Francine Cunningham
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Francine Cunningham (born 1984) is an Indigenous writer, artist, and educator. She is Cree and Métis.[1]
Her debut novel, On/Me, was nominated for the BC and Yukon Book Prize for The Jim Deva Prize for Writing that Provokes. as well as Indigenous Voices Award for a poetry book in English and was nominated for a 2021 City of Vancouver Book Award.[2]
Personal life[edit]
Cunningham is originally from Calgary, Alberta.[3] She currently lives in Strathmore, Alberta. She lived in Vancouver, British Columbia for over 15 years.[3]
Career[edit]
Cunningham graduated from Keyano College with a diploma in Visual and Performing Arts with conservatory style training in acting.[4] She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre and Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia.[3]
In 2014, She participated in the Indigenous Writing Studio at the Banff Arts Center and placed second in the Our Story: Aboriginal Arts and Stories contest.[3]
At present, she runs creative writing and art workshops as a guest in First Nation's reserves across Canada.[2]
Her collection God Isn't Here Today won the 2023 ReLit Award for short fiction.[5]
Publications[edit]
Anthology contributor[edit]
- Boobs: Women Explore What It Means to Have Breasts, published March 15, 2016 by Caitlin Press Inc.
- "To plant life (all)" in Watch Your Head, published 2020 by Coach House Books[6]
- "Still, Small Voice" in The Best Canadian Essays 2017, published by TightRope Books
- "A conversation with a massage therapist" in #NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women, published 2017 by Annick Press
- "How to teach hard topics: The Native Youth Program and Indian Residential Schools as a case study" in Transforming Our Practices: Indigenous Art, Pedagogies, and Philosophies, published in 2017 by The National Art Education Association
Artwork[edit]
- "Language," Red Rising Magazine (2018)
- Kimiwan Magazine (2013)
Books[edit]
- On/Me, published January 21, 2020 by Caitlin Press Inc.
- God Isn't Here Today, published May 10, 2022 by Invisible Publishing[7]
Poetry[edit]
- Room Magazine: Indigenous Brilliance (2021)[8]
- Room Magazine: Growing Room (2021)[9]
- "I miss the smell of cooking," Koffler Digital: A Matter of Taste exhibition (2021)[10]
- "Coven, A Spell to Bring My Mom Back From The Dead," Poetry is Dead (2018)
- "Caged," Word and Colour (2017)[11]
- "Star Matter," Red Rising Magazine (2017)
- "Whales Can't save us all but they try," Word and Colour (2017)[12]
- "Through Ribs and Things, Build up, Untitled," The This Magazine (2017)[13]
- "Water is Spirit Love Medicine Balance" in Gatherings: Water Anthology published by Theytus Press (2016)
- "Resistance," Word and Colour (2016)[14]
- "A Conversation With a Massage Therapist," The Maynard (2016)[15]
- "For Your Darkness, Storyteller," Echolocation Magazine (2015)
- "A selection of four poems," Hamilton Arts and Letters (2015)[16]
- "The Road," The Ubyssey (2010)
Short creative nonfiction[edit]
- "Half-Breed," The New Quarterly (2019)[17]
- Edna Staebler Personal Essay Contest Shortlist
- "Transcendence," The Quebec Writers Federation (2017)[18]
- "Still, Small Voice," The Malahat Review (2016)[19]
Short fiction[edit]
- "God Isn't Here Today," Humber Literary Review (Spring/Summer 2021)[20]
- "Asleep Till You're Awake," The Malahat Review (2020)[21]
- "Starting A Religion," Grain Magazine (2018)[22]
- Short Grain Contest: 1st Place Winner
- "Complex 2675: Issue One," Joyland Magazine (2017)[23]
- "Last," In Shades Magazine (2017)[24]
- "Secrets like Lead," Litro Magazine (2016)[25]
- "Nanosim#694" (Twitter fiction)[26]
- "The Places In-Between," The Quilliad Magazine (2015)
- "Pornorama," The Puritan (2015)[27]
- "Slips," Active Fiction Project, a chose your own adventure story on the streets of Vancouver (2015)[28]
Other[edit]
- THAT'S AWSM Teen Reality TV show airing on APTN (Television) (2018)[29][30][31][32][33][34]
- "The Berg," Telus StoryHive (Web-Series)(2017)[35]
- Winner 10K Web-Series Edition
- Royal BC Museum, Seeing the Museum Through an Indigenous Lens: Spring Issue, Curious Magazine (Guest Editor)(2017)
