SaskScapes chronicles the people of Saskatchewan

Kevin Power was once accused of being all talk and no action. Today, fortunately, he is still all talk, but there is also plenty of action.

Kevin Power is the creator and host of SaskScapes, a series of podcasts devoted to arts, culture and heritage in Saskatchewan. As one of three SaskCulture animateurs, he was part of a Culture Days team that travelled the province this summer capturing the stories of Saskatchewan people.

“When I approached SaskCulture regarding the animateur program, because of my background as a Broadway singer and actor, I kind of thought I would propose an idea that really was in keeping with what I’ve been doing for the past 26 years,” explains Power, a graduate of the University of Saskatchewan who is now back living in Saskatoon. “But this podcast idea has been nagging at me for a couple of years now to the point friends asked me to stop talking about it. I had been all talk and no action.”

Power can no longer be accused of inactivity. Shortly after agreeing on an approach with SaskCulture, he set about finding subjects for his series.

By the end of October, Power had completed 44 SaskScapes. Each podcast focuses on the human element, as Power travels around Saskatchewan listening to people tell their stories

“No one has disappointed me yet,” Power says. “I am overwhelmed at the emails I get. I’m going in as a complete stranger and I’m leaving having made a whole bunch of new friends.

While Power insists every edition of SaskScapes is a highlight, there is one that holds particularly meaning. Episode 30 is entitled Remembering Alvin, and focuses on Alvin Cote, a homeless First Nations man with addictions issues who passed away in Saskatoon in early 2013, but not before leaving his mark on his community.

“When I first started, I don’t think I would have thought about doing street culture,” Power notes. “I was thinking artists and musicians and authors and painters. But street culture is part of our culture.”

Power believes there is no end to the stories to be told in Saskatchewan. As for the future, stay tuned…
 

 You can listen to all the episodes of SaskScapes now on SoundCloud, stream them directly from the iheartculture.ca website, or subscribe to SaskScapes in iTunes.. .