Sage Birchwater will be launching a new book of stories on the Cariboo Chilcotin this week.
In his latest book, Talking to the Story Keepers, writer and journalist Birchwater gathers dozens of stories, which span decades from Indigenous and non-Indigenous communities throughout the Cariboo Chilcotin.
Birchwater has been a resident in the Cariboo region for nearly 50 years. Originally from Victoria, BC, he arrived in Williams Lake in 1973. He began his literacy career as a freelance journalist covering events and happenings across the region, from Horsefly to Bella Coola. In 1990, he was commissioned by the Ulkatcho First Nation to write a series of books documenting the culture and history of the Ulkatcho people, which was to preserve the stories and memories of the elders for the unborn generations.
In Talking to the Story Keepers, Birchwater continues to honour the stories of important people, such as in his 1995 book Chiwid. This was an oral history of Tsilhqot’in recluse Lilly Skinner, also known as Chiwid.
Birchwater will release his books with a reading and talk at the Station House Gallery in Williams Lake on Thursday, May 19th at 5:30pm.