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storiedselves.bsky.social
Sonja Boon
@storiedselves.bsky.social
980 followers 1.4K following 410 posts
writer. researcher. flutist. teacher. stitcher of stories.

https://linktr.ee/sonjaboon
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Reposted by Sonja Boon
rcolesworthy.bsky.social
one of the coolest things about ChatGPT is how you can actually just never use it. you can fill your whole entire life with simply not once using it. it's incredible.
November 25, 2025 at 4:15 PM
storiedselves.bsky.social
missed our conversation about the Smallwood letters on CBCNL's The Signal today? Here's your chance to catch up: www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qQ3...
The Signal | Dear Mr. Smallwood
YouTube video by CBC News NL - Newfoundland and Labrador
www.youtube.com
November 24, 2025 at 10:45 PM
storiedselves.bsky.social
What does a (polka dot) mask have to do with Smallwood? Well, you'll need it if you want to play "Pin the Bow Tie on Joey" at our book launch on Wednesday!

Come celebrate our new book: Dear Mr. Smallwood!

Wed. Nov. 26 | 7 pm
The Great Hall, Queen's College
210 Prince Philip Drive.
a handmade face mask created from black and white polka dot flannel. a poster that features a red book on the right hand side. The book has black reading glasses on it and a fish hook and is called Dear Mr. Smallwood. The text on the poster reads: Join Sonja Boon, Vicki Hallett, and contributors of Dear Mr. Smallwood for the Official Launch Nov 26 7:00 pm The Great Hall, Queen's College,. Memorial University, 210 Prince Philip Drive. Readings, Discussion. Merriment. Refreshements. Everyone Welcome.
November 24, 2025 at 5:35 PM
storiedselves.bsky.social
We'll be live on CBCNL's The Signal with Adam Walsh on Monday, November 24 talking all things letters to Smallwood! With contributors Jasmine Paul (@jnp709.bsky.social), Kate Lahey, and Jennifer Morgan.

And? There's a free book in the offing for one lucky listener!

@memorialup.bsky.social
a picture of Dear Mr. Smallwood: Confederation in the words of those who lived it, edited by Sonja Boon and Vicki Hallett. The cover is red with white text and features two and a half pairs of black glasses running along the left hand side
November 21, 2025 at 6:44 PM
storiedselves.bsky.social
What's on your book gifting list this year? Here is a (small) selection of books by Newfoundland and Labrador authors, some of which I've gifted and others I *hope* I'm gifted!

caveat: this list is in no particular order and it's *very* partial. I could easily have many, many more.
A list of books titled "Reading Newfoundland and Labrador: a bunch of books I have gifted (or will gift) to others, and a few that i'm gifting myself. The list that follows includes all the titles in the coming linked posts. At the end of the list, I note a caveat that the list is in no particular order and I could have included many more.
November 21, 2025 at 4:18 PM
storiedselves.bsky.social
perfect for gift giving! At 500+ pages, it's a veritable *tome* of a book, but it's also one where you can slip in and out for quick nibbles and tastes.
memorialup.bsky.social Memorial University Press @memorialup.bsky.social · 8d
Dear Mr. Smallwood is available TODAY!

More than 30 outstanding contributors explore the lives and stories of everyday Newfoundlanders and Labradorians at the time of Confederation — through letters written to J.R. Smallwood.

Available at:
memorialuniversitypress.ca/Books/D/Dear-Mr.-Smallwood
November 20, 2025 at 5:27 PM
storiedselves.bsky.social
Dear Mr. Smallwood has letters, reflections.... and short essays that give insight into life in mid-20th cent NL. Thanks to these scholars (and others not shown) for sharing their expertise!

