‘When we change our emotions, we change our destiny’: Monique Gray Smith opens Concordia’s new Vinesh Saxena Family Foundation Speaker Series

At the inaugural Vinesh Saxena Family Foundation Speaker Series, best-selling author Monique Gray Smith explored how story and connection help us meet difficult times with care. Drawing on personal experience, she reflected on the relationships that have shaped her path.

Hosted in collaboration by Concordia’s Faculty of Arts and Science and the Department of Theological Studies, the new series explores theories of life after death. Close to 130 people attended the first lecture on Wednesday, March 11.

Smith opened by acknowledging a personal milestone — 35 years of sobriety — and shared the Cree name an Elder gave her early in that journey: Little Drum. The name reflects her ability to help others reconnect with their internal rhythm and became a compass for how Smith lives and works.

Years later, a chance remark from a job interviewer planted a seed. “I look forward to reading your book one day,” the panel member told her. The position was for a psychiatric nurse and at the time, Smith didn’t believe she could become an author.

It wasn’t until a serious health scare forced her to reimagine her path that she committed to writing, eventually publishing her award-winning debut novel, Tilly: A Story of Hope and Resilience (Sono Nis Press, 2013).

“The questions we ask ourselves are so important, because our brains will search for the answer,” she said. “I kept asking myself, ‘Who am I to write a book?’” When Smith changed her perspective to “What would I write about?” everything shifted.

Smith is now the author of 12 books, including the picture book My Heart Fills With Happiness (Orca Book Publishers, 2016), illustrated by Concordia alumna Julie Flett, BFA 99. She also adapted Robin Wall Kimmerer’s Braiding Sweetgrass into Braiding Sweetgrass For Young Adults (Lerner Publishing Group, 2022).

Reflecting on personal loss, Smith described how grief can deepen our understanding of ourselves, our relationships and the world around us.

“When we change our emotions, we change our destiny,” she said. “In that grief, we evolve. We begin to understand our connection to the land, the water and all living beings in a different way.”

This Vinesh Saxena Family Foundation Speaker Series is made possible by the generosity of the Vinesh Saxena Family Foundation.