fora l m o s t a l l m y l i f e .

For years and years, I was a part of this city. Just another atom that made up its whole.

Sometimes I think to myself that I don’t really need to wander the world

because the whole world comes to Edmonton and I love it.

Deena Goodrunning

Illustration by Denise

So many different people from so many different countries and cultures living in one place.

I walk down the street past mosques, churches, and synagogues.

For lunch I can eat sandwiches or tteokbokki or spaghetti.

I’ve seen dragon dances, and taekwondo performances and listened to opera singers.

Out in public I hear so many differently spoken languages. A diversity of culture and people and language. I think it is all so beautiful.

Reflections on My Self-Identification

as an Edmontonian

Deena Goodrunning

But, deep down I think that this city has colonized and assimilated me. After all Edmonton was built on the graveyards, stolen lands and desecrated grounds of my own Turtle Island relatives.

The same government that created the laws of fundamental freedoms of conscience and religion also created the same laws that made Indigenous culture, languages, and religion essentially illegal.

Illustration by Denise • @_deka.art

THE COUNTRY THAT SAID

“DIVERSITY IS OUR STRENGTH”

SPENT SO MANY DECADES AND MONEY TRYING TO DESTROY THE DIVERSITY OF INDIGENUOS CULTURE. YES, WE ARE NOW

TECHNICALLY ALLOWED TO PRACTISE OUR TRADITIONAL CULTURE (OF WHICH FRAGMENTS AND DISCONNECTION REMAIN) BUT SO MANY OF US STILL SUFFER THE EFFECTS OF COLONIALISM THAT SO MANY OF OUR RELATIVES FROM ACROSS THE SEA WHO BENEFITTED FROM OUR COLONIZATION REFUSE TO ACKNOWLEDGE. AND BECAUSE OF THAT I FEEL SO GUILTY FOR LOVING THIS CITY AND CONSIDERING IT MY HOME.

i know i belong out there on the lands of nature and should be speaking the languages of my ancestors and living as they did. but, the bison are gone and my family tree has been broken apart. “and no one’s really fluent anymore,” someone once told me when i was trying to learn how to speak nakawe (or saulteaux, the colonial word for that language that feels easier to say on my colonized tongue.)

On the vast prairies of Turtle Island where once nature flourished and bison roamed freely are now agricultural farmlands of cows raised for slaughter and milk.

But, I know that’s hypocritical of me to write After all I feast on McDonalds as much as anyone And I rely on agriculture for the food I eat Yes, I’m Indigenous but sometimes I only feel Indigenous because of my blood since I am so disconnected from my culture and language.

Illustration by Denise • @_deka.art

i.

These questions torment me endlessly. There are no easy answers for reconciliation. But, for the time being what I do know is that I love this city and its people and its diversity of culture. There’s been sad times of hate, but also happy times of love

ii.

We are all ultimately one people and we are all the same flesh of the same Mother Earth, and we all

iii.

Edmonton’s the first place I’ve really called home, and despite its colonial history of racism, this city scarred itself into my spirit and body. Because, in this city I see love and kindness and people slowly coming together.

iv.

Times are changing and some stories don’t always have to stay the same. So many different nations all together in one land, I know we will all live together in peace and love and reconciliation eventually. I have to believe that.

off to nowhere good.

“Morzie, the model in the photo, was the first person I ever shot on film and who enamored me with the feel of analogue photography. That day, we had taken photos of downtown in various locations and in the LRT station... On our way there, the train was empty, and I quickly snapped a few photos as the setting reminded me of shots popularly taken in New York, Berlin, and Tokyo stations.”

LRT at Downtown, Edmonton

Hyeri • @hyeri.exe Ellis • @bitteryellow (Makeup)

Tonquin Valley (photo) Jasper, Alberta

Nicole • @nyazon

it is almost unexplainable to feel like

you are somewhere you should belong somewhere that should speak to your soul and feel like you don’t belong

is it really homecoming when you feel so out of place?

home is the people i love the places i feel comfortable where my heart is warm and my soul is radiant

Tonquin Valley (photo)

Jasper,

This culture is so familiar. this is the most familiar I have felt with a culture in any country, even Canada. I grew up around Gujarati. I grew up eating the same food: mandazi, rotli (spelled this way), binda no sak, ugali. i grew up around the tendency to feed people too much food, and then to keep forcing them to eat more food. the decorations in my house are the same. the accent of the people I am around is the same. the willingness to help anyone, regardless of whether you know them or not, is the same.

