Creator Interview: David A. Robertson

Written by Spencer Miller

This is an edited excerpt of an interview with author David A. Robertson. Watch the full interview on Bibliovideo.

You’ve been wanting to write a hockey book for almost nine years. Why was now the time for this story?

When I write a story, I not only ask myself if it is a good story but does it have something to say? It has to have something to say.

In the last couple of years I became more aware of the discrimination, racism–all the stuff kids face in hockey. My son played for Team Manitoba at the National Aboriginal Hockey Championships and you know I saw a little bit there. I know a lot of kids go through it–whether they're Asian, Black, Indigenous, gay, or trans.

We can't ignore that these things are happening. I felt it was the right time to talk about it. I don't think we're doing enough in the hockey culture and we're taking away from this incredible game by allowing these things to perpetuate. I don't think it's right.

My dad always used to teach me that when you feel like you can do something to make a difference you have a responsibility to do that. I felt like if there’s something I can do here, I ought to. That’s why I decided to write The Kodiaks.

In the story, Alex, a young Indigenous hockey star, gets great advice from his parents that helps him work through the challenges he’s having with his teammates, coaches, and opponents. Was this your way of including your advice to young athletes?

Absolutely. I think that young people need some guidance and I felt like I had something to offer. It's difficult to stand up for yourself. It's difficult to deal with racism. I've dealt with it myself. I wanted to share that when this stuff happens, there are ways that you can deal with it.

There are different levels of it. There's overt racism and there are things that people say out of a place of ignorance. Someone may not even be aware that they’re doing something offensive. At any level, when you meet it, there is a response that is appropriate.

It's not going to be comfortable at first but you have the agency to be able to do it. You just need a bit of courage and confidence. You develop that over time too.

Do you have any advice for teachers who want to teach this book? How can they best approach some of these conversations in the classroom?

I think the main thing is that teachers have “pre” and “post” conversations about what they read. Help students recognize that racist attitudes are learned. These are learned behaviours.

I think there's a lot for teachers to use here to address a number of different issues. Hopefully, the book will be something that teachers find useful.

There’s a part in the book where Alex says "Hockey parents were always nervous. Hockey parents were even nervous at practices. Hockey parents were weird". Was this a moment to poke fun at yourself?

The experience of being a hockey parent has been really rewarding and I think my wife would say the same thing. We have gone through the ups and downs. There's an evolution as a hockey parent. You learn how to behave and see the game.

When I was a young parent, I was pretty loud. Now, as someone who's got a lot more gray hair, I'm very chill. I'm not getting worked up. As a parent you can be loud, you can cheer, but don’t be belligerent and yell at refs and all that. This is a beautiful sport so let's make it as beautiful as we can. Let's work together to get rid of all this stuff that ruins the game for a lot of kids.