Dear Mr Smallwood Book Launch
Wed. Nov. 26 at 7 pm
The Great Hall, Queen's College

@memorialup.bsky.social
book page that reads: Medicine and Health Care in Pre- and Post-Confederation Newfoundland: Results of a Preliminary Medico-historical Checkup by J.T.H. Connor book page that reads: 'isn't much work to get beside the bucksaw': Grand Falls Workers and Their Hopes for Confederation by Terry Bishop Stirling. Book page that reads: "There is a serious shortage of food on this coast": Food security, agriculture and advocacy in Northern Newfoundland and Labrador, by Heidi Coombs book page that reads: "Excerpt from 'Newfoundland Mi'kmaw Resistance and Vibrancy in a History of Erasure," by Mi'sel Joe, Sheila O'Neill, Jessica Bound, and Jocelyn Thorpe.
November 20, 2025 at 1:59 PM
storiedselves.bsky.social
Four more fabulous Dear Mr. Smallwood contributors, all inspired, moved, and affected by the letters they read: @hcoombs.bsky.social @curioushermit.bsky.social Andreae Callanan & Gemma Hickey!

One week out from our book launch!
Wed. 26 November at 7 pm
The Great Hall, Queen's College
free parking
a book page that reads: Fortune Bay & Hermitage. Yours truly, yours very truly. Andreae Callanan. A book page that reads: FOGO. The Barrelman, Gemma Hickey A book page that reads: ST, BARBE: "Destitute Received No Money Since March Please Advise" Gina Snooks book page that reads: WHITE BAY. "my dear baby was dead": A Family Tragedy in white Bay, 1951. Heidi Coombs
November 19, 2025 at 4:45 PM
storiedselves.bsky.social
Joey Smallwood received over 10,000 letters during his time in office. We read through about 1000-1200 written between 1948 and 1952, and chose a selection of 250 to share in our book.

@memorialup.bsky.social
A book page with a letter from 1949 detailing a man's economic situation, which is dire.
November 18, 2025 at 1:47 PM
Reposted by Sonja Boon
julialaite.bsky.social
Delighted to be part of this project: essays built around letters written to Newfoundland's first Premier after confederation with Canada in 1949. It's about hope, sovereignty, the welfare state & the voices of ordinary people. This messy history lives in my heart & my brain & I loved exploring it.
storiedselves.bsky.social Sonja Boon @storiedselves.bsky.social · 8d
Woot! It's release day for Dear Mr. Smallwood! As we head towards our launch next week, I'll share hints of the book. First up: titles/authors of 4 of our 25 reflection pieces!

Dear Mr. Smallwood Launch
Wed, Nov 26 at 7 pm
The Great Hall, Queen's College (210 Prince Philip Drive)
free parking.
a page from a book titled Dear Mr. Smallwood. This page is the opening page of a chapter. It reads: Bonavista South: Confederation Promises, Confederation Prayers" and the author is Julia Laite This is part of a book page, with a chapter title that reads: Burgeo-LaPoile: If Only I Could Casually Brain Dump on Joey Smallwood via Messenger at 2 a.m. and it's by Joanne Harris. This is part of a book page, and the title reads: St. John's West: No More Hooey: A Widow Writes the Premier Part of a book page that reads: Carbonear-Bay de Verde: On Archives as Time Travel: How Letters to Smallwood Transported Me Back in Time" written by Jasmine Paul.
November 17, 2025 at 6:34 PM
storiedselves.bsky.social
Woot! It's release day for Dear Mr. Smallwood! As we head towards our launch next week, I'll share hints of the book. First up: titles/authors of 4 of our 25 reflection pieces!

