Big Island, Small

by Maureen St. Clair

  Thanks and praise to so many other dear friends who affirmed, acknowledged, accepted, allowed and showed so much affection during the birthing of this book: Janey Humphrey, Bara Macneil, Jan Mackay, Natalie Abdou, Karen Fish and the rest of the beautiful and one and only Farm Fam; to Donelda Glenn (I miss you), Catherine Gascon, Lucy Chapman, Lynne Pajot, Dominique Dennery, Cathy Gerrior, Chris Benoit, Jenson Benoit, Mary Coyle, Colleen Cameron, Olga Gladkick, Helene Lebel, Diane Walsh, Susan Walsh and Brianna Ryan.

  To the beautiful Elders in my life who have provided strong firm ground from which to stand: Pat Hadley (I miss you too), Margaret Hughes, Sharon Johnson, Agnes Calliste, Ms. Tay, Ms. Winfrey, Rose Little, David Stinson, Aunty Lynne, Aunt Helen and Aunt Sally.

  Thank you to my parents, Bernie and Patricia Ryan who provided a secure place to fly free from and who never gave up on me.

  Thank you beloved Theo and Maya for being my steadfastness. For your love patience and presence straight through. I love you fiercely.

  And a blessed thanks and deep honouring to all women warriors who not only survived sexual abuse but transcended pain into strength, fear into courage, hate into renewal while changing lives, dismantling structures and systems and providing safe spaces, safe communities for so many of us.

  One Love

  One Community

  One Family

  Maureen St.Clair

  THE BEACON AWARD FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE LITERATURE

  From 2010 to 2017, the Beacon Award for Social Justice Literature was an annual prize for an unpublished novel. It’s purpose was to stimulate the creation, publication and dissemination of new works of fiction designed to ignite readers’ passion for and understanding of social justice. The Board of the Beacon Award would like to express its thanks to all of its individual supporters, Hignell Book Printing and Michael Nuschke and Richard Nickerson of Assante Capital Management for their generous support.