Artifacts of Grief

William shares the story of the loss of his Aunty Jo and the ways in which experiencing three concurrent losses shifted his understanding of himself and his emotions. He speaks of the grief of absence, both before and after death, and what it means to stop building dams and start building rafts.William Latham (he/him) is a kiwi living on treaty 6 land. On his right hand, just past the last phalange of his middle finger, sits a long-callused burl of hard flesh against which a pen, for the last fifteen years, has been pressed, supporting a sometimes heavy and sometimes puttering stream of words about cinema, philosophy, and literature. With the same hand he sometimes scoops popcorn at the Metro Cinema.You can connect with William on his Letterboxd and Instagram accounts.

Heather shares the story of deciding to end her business: the Edmonton video rental store The Videodrome. Heather speaks to the difficulty of processing the loss of that which she hoped would be forever and the beauty that exists in ephemerality. Heather (she/her/they/them) was raised by herding dogs, children's literature, and early 90s television on the farthest edge of Atlantic Canada. Her adult life has been guided by a deep passion for cinema and community-building; from working in video stores, to supporting independent film production at a non-profit arts centre, and now in her current role as the film programmer at Metro Cinema. Her special interests include analogue photography, intentional parenting, and hunting for hidden gems in niche musical genres.

Rachel shares the story of a difficult choice and pregnancy loss. Rachel speaks to her embodied grief and the difficulty of providing external articulation to these deeply internal feelings. She speaks to the importance of attempting to speak these feelings aloud, despite that, so as to connect to and support others who may be experiencing similar griefs. Rachel Greenley (she/her) grew up in Alberta, where she worked as a nurse. COVID turned everything on its head for Rachel, when she took her Masters and subsequently moved to the UK on a sort of whim. She hasn’t looked back since.

Brian shares the story of losing Alex MacKenzie, his partner’s father. Brian speaks to what it means to hold space for one’s own feelings of grief while supporting others who are impacted by the very same grief. He speaks to the importance of allowing oneself to sit with the difficult feelings of grief, rather than seeking to fix or understand them, and the unlikely artifact that allows him to do just that.Brian Stever (he/him) is the host of Sickboy and founder of Snack Labs, a podcast network and production company. His work spans creative development, production, and the systems that bring ambitious ideas to life. He is especially drawn to honest, human storytelling, and to the unexpected moments that help people feel understood and less alone.

Rose-Eva shares the story of grieving the loss of Edmonton’s Whyte Avenue music scene. She misses a time when biking home from her role as a host of CJSR’s radio show Adamant Eve offered the possibility of popping into any number of live music shows. She offers space to consider what cultural and artistic spaces do to build community and what it means to give space to the longing for what we no longer have. Rose-Eva (she/her) grew up in Edmonton, and graduated with a degree in film studies and psychology from the University of Alberta in 2014. She contributed to feminist radio show Adamant Eve on local community radio station CJSR 88.5FM from 2013 to 2020. She works in the queer nonprofit space, and enjoys going for neighbourhood bike rides.

Carly shares the story of grieving that life has turned out differently than expected. Carly longs for a life she has envisioned since she was young. She speaks to the work of making space for grief while engaging in intentional healing. She offers space to hold difficult truths in tensions, grieving for what she longs for and making a future that leaves room for both what she is and is not in control of. Carly Reirson (she/her) is an Alberta-born, Vancouver based singer-songwriter, performing artist, videographer, and all around creative. With two albums and multiple awards to her name, Carly continues to immerse herself in the worlds of the creative, both as a professional and as a steward of the arts.  Rooted in her relationships with herself, her spirituality, her friendships and the world around her, Carly’s work transforms lived experience into art that connects deeply to the human heart. Profoundly shaped by grief, Carly's music explores themes of loss, love and longing, with the hope that her story can serve as a voice for those navigating their own grief and sorrow. When she’s not performing, filming or chasing her next creative opportunity, Carly can be found watching her favourite movies, baking beautiful cakes and cookies, thrifting for hidden gems, drinking good coffee, and spending time with the people she loves.

Yeon Soo shares the story of choosing to reclaim her birth name, after years of going by a name chosen for convenience. She speaks to the intentionality in choosing to go by Yeon Soo again and, in this choice, the two different sets of reality that her different names have represented. Yeon Soo asks: who else could I have been? She offers space to consider what it means to think through the possible paths that life could have taken us down and how to move forward on the ones we are currently on with intentionality. Yeon Soo Ha (she/her) was born in Seoul and now lives in amiskwacîwâskahikan/Edmonton. She enjoys hosting friends for dinner, reading books from the public library, and growing flowers in her garden. You can read more about Yeon Soo’s story in her CBC article.

Greg deJong shares the story of the unexpected loss of his close friend and business partner, Brett. In the throes of mourning, Greg found an unusual doorway to grief. In welcoming this doorway as an intentional portal to working through grief, Greg offers space to consider the creation of ritual around grief processing. Greg deJong (he/him) is good at problem-solving but is at a point in his life where he wants to spend less time solving other peoples' problems; he has been paying closer attention to how he can integrate more physical creativity into his life.