Drew Hayden Taylor

The Banff Centre ~ Max Bell Auditorium

Decolonizing the Narrative Conversation Series with Drew Hayden Taylor

White Water Rafting Down the Rapids of Indigenous Storytelling

In this talk, award-winning author and playwright Drew Hayden Taylor reflects on how a young boy from Curve Lake First Nation came to share Indigenous stories with audiences around the world.

Drawing on experiences across nearly two dozen countries, Taylor explores how humour functions within Indigenous storytelling as a tool for connection, insight, and perspective. He considers the changing landscape of First Nations literature and how humour can create space for dialogue, challenge expectations, and offer new ways to engage with contemporary Indigenous life and creativity.

Facilitated by Janine Windolph, Director of Indigenous Arts at Banff Centre, the session includes a presentation by Taylor, followed by a discussion and a Q&A. This conversation will be live-streamed and recorded, with the recording shared following the event. Sessions may include sharing experiences and asking difficult questions.

About the Decolonizing the Narrative Conversation Series

The Decolonizing the Narrative Conversation Series is a bi-monthly conversation session inviting leading Indigenous Art creators to discuss their practices and processes. The series engages an Indigenous lens across various art forms, including Literary Arts, Film and Media Arts, Digital Media, Visual Arts, and Performing Arts such as Theatre, Dance, and Music. These sessions offer a space to explore and deepen your understanding of how Indigenous artists use their disciplines as tools to decolonize artistic processes and creation.

Photo by Paul Chato.