Cassandra Blondin-Burt is officially a published author, though she still occasionally hesitates to call herself one. 

"I've been calling myself an author more recently," she said, "but that's usually because that's what other people started calling me.

"It's surreal, definitely."

Blondin-Burt's debut book, Love Letters to Divided Nations, was published last fall. It contains a single, long-form poem, which touches on many deeply-personal themes, including the author's own Dene heritage. 

"I think seeing it come out in print and sitting on a bookshelf, more than anything, it affirmed a lot of the work that I think many creators are doing right now, manifesting new worlds and new ideas at a time when we humans need it most," she said. "We really want to see change in the world. We want to see evolution in the world, and that comes from the same head and heart space, dream space, mind space. To see a vision through, to see something come from that place of the imagination and then manifest in the world, it's a powerful reminder of what humans are capable of."

Blondin-Burt admits her new book is "provocative." For the most part, however, she said the feedback she has received on the poem within has been good, and important to her as a creator. 

"I relate land and the female body [in the book]," she said. "I basically say that our exploitation of land is akin to our exploitation of the sacred feminine, but also our own bodies, no matter what gender we are. I've gotten varied responses to that. I think some people aren't ready to hear it. But one of my favourite responses came from a mother. It was actually before it came out in print. I had some mock-ups, and I was like, 'Do you think it's too much?' She said she loved it because she wanted to show her daughter more examples of strong Dene womanhood, and strong Indigenous womanhood. It just floored me. 

"I get a lot of feedback that people really enjoy it or they love it, or there's one particular line that they really like, but I think the one thing that I really reflect on since the printing is that there was a moment when I considered taking out the subtle hints about women's bodies. I was going to take that out and make it more neutral. Then I realized that if I did that, if I listened to any of the criticisms of the provocative nature, then I would effectively be creating a metaphor for us being silenced and for our bodies not being respected as sacred."

The positive feedback Blondin-Burt has received has validated a challenging writing process SA¹ú¼ÊÓ°ÊÓ´«Ã½” one that was marked by periods of self-doubt, and required her to look inward as much as outward. 

"I sat with the words and I was so nervous to put them out there," she recalled. "It felt like I was really direct, very impassioned. It felt very daring, very bold. I'm young, and I was even younger at the time. To be political, to be opinionated, it was almost like, who was I to have an opinion about the world?

"But once I started writing, I didn't stop. It didn't feel like I wrote it. It felt like it came through me," she added. "You know, stories are living things. The story itself is continuing to move forward on its own. Now other people will read it and have their own ideas about it. It's no longer just sort of held in my imagination, in my creative womb. The baby is fed in our womb, they're kept warm there. Then eventually we all emerge into the world. So now this book has legs of its own, and it's going to go walking."

While Blondin-Burt's new book was published months ago, there are already new creative projects incubating in her mind, including one that involves quilting. As those projects get underway, she encourages other Indigenous creators to pursue their own passions, especially when it feels scary to do so. 

"I don't want to say don't be afraid because the fear will be there," she said. "I think that's something important to address: Fear will always be there, but don't let fear drive your creative vehicle because you won't get very far. Instead, try seeing fear as your own inner-child that needs to be reassured... You're going to hold that fear's hand and put them in the car seat because they're not allowed to drive. They're not in charge, but they've got a space and that's OK."

Love Letters to Divided Nations is available through Yellowknife Books, both in-store and online.