19 Aboriginal Authors To Add To Your Reading List | HuffPost

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Some of the best and brightest of Canada’s Aboriginal writing community.

Terri Coles — The Huffington Post Canada

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The work of Aboriginal writers in Canada has received a much-needed boost lately, thanks to the inclusion of Tracey Lindberg’s book Birdie in the most recent slate of CBC's "Canada Reads" selections. But as good as Lindberg’s work is, it’s just a small slice of the poetry, fiction, non-fiction, criticism, and other written work produced by Aboriginal writers across the country.

The list below is far from comprehensive, but it highlights some of the best and brightest of Canada’s Aboriginal writing community. That includes Sheila Watt-Cloutier, a recent winner of a prestigious international award. It also features Joseph Boyden, whose novel The Orenda can be found in bookstores across the country. You’ll find Governor General’s Awards nominees and winners and critical favourites, representing Canada from coast to coast.

The 19 writers found here are among the most celebrated living Aboriginal writers in Canada right now — but they are far from the only ones worth investigating.

19 Celebrated Aboriginal Authors

Tracey Lindberg(01 of19)

Lindberg’s first novel, Birdie, has been an unqualified success. Selected as one of the CBC’s Canada Reads books of the year (2016), the novel by the Athabasca University professor has found a wide audience.

Sheila Watt-Cloutier(02 of19)

Watt-Cloutier’s life began in the northern town of Kuujjuaq, Que., but today the Inuk woman is a celebrated activist. A winner of the Right Livelihood Award for 2015 — called by some the “alternative Nobel” —Watt-Cloutier’s book The Right To Be Cold came out the same year.

Katherena Vermette(03 of19)

A poet and fiction writer, Vermette’s poetry collection North End Love Songs won the Governor General Literary Award for Poetry in 2013. More recently she’s released The Seven Teachings Stories, a seven-volume series of children’s picture books.

Lee Maracle(04 of19)

Maracle has served as a visiting scholar at three universities, received an honorary doctor of letters from St. Thomas University, and won a Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medal for her work with Aboriginal youth.

Richard Wagamese(05 of19)

His most recent book, Medicine Walk, was praised by both major papers around the country and fellow writers. Wagamese works in fiction and poetry as well as writing newspaper columns and reported stories.

Louise Bernice Halfe(06 of19)

Born on the Saddle Lake Reserve in Alberta, and Poet Laureate of Saskatchewan from 2005 to 2006, Halfe’s most recent book is The Crooked Good.

Carleigh Baker(07 of19)

Part Metis and part Icelandic, you may have seen Baker’s literary reviews in the Globe and Mail. Her work with the Peel Project — a documentary about conservationism and Canadian identity — as a contributing artist will tour the country this year. (credit:CarleighBaker.com)

Janet Rogers(08 of19)

Poet Laureate of Victoria from 2012 to 2014, Rogers is a Mohawk/Tuscarora writer and spoken-word performer. In addition to her writing, Rogers hosts Tribal Clefs on CBC Radio One in Victoria. (credit:Facebook/Janet Rogers)

Naomi Fontaine(09 of19)

A member of the Innu First Nation, Fontaine’s debut novel Kuessipan was first released in French. Written when Fontaine was just 23, the book is currently being developed into a French-language film.

Thomas King(10 of19)

Part Cherokee, King has won or been shortlisted for the best of the prizes Canada has to offer — including his Order of Canada. His award-winning book The Inconvenient Indian looks at the history and present of Aboriginals in Canada.

Joanne Arnott(11 of19)

Arnott is a poet and a founding member of the Aboriginal Writers Collective-West Coast. Her 2014 book of poetry is Halfling Spring: an internet romance.

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson(12 of19)

A member of Alderville First Nation, Simpson works in a variety of different writing styles: poetry, storytelling, creative fiction, critical analysis, and spoken word.

Joseph Boyden(13 of19)

Perhaps best known for his novel The Orenda, Boyden has been lauded since his first novel was released. Boyden received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal in 2012.

Bev Sellars(14 of19)

Sellars’ powerful memoir of her time in a residential school is essential reading — and is part of the public archive of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission. They Called Me Number One: Secrets and Survival at an Indian Residential School has won multiple awards.

Jordan Wheeler(15 of19)

With a long career in Canadian film and television as a writer, Wheeler has also written several books for Canadian teens and children.

Marie Clements(16 of19)

This playwright’s resume is a long and impressive one. The founder of Urban Ink Productions, which focuses on Aboriginal and multicultural work, has been nominated and short-listed for many awards including a Governor General's Literary Award. Her most recent play, "Tombs of the Vanishing Indian," was published in 2012.

Eden Robinson(17 of19)

Robinson’s Monkey Beach is the first English-language novel published by a Haisla writer. The international attention for her book has led her to speak out about Aboriginal issues in Canada in publications like Time magazine.

Drew Hayden Taylor(18 of19)

An Ojibway writer originally from Ontario, Taylor has left his mark all across Canada’s cultural industries. He has written stand-up comedy, plays, newspaper columns, short stories, novels, and television scripts.

Lisa Bird-Wilson(19 of19)

A Metis writer from Saskatchewan, Bird-Wilson’s 2013 book Just Pretending received great reviews and many prizes. Her next project is a biography of Aboriginal leader Jim Sinclair.ᐧ

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