Toronto Star: Peyakow on short list for 2021 Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust non-fiction prize
Memoirs, men and Indigenous writers dominate the short list for the 2021 Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust non-fiction prize, the winner of which will be awarded $60,000. SEE SHORT LIST→
CBC Books: Darrel J. McLeod reflects on how colonization impacted his Cree family
Peyakow is a follow-up to Darrel McLeod’s memoir Mamaskatch. The title is the Cree word for “one who walks alone.” Peyakow tells the story of his childhood and youth. He was bullied by white classmates, lived in poverty, endured physical and sexual abuse and lost several people he loved. But the story is one of love and triumph, as McLeod goes on to become a teacher, the First Nations’ delegate to the UN and an executive in the Canadian government. READ EXCERPT FROM PEYAKOW→
CBC The Next Chapter: Peyakow is about love, Indigenous education and ‘walking alone’
McLeod spoke with The Next Chapter host Shelagh Rogers in Spring 2021 about Peyakow in a virtual event hosted by the Ottawa Public Library and the Ottawa International Writers Festival. HIGHLIGHTS FROM THIS EPISODE→
Vancouver Sun: Review of Peyakow
Darrel J. McLeod’s memoir Peyakow celebrates survival and resilience. Darrel J. McLeod has been a witness to history. He has also helped make it as his second volume of memoirs, Peyakow: Reclaiming Cree Dignity, attests. READ FULL REVIEW→
Ottawa Public Library: Reclaiming Cree dignity
Join celebrated author Darrel J. McLeod in conversation with CBC’s Shelagh Rogers about Peyakow. This video is a recording of a live event hosted by the Ottawa Public Library on March 29, 2021.
Writers’ Trust of Canada: Promotional video for Peyakow
“Peyakow is more than a story of overcoming adversity; it is a story of personal and political reclamation that explores the pain of living in a world controlled by agendas and priorities that exploit the people and the land itself. Where McLeod finds connection, he also finds obligation. In the end, he discovers that being part of a community is not a passive act. McLeod’s vibrant prose renders the world with tenderness and skill. His profound book is full of love and trouble that you won’t soon forget.” — 2021 Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction Jury (Kevin Chong, Terese Marie Mailhot, and Adam Shoalts)
Virtual Event: Darrel J. McLeod, August 17, 2021
Harvard Book Store’s virtual event series welcomes DARREL J. MCLEOD—author of the award-winning memoir Mamaskatch: A Cree Coming of Age—for a discussion of his latest memoir, Peyakow: Reclaiming Cree Dignity. He will be joined in conversation by acclaimed poet BILLY-RAY BELCOURT, author of The Wound is a World and A History of My Brief Body. SEE EVENT DETAILS→
Lambda Literary Review: August 2021’s Most Anticipated LGBTQ Literature
Peyakow made the Lambda Literary Review’s Most Anticipated LGBTQ Literature list, in the Bio/Memoir section, for August 2021. SEE FULL LIST→