This culture is so unfamiliar. everywhere is loud and busy and overwhelming. the weather is hot, and while my hair and skin are thriving my mosquito bites are not. I am constantly anxious about everything, and I don’t know what to do about it. the place I feel the most grounded is when I am watching Indian Idol with the auntie I am staying with, seated with a cup of chai and nankitai, like I used to at home every fall with mom and papa.

This place feels so familiar but I am so uncomfortable. is it possible to be uncomfortable with everything feeling so familiar? I grew up around this culture, but I did not grow up in this culture. I feel like I am on the edge of belonging — always looking in but never joining

ie. where I don’t have to expend energy to exist

the places i feel comfortable

reflections on homecoming. (poem) Jenna Mulji • @jennana_banana

Tonquin Valley (photo)

Jasper, Alberta

Nicole • @nyazon

ie. my love languages are sunsets/sunrises and being taken care of (and food )

empanada in one hand and mine in your other, finally catching up after a year of not seeing one another

your papa wakes you up at 4am for morning khane, and you go and drink chai first thing, and an auntie feeds you more cookies, and you watch the sunrise as you come home.

you take your dog outside for a long walk, and her tail is wagging and she has her tongue out the whole time, and you come home and she wants to play and cuddle, and then you watch a movie while she sleeps beside you.

where my

your papa wakes you up

that feeling you get when

my heart

the second time we went to shamba, and we sat around the fire and drank wine, and talked about our lives and intersectionality and systemic racism, and I felt whole.

the first day in zanzibar when we walked through stone town, and everything was beautiful and warm and full of comfort, and I felt like I could stay there forever

the time Peter and Gigie let me nap on their couch, and didn’t wake me up because they wanted me to rest despite the fact that they were starving, and then when i did wake up we went to Levant and ate halloumi and watermelon and the best hummus I have ever had and I felt so full

the second time I went to Morogoro and watched the sunset in the same spot Akanksha and I used to walk, and everything was so red and lush and beautiful and I felt so peaceful

the time I finally talked with my uncle, like really talked, about our lives and our family and how weird it was that we should know each other but don’t, and while he is still a bit of a stranger to me i felt comforted

where i got those feelings

Illustration by Denise • @_deka.art

where my soul is radiant.

around the people i love. when i am writing. when i can offer someone kindness. when i am with my community. reading a book that i am invested in after a long period of not reading. when i am near the ocean. when i am learning. about marine animals. about social justice concepts. about history — the history of the world, the history of healing, the history of my family. when

i am listening to other people’s stories, and their adversity, and their resilience. when i can decrease their need for resilience. when i am creating. when i find someone i truly vibe with. when i drive back home from calgary as the sun sets after seeing the family i love.

Jenna Mulji • @jennana_banana

when i go to the field and see the impact my work is actually having on communities. when i sit with my auntie at dinner and she tells me about her day. when a nice lady meets me for the first time and tells me that she loves my vibe. when i talk to my friends back in edmonton and they tell me stories about their lives. when my supervisor checks in with me to make sure i am okay and safe even though it’s the weekend and he is with his family. when i learn something new about the place so many people around me call home. when the other

fellows teach me about the work they are doing and my mind expands a little more. when my new friends send me heart emoji’s and i know we are at the same level of love for one another.

fulfilment comes in different waves, and each time my soul gets a little brighter. it may not radiate like it used to, but the little moments of light are starting to add up. is it possible to feel fulfilled in a place that isn’t home? does feeling radiant slowly begin to make a place more like home?

Tonquin Valley (photo)

Jasper, Alberta Nicole • @nyazon

La Sirenne (Jewelry) Water is Calling (Poem)

Illustration by Denise • @_deka.art

The Ocean has space For depth.

La Sirenne (Jewelry)

Water is Calling (Poem)

The sea of love Within Your Heart Is no Different

there is infinite space • below and above • the surface • your

La Sirenne (Jewelry)

the depths of the ocean are not separate from the farthest point in the stars.

all are the same, blue vast and deep the waters of life flow through all here and alive.

