Tess’s Red Dress Book Launch

Come and join Carolyn Roberts & Kelsey Mata Foote as they launch their new picture book Tess’s Red Dress. Together they will talk about the making of the book and all that came with the process. Tsitsàyxemaat from the Squamish Nation will be joining the panel to read parts of the story in the Squamish Language. The conversation will be moderated by Chloe Price.

Carolyn Roberts is a storyteller with a wealth of experience and expertise in Indigenous education and decolonization. She is St’at’imc and Sto:lo woman belonging to the Thevarge family from N’quatqua Nation and the Kelly Family from the Ch’iyáqtel Nation and a member of the Squamish Nation. Her first book Re-Storying Education is a national bestseller and has won the Nautilus Gold Award and the Whistler Writer’s Festival Book of the year.

Kelsey Mata Foote (Jaax̱snée) is a Tlingit and Filipina illustrator, writer, and producer from Ketchikan, Alaska. She prefers to work digitally with a drawing tablet but is no stranger to incorporating natural textures and watercolor elements in her pieces. Her inspiration is rooted in a Southeast Alaska childhood, one filled with family, putting up fish, exploring the Tongass with her older brothers, and celebrating her heritage.

Tess’s Red Dress is a beautiful heartfelt story that honours and celebrates the gifts and beauty of Indigenous women taken from their communities, it is an essential resource for healing and learning. Tess and her mom walk through stories of love, family, and connection as they get ready for Red Dress Day together to honour and support all MMIWG2S. The book was written for primary grades but is a gentle, loving way to introduce and talk about MMIWG2S and what Red Dress Day means to the Indigenous families that are missing loved ones.