This Accident of Being Lost: Songs and Stories

By Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

A knife-sharp new collection of stories and songs from award-winning Nishnaabeg storyteller and writer Leanne Betasamosake Simpson that rebirths a decolonized reality, one that circles in and out of time and resists dominant narratives or comfortable categorization.

This Accident of Being Lost is the knife-sharp new collection of stories and songs from award-winning Nishnaabeg storyteller and writer Leanne Betasamosake Simpson. These visionary pieces build upon Simpson's powerful use of the fragment as a tool for intervention in her critically acclaimed collection Islands of Decolonial Love.

A crow watches over a deer addicted to road salt; Lake Ontario floods Toronto to remake the world while texting “ARE THEY GETTING IT?”; lovers visit the last remaining corner of the boreal forest; three comrades guerrilla-tap maples in an upper middle-class neighbourhood; and Kwe gets her firearms license in rural Ontario. Blending elements of Nishnaabeg storytelling, science fiction, contemporary realism, and the lyric voice, This Accident of Being Lost burns with a quiet intensity, like a campfire in your backyard, challenging you to reconsider the world you thought you knew.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Astoria
• Release date: Apr 8, 2017
• ISBN: 9781487001292

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson (she/her/hers) is a Michi Saagiig Nishnaabeg scholar, writer, and musician with a PhD from the University of Manitoba. She is the author of A Short History of the Blockade, Noopiming, As We Have Always Done, Dancing on Our Turtle’s Back, Islands of Decolonial Love, and This Accident of Being Lost. Leanne is a member of Alderville First Nation, in Ontario, Canada. Leanne's fourth album, Theory of Ice will be released in March 2021 with You've Changed Records.

