For Secwépemc poet kit-xgwélemc kennedy, it was his mom and grandma’s shared love of literature that inspired him to appreciate the power of the written word. But it wasn’t until attending university that the St’uxwtéws (Bonaparte First Nation) member says he truly found himself as a writer — and ultimately, an award-winning poet. “There’s just such an intensity with how the language works in poetry,” he says.