Timiro Mohamed is a Somali-Canadian spoken word poet whose practice is rooted in responsible storytelling .

An exploration of identity, self, and community her work is a labor of love inspired by the generations of storytellers who came before her. Timiro is the former City of Edmonton Youth Poet Laureate , the recipient of the Alberta Council for Global Cooperation’s Top 30 Under 30 award, has competed nationally at the Canadian Festival of Spoken word is the co-author of the chapbook Water, and the co-creator of the virtual open mic series The Chatroom .

Her most recent project Incantations of Black Love featured an EP and digital publication. Timiro has had the opportunity to perform for the Edmonton city council, has presented alongside former Premier Rachel Notley, as well Dr. Angela Davis, and Grammy award-winning artist Yasiin Bey.

the creatives

HeryMy name is Hery Lee and I’ve been doing photography as a hobby since I was around 14-years old. I would frequent Tumblr as a teen and see all these film photographs that would captivate my eye because of the beautiful colors and unique look, so I decided to partake on the craft and replicate those images myself. My dad was kind enough to gift me two point-and-shoot digital cameras and later, a DSLR which I would take with me everywhere despite its bulkiness.

I’ve always been keen on photographing people In my younger years, I would capture candid moments, but once I moved to Edmonton, I decided to take more posed photos and start film photography Since then, I’ve been taking modeled portraits in small format and now diving into medium format as well.

My name is Jenna and I am a 23 year old second generation immigrant from Edmonton. My mom is from Kenya and my dad is from Uganda, and the communities I grew up in were diverse and loving. I love stories and storytelling , and fundamentally believe that stories have the power to heal .

I started writing poetry when I was 17 and love the creativity and freedom of the form of writing. Outside of writing, I am passionate about migration and violence against women , and aspire to work in this field. I also love reading, baking, playing with my dog, and really anything that involves magic.

Hi! My name is Merlin Uwalaka and I am a muti-disciplinary artist and storyteller My main practice is fashion . I enjoy having a vision of a piece of clothing or accessory and then bringing it to life using the skills I have.

For my work, I find that the focus and intention is beauty and harmony. I desire to create pieces that are unique , colorful and full of life . I also enjoy working with natural materials. Recently, I have been working with pearls and gemstones, as well as upcycling vintage and antique jewelry, breathing new life into them; extending their lifetime and story.

ALL TYPEFACES EMPLOYED IN THIS ISSUE ARE FREE TO USE AS PER ADOBE, COLLETIVO, AND OPEN FOUNDRY LICENSE AGREEMENTS

ADDITIONAL ILLUSTRATIONS AND ANY OTHER VISUAL REPRESENTATIONS ACCOMPANYING A CREATIVE’S SUBMITTED WORK ARE ALL MADE AND CREATED BY THE COUNTERNARRATIVE’S DESIGN TEAM.

ANY EDITS AND CHANGES MADE TO THE CREATIVES’ ORIGINAL WORK WERE ALL APPLIED IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE CREATIVES’ PERMISSION PRIOR TO THE MAGAZINE PUBLICATION.

ABIGAIL ISAAC

ASHWINI GADTOULA

DENISE GAMA

LAURA MOSQUER

ZHANG

afterword.

THE COUNTERNARRATIVE (TCN) WOULD LIKE TO THANK THE ALBERTA PUBLIC INTEREST RESEARCH GROUP (APIRG) & RISINGYOUTH (FROM TAKINGITGLOBAL) FOR THEIR SUPPORT IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND LAUNCH OF TCN, AS WELL AS ALLOWING US TO PROPERLY COMPENSATE ARTISTS FOR SHARING THEIR WORK THROUGH US.

TCN THANKS THE CREATIVES WHO CONTRIBUTED THEIR TIME, VOICES AND IMAGINATION AS PART OF OUR INAUGURAL ISSUE. WE HOPE TO CONTINUE SHOWCASING ARTISTIC TALENT, STORIES AND LOVE FROM ACROSS THE CANADIAN PRAIRIES.

LASTLY, WE WOULD LIKE TO THANK YOU, READER

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