This interview speaks to Mini Aodla Freeman’s Life Among the Qallunaat, a memoir that interlaces vignettes about her childhood in James Bay, Nunavik with her adult life in Hamilton and Ottawa. The book has been published in two editions to date: the 1978 edition with Hurtig Publishers, which heavily revises the memoir, and the 2015 edition with the University of Manitoba Press, which restores the original manuscript. The interviewers met with Aodla Freeman and the editors, Keavy Martin, Julie Rak and Norma Dunning, on June 9, 2015 at Rak’s home in Treaty 6 territory. We discuss the editorial processes of the original and restored publications, as well as the community protocols and conditions of visibility that go into writing and publishing a book. Aodla Freeman shares new stories about James Bay, reflects on the republication of her memoir, and unveils her plans for future projects.
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