Dear Mr. Smallwood Launch
Wed, Nov 26 at 7 pm
The Great Hall, Queen's College (210 Prince Philip Drive)
free parking.
a page from a book titled Dear Mr. Smallwood. This page is the opening page of a chapter. It reads: Bonavista South: Confederation Promises, Confederation Prayers" and the author is Julia Laite This is part of a book page, with a chapter title that reads: Burgeo-LaPoile: If Only I Could Casually Brain Dump on Joey Smallwood via Messenger at 2 a.m. and it's by Joanne Harris. This is part of a book page, and the title reads: St. John's West: No More Hooey: A Widow Writes the Premier Part of a book page that reads: Carbonear-Bay de Verde: On Archives as Time Travel: How Letters to Smallwood Transported Me Back in Time" written by Jasmine Paul.
November 17, 2025 at 6:11 PM
storiedselves.bsky.social
what timeline are we living in?
annabower.bsky.social Anna Bower @annabower.bsky.social · 8d
“Baby, don’t worry,” he said. “It’s not a worm.”

www.vanityfair.com/news/story/o...
I did not like to think about it just as later I would not like to think about the worm in his brain that other people found so funny. I loved his brain. I hated the idea of an intruder therein. Others thought he was a madman; he was not quite mad the way they thought, but I loved the private ways that he was mad. I loved that he was insatiable in all ways, as if he would swallow up the whole world just to know it better if he could. He made me laugh, but I winced when he joked about the worm. "Baby, don't worry," he said. "It's not a worm. ." A doctor he trusted had reviewed the scans of his brain obtained by The New York Times, he said, and concluded that the shadowy figure was likely not a parasite at all. He sighed. It was too late to interfere with what had already vaulted from the sphere of meme to the sphere of screwy legend, but at least I did not have to worry about the worm that was not a worm in his brain.
November 17, 2025 at 2:25 PM
Reposted by Sonja Boon
joannehammond.bsky.social
holy shit: “Among the 2,000 UK adults surveyed, 85% were unaware that Britain forcibly transported more than 3 million Africans to the Caribbean, 89% did not know that Britain enslaved people in the Caribbean for more than 300 years” www.theguardian.com/world/2025/n...
Caribbean reparations leaders in ‘historic’ first UK visit to press for justice
CRC mission will seek to deepen public understanding of Britain’s colonial legacy and its lasting impact
www.theguardian.com
November 16, 2025 at 7:54 PM
Reposted by Sonja Boon
aaronparnas.bsky.social
NEW: Epstein survivors release the most powerful PSA I have ever seen.

Make this go viral so every member of the House of Representatives sees it.
November 16, 2025 at 11:43 PM
storiedselves.bsky.social
Excellent piece by @howrhearolls.bsky.social in The Independent.
November 15, 2025 at 7:46 PM
storiedselves.bsky.social
if you're coming to our launch, you'll get the full force of "game shows are fun and Sonja clearly hasn't organized a birthday party or been in an undergrad classroom for a long time."

There are only ten questions (well, 4 more if we need a playoff round). And there will be a prize, too!
a poster with a red strip along right hand side, with black glasses inside it. The text of the poster reads: Dear Mr. Smallwood: The Game Show, with your hosts Sonja Boon and Vicki Hallett.
November 14, 2025 at 9:50 PM
storiedselves.bsky.social
when your silvery soprano sells ..... face powder? Marie Toulinguet, Newfoundland's Nightingale of the the North, in The American Druggists' Circular and Chemical Gazette, 1899
a late nineteenth-century advertisement for Freeman's Face Powder featuring quotes from famous women users, Scalchi and Marie Toulinguet, both of whose photos are in the ad. Marie Toulinguet's blurb reads: "I am delighted with Freeman's Veloutine Face Powder. It is the most satisfactory Complexion Powder I have yet found."
November 14, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Reposted by Sonja Boon
sorayanadiamcdonald.com
Thomas Jefferson was 44 when he started in creeping on 14-year-old Sally Hemings. And Sally, who was enslaved, shared a father with Martha Wayles Jefferson—Tom's wife.

