Wapke

Wapke is an Atikamekw word meaning tomorrow, and it is also the name of Quebec's first science fiction short story collection written by Indigenous authors. Fourteen writers from many nations, each with a different background, carry readers into the future. Their stories are lyrical, emotionally affecting, and sometimes troubling, with some leaning into the fantastical, and they engage with present-day social, political, and environmental concerns.

The collection covers a wide range of ground. It includes a warrior who travels through time, keepers of language and knowledge who push back against the status quo, and Big Trees that appear in a lake. Other pieces imagine a human sausage factory, a life lived on the land set against one lived in cyberspace. Taken together, the stories form a critique of colonialism that spans Indigenous nations.

Conceived by Michel Jean, the anthology works on more than one level. Science fiction fans can read it simply for entertainment, while others may find in it a prompt for serious reflection. Its social commentary is often gripping, showing how Indigenous peoples imagine what lies ahead, and it carries an underlying hope that change will come.