Laughing with the Trickster

On Sex, Death, and Accordions

Trickster is zany, ridiculous  – and wise. The mythic figure in many First Nations tales is the ultimate, over-the-top, madcap lunatic. Here to remind us that the reason for existence is to have a blast, and to laugh ourselves silly. Ever the trickster, Tomson Highway brings his signature irreverence to an exploration of five themes central to the human condition: language, creation, sex and gender, humour, and death.

An exhilarating tour through Christian, Classical, and Cree mythologies reveals how they have given form and substance to Western thought, life, and culture. Yet Indigenous mythologies provide unique, timeless solutions to our modern problems. Tomson Highway offers generous personal anecdotes, including ones of his beloved accordion-playing father, and plentiful Trickster stories as guides through crises such as climate change, economic disparity, racial intolerance, and all-out unhappiness. Laughter is medicine. Within the endless circle of life in Indigenous mythologies, the Earth is a garden of joy unlimited. A world we must protect as the birthright of future generations. Laugh with the legendary Tomson Highway as he illuminates a healing, hilarious way forward.

More about Tomson Highway, and the lectures on CBC.ca, here.

The cross country tour will stop in five Canadian cities:

FREDERICTON: Wednesday, September 7, Fredericton Playhouse

ST. JOHN’S: Friday, September 9,  D.F. Cook Recital Hall

SASKATOON: Wednesday, September 14, The Broadway Theatre

VANCOUVER: Friday, September 16, York TheatreTORONTO: Friday, September 23, Koerner Hall

Tickets will be on sale by each venue on August 2, 2022

Pre-order your copy of Laughing with the Trickster: On Sex, Death, and Acordions now from Indigo, Amazon, or your favourite local bookseller. Available wherever books are sold beginning September 27.