The Weyburn Public Library held an event Thursday night to mark One Book, One Province, an annual event hosted by the Saskatchewan Libraries Association. The event sees a book by a Saskatchewan author being selected, and everyone in the province is encouraged to read it. This year, the book that was selected was Miss G And Me, written by Saskatoon author Jennifer S. Wallace.  

The book tells the story of Jennifer’s mother, Ruth Williamson, who is also known by her nickname Miss G. It talks about how Ruth grew up in Jamaica, went to England for nursing training, and how her path brought her to Canada, and in particular, Saskatchewan. From first setting foot on the prairies in Weyburn to moving to Saskatoon where she married her husband, it tells the story of how Ruth’s experiences influenced Jennifer’s life. It weaves the story through anecdotes, journals, poetry, and essays, evoking a wide variety of emotions the entire way.  

The Weyburn connection to her mother’s story made the stop in The Opportunity City Thursday special for Wallace. 

“It was such a delight,” she said after the reading. “I know a lot of the faces in the audience, and so it was wonderful to reconnect, but also to be able to be in the place where it all started. I wouldn’t be here if she hadn’t come to Canada, and if she hadn’t come to Weyburn, and so I’m so thankful for the community that she was able to be a part of here, and the family that welcomed her, and made her feel like she could start a new home in this country.” 

During the question and answer session after the reading, Wallace explained the first seeds of the book came about when she was 22, and she wrote something to give to her mother as a gift for Mother’s Day. She ended up shelving the idea at the time, but then in 2019, around 20 years later, she started working on it again in earnest, asking her mother questions about her life, and trying to find the best way to tell the story.  

The first manuscript was submitted for the John V. Hicks Long Manuscript Award for Creative Non-Fiction in 2020, and work on it continued. She would receive a book publish production grant from Creative Saskatchewan, and the book went to press, coming out in 2022.  

The news that her book had been selected for One Book, One Province, took her by surprise.  

“I was tearful and blown away,” Wallace explained after the reading. “It was a great honour. Last year’s recipient was Michelle Good, so I was just kind of, like, in awe that I was chosen for this honour.” 

The author wasn’t the only one surprised by the selection. 

“I was tearful, I was crying, and I shared the news with my mom, and my mom just said, ‘Why you?’,” Wallace shared. “We had a good laugh, but I think she was realising that the reason why she was saying ‘why you’ was also because it was ‘Why me? Why was my story so important?’, and I think it’s because it connects us and we’re able to relate to her story of being an immigrant, and a nurse, and from a minority in Saskatchewan. So, it’s really important to be able to share those stories and connect with others.” 

For Wallace, after she is done with her tour of the province to share her book, and her mother’s story, she will look at doing more with Miss G and Me, including releasing an audiobook version. She has also been asked by a friend to tell their story, so another book along the same vein as how she told her mother’s story could be on the way.  

“I’d like to do a good job, and I’m also a kindergarten teacher full-time, so time to write is really a precious thing,” Wallace said. “I hope to write more, for sure. I do articles and poems, so there are more projects in the works, but nothing at the moment.” 

Miss G and Me is available to be checked out at the Weyburn Public Library and is also available at book retailers in the province.