49th Shelf: Interview with Darrel J. McLeod about Mamaskatch
Today we’re pleased to share this interview with Darrel J. McLeod, who won this year’s Governor General’s Award for Nonfiction for his memoir Masmaskatch: A Cree Coming of Age (Douglas & McIntyre). READ FULL INTERVIEW→
BC BookLook: A tale of trauma rises to the top
The extent to which Canadians understand intergenerational trauma suffered by Indigenous peoples, and to what degree they are willing to support reconciliation, remain unclear even years after the release of the final reports of the Truth and Reconciliation (TRC). READ FULL REVIEW→
Alberta Native News: Author Darrel J. McLeod Is A Finalist For The 2019 Butler Book Prize
Douglas & McIntyre is pleased to announce that Darrel J. McLeod and his first book, Mamaskatch: A Cree Coming of Age, have been recognized by the Victoria Book Prize Society as a finalist for the 2019 City of Victoria Butler Book Prize. READ FULL ARTICLE→
CBC Books: Winners of the 2018 Governor General’s Literary Awards
Darrel McLeod describes vivid memories of moose stew and wild peppermint tea, surrounded by siblings, cousins, aunts and uncles. READ FULL ARTICLE→
Canada Council: Mamaskatch wins the 2018 Governor General’s Award for Non-Fiction
Mamaskatch: A Cree Coming of Age dares to immerse readers in provocative contemporary issues including gender fluidity, familial violence, and transcultural hybridity. A fast-moving, intimate memoir of dreams and nightmares—lyrical and gritty, raw and vulnerable, told without pity, but with phoenix-like strength. SEE FULL LIST OF 2018 WINNERS→
La Presse: Mamaskatch – Une initiation crie: des mots guérisseurs
Mamaskatch ne raconte pas une belle histoire. C’est pourtant un fort beau livre. Il faut peut-être rencontrer son auteur pour comprendre pourquoi. LISEZ L’ARTICLE COMPLET→
Le Journal de Québec: Sortir de l’enfer et vivre enfin
Cri du Territoire du Traité no 8 dans le nord de l’Alberta, Darrel J. McLeod raconte l’enfer des pensionnats, dans lesquels sa mère et ses tantes ont été plongées, et les drames insupportables que les gens de sa nation ont endurés – lui comme les autres – dans son premier récit, Mamaskatch. LISEZ L’ARTICLE COMPLET→
Le Devoir: Maman disait «mamaskatch»
Il est une heure du matin. Un enfant entend la voix de sa mère le sommant de descendre changer le disque qui tourne à vide sur la platine du salon. La pièce sent le tabac et la bière tiède. À la radio, la nouvelle de la mort de Janis Joplin ternit les paroles s’échappant des haut-parleurs : « Take another little piece of my heart, now baby (break it). » La chanson hante un lieu que la mère, survivante des pensionnats autochtones, semble elle-même hanter. LISEZ L’ARTICLE COMPLET→
Chulalongkorn University, Thailand: Public lecture, reading, interview
Darrel McLeod gives a special lecture, reads a section from Mamaskatch, and discusses some of the themes covered in the book as well as the impact his book has had on its readers to date. BALAC is Thailand’s first undergraduate program in cultural studies at Chulalongkorn University’s Faculty of Arts. From November 2019, Sessions One and Two below.