The Speakers

Lauren Casey

Lauren comes to the land colonially known as Vancouver from Haida Gwaii, which is the home of her Nuni’s (grandmother) people. Lauren is a registered member of the Skidegate Band, of the Haida Nation. Her family’s crest is the Hummingbird, of the Juus Clan, on her father’s side. She is the great-great-granddaughter of Chief Skidegate (Edward Collinson), and Emma Young. On her mother’s side she is of Cree Métis heritage from the Red River Valley, through southern Alberta. Lauren’s traditional name is llaanaay, given to her by her Nuni, which means Beloved Friend in Haida.

Lauren calls the land of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Skwxwú7mesh, and səlilwətaɬ her second home, as an uninvited guest. It is with great care that she walks gently on the land of her cousins’ ancestors, knowing the responsibility her role as a guest carries. Lauren attended the University of British Columbia, prior to working in the areas of health governance, public relations, and education. She specialized in Issues Management for several organizations, most significantly for two years as Issues Manager with the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. Lauren has been involved in the MMIWG movement from a very young age, including advocacy, activism and support work in the downtown eastside of Vancouver.

Her commitment to serving Indigenous peoples locally, in BC, and across Turtle Island is what led Lauren to the work she has done for more than 10 years. It is the Grandmothers, the Elders, and the Knowledge Keepers in communities across this land that Lauren credits with educating her to better understand Indigenous history, culture and ways of knowing. This sacred knowledge is what guides Lauren in her work every day with Indigenous survivors and allies.

María Adelaida Escobar is originally from Colombia where she initially studied Philosophy and Literature to then pursue her studies in English and Hispanic Literature and Cultures. Her main interests are transcultural interactions, identity and gender dialogues in and between the cultures of Spain and Latin America. She specializes in modern –Francoist– and contemporary Spanish literature and culture and transatlantic cinema. In her current research she is exploring the relationship between mothers and daughters, with focus on the transmission of personal and historic memories, in Spanish and Latin America women’s filmmakers and writers. Parallel to this, she is also investigating historical women’s emancipation movements in Latin America during the 20s to 50s.

Her short stories are part of the Canadian anthologies Historias de Montreal (2019), Relatos entrecruzados (2020). María Adelaida has also published poems, stories, and academic articles in Latin American magazines and she published in Colombia her first novel Tiempo del Sur in 2018. Apart from her career in literature, she founded in 2012 and has been the general secretary, the ODNS Canada Organization that finances health and education projects in Nicaragua.