Book preview

��Mcbook_preview_excerpt.html�Y[����J��_w�_H�;����k!��&�$[�즻�3f���'��&��$�T5g��  V�����N_,/���ŧ�����7M>����K�l�}z ��&c'�g3�a,������6�K�W�O�<����r�l�q-w&D���;�!�0�M������(�� ����poW��s0Ê�|;\�����cv���������*��=��?f��(���M�wn2>dK�(�cg�x�i��L�F!�5�QZ0��SL>��ϼ3m��I�6&�'�n`M>��w8�� )L3��͈�ih�7�+�nv���-Vf���>�⧗k�Xk����C��c�:9v��$A~�/>����^ t��f��yH*���%�V�UF�'��gmI����Knvs��3]l��nr�9;����� u.�n<��9H����<9�P�]զ���k:����0�w� 8�0�
}�3�6�-���ѷ�<\N�~Q�l����sq��y��nC\U\��xWo�ޟ��냥����c�� �gY?�k{��e>X�/[\����8~.�x6)��w������u����6���G�؛���� �6oP��L��� ���Y������W�1�Yn�ӑ���ϴ���m�9�IJ��s�$Qg���_-/��;��|tp�A����r<�KX>yD0UL��p�� 0z���PM�\�0M��A��=�|�˫w�������
@G�u������|}�.���U%9��En�e���<�`�5�f� ��u|\g>K��$4yy��/�n��21D1�S-�M񌳛��Tv�i�T~� ��Ɇ
�����pw��4��|�`vYn�}�E>uTh��2ⓙ4�D�A���$�C<3L􎺄��u�i�H���q�7uK8���X��4���WR��:EQ
o�w�3���-|��sv�3 ����*O+�[�y��?�>k�›��C�G�������-. �RRsΙAI���hZ?����TuŷT?~2�;B�v��QL'?[_6بHʾz�nE]����v-��P8`{�������0�/�K6?�Ԏ��Ѕ�5�:a�(-�d����(c�in��D�j6A*nG���-� ����!��qT�|���������Ɨ�jZ���6� ��E�nQe�F$&��)h���7��Gr�L��m<�*�_��w�̸ ��=�C�� ����o��EdS-p�pZ&�`a��\����4��[@Wlq��a��a� �ΐ-�FXcB�����>�8
�^��%yG�y� />�v\ؔ�z�F4�=�E���Ҩ� -v���FD�|�[�&�Ώ�XF�/v�cf?(z��W�����E�$�km��o�"C<ɦ\�Z
f�<��5&<"2��K�}���>˴%Ω����� �P}���ɴ�迺8P�i�X�EM^�T ]��{��=5���1 e�:1d�8�k`@��A���#�a�9㉀O�Zu�p0���rQ}�ulr5jŷ@Ҧ@�n&�{4S�Ey9����0��E�x} �~���}�`�i�L�qB���u��H�Jz�bx+8KE��ʆ��4���>��UW+��8�r�`h��U/�#�p��m��,}d��>1�.�6�I>m\k�@B99Ekg%o�>�pX�-����W�-�N7���i�õ���X�IZ�(_̈́�E�
�_���$I���:
]�USp +����G�o d�f�/}�kSi����&A�f�x�zg�vC���\<�׻$UR��g���*V.8��`@�&��^�;�r!��Bp��]һz:m��` � � dE��:���a������bɾs@�"\<��V�AkrF֪W�)��޲F�
��-g��5O�Z��٭FKTd�F�4H��D��C���@�$@OY�y�a"@m)���]�bPy^YJ� $�౭�\$+�{69j��wX�隇�B!Š>}y~���]Ɵ`O��:��6h�+y�'u��� �v��=
0.���?�ֵo��•�^��Ay���@wP�1i��F�;��NJ�I�>X?z�d5ޛ��ӕ�l� ��8GpJJڽ�i�" x'��w��*`�$4������.�@}��q]@�6?w������}��yIL����~g��w��!��vw�s)�����J/��r�,�Ê�o&),�pJy���\
'�ĕ�{�� ����A�֒�1�(M\I��= vV��v�c���ٵ�
Ϲ���3;s�[B(}�_�s�RF���Ί'��%�jA:?͖=:RZ�k�q��A@��$S���Ñ=\0�x$�ZةD0�������Gã �� :<����Ȣ(�]�u�ۗj�n^�� W�EɃ�Ã�4�w ?�<����q���*���>�Rb��?�a4�_�0�;d)�歪m8���_�G��D��O��& �:���Îd�ʍȩ
��dU��mj���5�l,9q)��XS�B8�^���5dײ�}�'�|TR+�A|_U�؝GVd`[eV<���g��֮�53�~��ŚN���S�@�h۽[���#���GG���Ds��=Cl�T��<�h�w p���u���q�W�!�i���5'�zg%.O���8�c���Z<��U�F7��3�ڜ�-Ri����V-^E���lD��`�Q�aAܔj�f$3����k�磾}P���(��i@ZL���q�����ZJ�N��->$�v���j�Y��O:l���n+�ag�>7j���fͳ[�*�,�v�����u�lJ�&H5�(z��b��0��%0�h�� ���"���&���S�V��ҫ�9�;0���5@���˴]\~���TY��A܏Dw&����1o��ˤ��k�L`� ���w��2�Z��3��<��|��챱�(���t��嬗�Fg����$�M�� ��?~��x�����[S3�?է�C�h~ax�X�� ����+c��K�r4�r�7K��X��E{�Pm �umJ&ʋk���[ggt@r�Y��g�%��V��|����1�a!ŏ͉�C �"�2�j�Kvl;���v�t�����p� �bR�P�������,�j��Gv�HrTՌ�I��J�G_�\�g�^��\'
U�� �uu�����ƷZ�5��_�-�rf��iR���ԓ�4��Nm� ����u��)G&����:OF�WW��僈�h�v���:�Zl��V�-H*����M�VL� ��x��`�Y������-�K+��o��5��JYj��i�d�g�Y�`-��]-ƺ�U�` +R�I$[��9`�T��R�f
�đ�A��i�7� �Ȥ`�!¢����V��]��p\���'nC�GX�r���f���k�ٱ,�C�*@�6\ ����d�h��/Ni����#�M�5� �A��