UNBeknownst Episode 18: Brandon Mitchell on creating comic books and teaching youth through visually telling Mi’kmaq stories
Author: UNB Alumni
Posted on May 26, 2022
Category: Podcast
Brandon Mitchell (BIS’16, MEd’18) is a Mi'kmaq graphic artist, published writer and entrepreneur from Listuguj, Quebec, now residing in Fredericton. A two-time graduate of UNB, with a bachelor's in multimedia and art culture and a master's in education, adult and continuing education, he is the founder of Birch Bark Comics and creator of the Sacred Circles comic series. His work includes a series of illustrated books that fuse contemporary graphic novel artistic approaches with traditional Mi’kmaq stories and language. Brandon feels that comic books and graphic novels are a path to better teach Indigenous youth about their culture, rather than from a textbook.
In this episode:
- How Brandon realized he could write and how he got into graphic novels
- His initial experience teaching Indigenous youth in his home community, and how it inspired creating Mi’kmaq graphic art stories
- The challenge of starting and growing an Indigenous business, and in being both an entrepreneur and a creative
- Growing a publishing career
- Why Brandon feels incorporating the Mi’kmaq language into storytelling is a better way to expose young readers to culture and pride
Where to listen:
Links and resources:
Thanks to:
Our alumni host, Ian Smith
Music by alumni artist, Beats of Burden
Our alumni Affinity Partners, TD Insurance, Manulife, and MBNA Mastercard
To listen to UNBeknownst and for more info on the podcast, the hosts and how to subscribe to new episode alerts, visit our website