He is an activist, a volunteer and a poet who has published 5 books of poetry and short stories. In recognition for his work as an activist and volunteer on his ancestral lands (Ottawa and Region) Albert was presented with a Human Rights Award by the Public Service Alliance of Canada in 2010. In January 2017, he received the DreamKEEPERS Citation for Outstanding Leadership. Albert has dedicated his life to promoting Indigenous spirituality and healing and to protecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples particularly those as they affect the young.
Q: How long have you been in Ottawa, and what first brought you here?
I arrived in Ottawa in 1973 to live and work. At the time, I was a dysfunctional, violent and immature young man with absolutely no sense of direction. Alcohol and bar room brawling were pretty much my way of life. However, in 1973 I was a union-card carrying bricklayer, working on highrise and subdivision worksites. Employment for men who worked with cement and mortar was plentiful in Ottawa at that time.
Q: How did you first get involved in writing, and subsequently, the writing community here?
I loved writing ever since I learned how to put a story together as a school boy in the 1960's. Writing fun, mind-blowing compositions in grades 5, 6 and 7 was a favourite thing for me to do. Poetry writing only began for me in 1993 when I wrote a poem in celebration of 5 years of sobriety. The editor of The Glebe Report got a hold of my first poem and contacted me to let me know how powerful she felt the poem was. "Keep writing poetry," she advised. I did!
Q: How did being in such a community of writers shift your thinking about writing, if at all?
I remember attending poetry readings in the basement of the Royal Oak and eventually suggested to the organizers that they might want to consider bringing me in as a guest poet at some point in the future. I had read some of my poems at their open mic at every opportunity and believed I had a small following. Sadly for me, the folks in charge of the poetry group didn't see it that way. My style of poetry writing I guess, didn't emotionally and spiritually connect with how poetry is defined in the world they live in. So I decided to organize my own poetry circle (specifically for poets of Indigenous bloodlines) which I call the Pagahamatic (the sound the drum makes) Poetry Circle. A lot of Indigenous people who joined up benefitted greatly because of the circle.
Q: What do you see happening here that you don’t see anywhere else? What does Ottawa provide, or allow?
In Ottawa, I see a rare open-mindedness. The white-skinned citizens of Ottawa, I believe, are far less likely to 'hate' or 'despise' the minorities living among them as much as folks of other large cities do. Ottawa provides many parks for outdoor poetry readings. I see restaurants, bars, church basements, halls etc. who open their doors to poets, often without charge.
Q: Have any of your projects responded directly to your engagements here? How have the city and its community, if at all, changed the way you approached your work?
I truly believe that Ottawans are interested in human rights in general and true to reconciliation efforts being made with the Indigenous Peoples. I have received a lot of support from citizens who stand with me in my activism. We will eventually change the name of the SJAM Parkway at some point. I'm very confident of it.
Q: What are you working on now?
I am personally editing poems titled
'I am a Human Being' which were sent to me via a competition I organized as
English Poet Laureate for Ottawa. The poems will be featured in a book (same
title) and hopefully launched in the spring of 2022.
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