Valerie T. Mainville
Attended 1962-67
Couchiching First Nation, Ontario
SHORT BIO
Valerie T. Mainville was born in Fort Frances, Ontario, and raised on the Couchiching First Nation. Her interests in poetry and song began at the age of fifteen, when she began writing poetry and then applied music to the lyrics. In 2008, she self-published two books of poetry, Poems and Prose on Love and Relationships I and II through Xlibris. These are available on her website, www. poetryofvalerietmainville.com. As a songwriter, she has also self-published two CDs. At present, her works-in-progress include a memoir plus several unpublished scripts and manuscripts. She is enjoying her retirement back in her hometown with family.
Excerpts from the poem <i>Two Hundred and Twenty-Two Miles From Home: </i> “There was no contact with home except for letters and holidays, ten months of the year. I counted the days to return to freedom at home. We were shaped to be ourselves today but never forgot our ancestry.
I could not see the control of not moving in freedom from corporal punishment. We prayed a lot but why? I longed to be home, but couldn’t; I was silenced then, not now, two hundred and twenty-two miles from home.”
Excerpts from the poem <i>Two Hundred and Twenty-Two Miles From Home:</i> “I discovered poetry, sang in the choir, learned foreign languages and cultures; whereas, I barely knew mine, two hundred and twenty-two miles from home.”