Five Canadian Novels by Aboriginal Writers

 

Canada has a rich tradition of Indigenous writing, with a strong record of support for both writers and publishers of such literature by the Canada Council for the Arts. That movement has blossomed in recent years, as more Aboriginal voices have found space in Canada’s literary and social consciousness.

Aboriginal writing has attracted many awards and prizes in Canada over the years. A few of these include the Governor General’s Award, awarded to Katherena Vermetter for her 2013 collection of poetry, “North End Love Songs.” Another award winner is Lee Maracle’s novel “Ravensong,” which won the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal in 1993.

 

Here then, are five highly-recommended novels by Canadian Aboriginal writers:

 

“Shi-Shi-Etko” and its sequel “Shi-Shi-Canoe” by Nicola I. Campbell. The first novel details the story of a young girl when she discovers that she is to be taken to a residential school in four days. The second novel details Shi-Shi-Etko’s experiences at the school and her joyful reunion with her family. The second novel won the prestigious TD Canadian Children’s Literature Grand Prize.

 

Richard Wagamese’s “Indian Horse” details the life of Saul Indian Horse, his experiences in the Residential School system, his career as an ice hockey player, and the eventual reconciliation with his past. It won the 2013 Burt Award for First Nations, Metis and Inuit Literature.

 

“Legacy” by Waubgeshig Rice. The novel describes the violence against an Indigenous woman and the effect it has on her and her family. Another one of his novels, “Moon of the Crusted Snow,” offers a dystopian vision of surviving postmodern civilization. The New York Times described him as an Indigenous writer “reshaping North American science fiction, horror and fantasy.”

 

 

Eden Robinson’s “Son of a Trickster” humorously details the life of Jared, a sixteen year old Aboriginal boy who constantly gets into trouble, his suspicious grandmother and his balancing Indigenous beliefs with dysfunctional family dynamics.

 

“Fly Away Snow Goose” by John Wisdomkeeper and Juliet Waldron. The book follows the trials and travels of two young Aboriginals from Nunavut and the Northwest Territories as they are taken forcefully to a residential school, but yet begin a journey to return to their homes.

Mohan Ashtakala (www.mohanauthor.com) is the author of "The Yoga Zapper," a fantasy and "Karma Nation," a literary romance. He is published by Books We Love (www.bookswelove.com)

Writing and reading in times of... Whatever this is. by Diane Bator

Writing and reading in times of... Whatever this is....

By Diane Bator

There have been hundreds if not hundreds of thousands of blogs and articles written already about how readers and writers are coping with the Covid crisis. Lately, I've found myself on several virtual lectures and meetings discussing what our world looks like as authors.

Do we have the same struggles with concentrating while our world is in a constant state of change?

Are any of us immune to what happens outside our front doors on a daily basis?

Are we staying sane or losing our marbles in solitude?

Our local library had to cancel our Open Mic night featuring local authors. Instead, we each recorded ourselves doing short readings for library staff to air that night. As well, the continued their Storytellers Series in the same way. Each month an author or local celebrity is doing a 20 minute chat for library patrons. I'm looking forward to trying my hand at doing my first video this week.

Toronto Sisters in Crime held their first ever Zoom meeting last month, which was a blast! I was grateful for the opportunity to be a part of this because physically joining in the meetings is difficult. What a great time we had talking about what we are or are not currently writing. We commiserated about the struggle with inspiration now that we have all the time we need. Like all meetings lately, the mood was heavy until then talk turned to what we're watching on Netflix. It was helpful to hear of mystery series I've never read or seen. I left that meeting feeling much lighter and not so worried about creating when I didn't have the energy for it. Darned if right after I got off the meeting, one of the shows we talked about was on television. Vera. I'm a fan!

Another great discussion I got to listen to was put on by the Writers' Trust of Canada   https://www.facebook.com/writerstrust/  Five great Canadian authors gave some great advice to writers of all levels. On this call was Tanya Talaga (the moderator), Eden Robinson, Heather O'Neill, Michael Crummey, and Miriam Toews. The chat was filled with comments about Eden's amazing laugh but my best takeaway from the whole thing was the sense that they are all dealing with the same day-to-day struggles we all are. And they're keeping a sense of humor about it all!

As authors, they are used to solitude and working alone, but the loneliness is a whole other thing. All of them are fortunate to be self-isolated with family members and have lots of human interaction via digital means. Where Michael and Heather are working as normal, keeping their routine as usual. For the rest, there are family members and things they have to work around.

One very funny moment was when Eden admitted her biggest challenge was eating her own cooking. Since she's traveled so much before this all hit, she was used to eating out all the time. The general consensus was that cooking takes up an awful lot of writing time!

Heather pointed out that stories written BC (Before Covid) would not reflect the changes in society we currently see, but she feels there will be a demand for literature and the voices we all have in order for things to feel normal again. As for writers who want to know how to become published, there are as many different routes to becoming a published writer as there are writers.

The best advice they all had for fellow writers the reminder that we all need to sit for long periods of time "doing nothing." It's been said that 95% of writing is staring out the window. Of course, that nothing time gives us space to create before we put our thoughts on paper. The second best was simply:  Stay Optimistic and Keep Writing!

Diane Bator
Author of Wild Blue Mysteries, Gilda Wright Mysteries, Glitter Bay Mysteries
and the NEW upcoming Sugarwood Mysteries!