He's been dead literally centuries and the US refuses to reckon squarely with what this meant for definitions of American greatness
November 13, 2025 at 4:26 AM
Reposted by Sonja Boon
paulvermeersch.bsky.social
The CBC Poetry Prize shortlist is announced today! Congratulations to these poets.

www.cbc.ca/books/litera...
5 writers make the 2025 CBC Poetry Prize shortlist | CBC Books
Read the five works contending for $6,000 from the Canada Council for the Arts and a Banff Centre writing residency. The winner will be announced on Nov. 19, 2025.
www.cbc.ca
November 13, 2025 at 3:38 PM
storiedselves.bsky.social
This book has been a JOURNEY & it's so wonderful to be able to share some of the letters folks wrote to Smallwood alongside contemporary reflections & contextual essays. At 500+ pages, it's massive, but it can be read in bite-size pieces: there's lots to chew on, smile with, savour & enjoy. Join us!
memorialup.bsky.social Memorial University Press @memorialup.bsky.social · 13d
Join Sonja Boon, Vicki Hallett and contributors of Dear Mr. Smallwood at the official launch!

🗓️ Nov 26
🕖 7 pm
📍 The Great Hall, Queen’s College, 210 Prince Philip Dr.
🚙 Free parking (Queen's College parking lot 19)

Readings · Refreshments · Merriment · Prizes · Books for sale · Everyone welcome
An invitation on scratched cream paper. On the rights, a red book cover with the title Dear Mr. Smallwood and a row of black glasses on the left hand side of the cover. On the left, text reads: Join Sonja Boon, Vicki Hallett, and contributors of Dear Mr. Smallwood for the official launch. Nov. 26 7:00 pm The Great Hall, Queen's College, Memorial University, 210 Prince Philip Drive. Readings Discussion Merriment Refreshments Everyone welcome.
November 12, 2025 at 6:21 PM
Reposted by Sonja Boon
popns.bsky.social
👋 NS, NB, and PEI:

Starting Wednesday, November 12, 2025 masks will be required by all patients, staff, and visitors upon entering the IWK Health facility.

iwkhealth.ca/patient-and-...

NS Health has not yet decided to practice infection control by requiring masks.
A screen shot from the IWK Health Patient and Visitor Guide: "All family/support persons are asked to self-screen for illness before visiting IWK Health, please do not visit if you’re feeling unwell. Safety Starting Wednesday, November 12, 2025 masks will be required by all patients, staff, and visitors upon entering the IWK Health facility on University Avenue. Masks must be worn in all public spaces and in all areas where patient care is provided (inpatient & ambulatory settings). Masks will be available at all entrances."
November 10, 2025 at 7:53 PM
storiedselves.bsky.social
seen at the Colonial Building, St. John's, where (male) legislators debated women's suffrage in the early 20th cent. On Saturday @heritagenl.bsky.social officially designated the women's suffrage movement of NL as an outstanding historical event (it took several generations, so it was a long event!)
a museum panel that reads: "If a woman is not a person, then what in the name of common sense is she?" from The Daily News, March 10, 1925.
November 10, 2025 at 4:22 PM
storiedselves.bsky.social
Look, just LOOK at what I have in my grubby paws: it's HERE! and it's gorgeous (and it's huge!). Book launch on November 26 at 7 pm at Queen's College, 210 Prince Philip Drive. Come celebrate with us!
a book with a red cover featuring two pairs of black glasses running along the left hand side. The title reads Dear Mr Smallwood. Confederation in the words of those who lived it.
November 9, 2025 at 2:04 AM
storiedselves.bsky.social
A weekend full of conversations, listening, and learning about women's and gender history in NL, inspired by the 100th anniversary of women's suffrage in Newfoundland (Labradorians didn't get the vote until 1946)
the cover of a program, with the title: Up She Rises! http://nlhistory.ca. It is red/orange on the left with historical photographs of women. On the right, it's blue, with the text: A public forum presented by the Newfoundland and Labrador Historical society about women and gender in Newfoundland and Labrador history.
November 8, 2025 at 12:09 PM
storiedselves.bsky.social
landed to an absolutely beautiful, and quintessentially St. John's day: rugged cliffs, fresh snow, and big, gusty winds. Lovely to be able to spend a weekend with you again, St. John's
November 7, 2025 at 3:09 PM