- International Innovation Pedagogy in a Digital World. Research summary from Citizens of Tomorrow team. (Article) (2016)
- "Birdie," Prism Literary Magazine (Book Review)(2016)[36]
- "Faerie," Prism Literary Magazine (Book Review)(2016)[37]
- "Author Note," The Town Crier (Non-Fiction) (2016)[38]
- Nineteen Questions, Interview With Author Lee Maracle. (Interview) (2014)
- "Who I (really) am: An exploration of Urban Aboriginal Identity through short film," The Canadian Art Teacher Journal (2014)
- Mixed Tribes zine with some Aboriginal youth at The Museum of Anthropology (2013)[39]
- A Piece of Me with The Native Youth Program at The Museum of Anthropology (2011)[40]
Awards[edit]
| Year | Award | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Our Story: Aboriginal Arts and Writing Challenge | "2822" | Second Place | [1] |
| 2017 | Hnatyshyn Foundation: REVEAL Indigenous Art Awards | Winner | [42] | |
| Telus StoryHive's 10K Web-Series Edition | "The Berg" | Winner | [35] | |
| 2018 | Grain Magazine: Short Grain Contest | "Starting A Religion" | Winner | |
| 2019 | Indigenous Voices Award, Unpublished Prose Category | Teenage Asylums | Winner | |
| The Malahat Review's Far Horizon's Fiction Award | "Glitter Like Herpes" | Shortlist | ||
| The New Quarterly's Edna Staebler Personal Essay Contest | "Half-Breed" | Shortlist | ||
| 2020 | BC and Yukon Book Prize, Jim Deva Prize for Writing that Provokes | On/Me | Nominated | |
| CV2 Lina Chartrand Poetry Award | "Blood Quantum" | Winner | ||
| Indigenous Voices Award | On/Me | Nominated | ||
| 2021 | The Malahat Review's Fiction Open Season Award | "Late Nights Over Mayo" | Shortlist | |
| 2023 | Carol Shields Prize for Fiction | God Isn't Here Today | Longlist | [43] |
| ReLit Award | Winner | [5] |
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Indigenous Arts & Stories - 2822". Our Story. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ a b "Award winning Indigenous writer". FrancineCunningham. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ a b c d "Francine Cunningham". Goodreads. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ Cunningham, Francine (April 25, 2016). "Author Note: Francine Cunningham". The Puritan. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ a b "2023 ReLit Awards winners announced". Quill & Quire, October 2, 2023.
- ^ "ART + POETRY: FRANCINE CUNNINGHAM". WATCH YOUR HEAD. 2019-11-21. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ God Isn't Here Today
- ^ "Indigenous Brilliance". Room. 44 (3).
- ^ "Growing Room". Room Magazine. 44 (1). 2021.
- ^ "A Matter of Taste Chapter I." Koffler.Digital. 2020-08-18. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ ""Caged" – Francine Cunningham". Word and Colour. 2017-08-02. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ "New Poetry by Francine Cunningham: "Whales can't save us all—but they try"". Word and Colour. 2017-04-19. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ "thethismagazine.com". The This Magazine. Archived from the original on 2021-10-21. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ "New poem, "Resistance," by Francine Cunningham". Word and Colour. 2016-11-09. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ Cunningham, Francine (Spring 2016). ""A conversation with a massage therapist"". The Maynard. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ "HA&L Biographical Sketch • Francine Cunningham". HA&L Magazine. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ Cunningham, Francine. "Half-Breed". The New Quarterly (150).
- ^ "Transcendence—by Francine Cunningham". QWF Writes. 2017-07-21. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ "The Malahat Review Issue 195". The Malahat Review. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ Cunningham, Francine (Spring 2021). "God Isn't Here". The Humber Literary Review. 9 (1): 4–7.
- ^ Cunningham, Francine (Fall 2020). "Francine Cunningham, "Asleep Till You're Awake"". The Malahat Review (212).
- ^ "2018 Short Grain Winners Announced!". Grain Magazine. August 6, 2018. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ "Complex 2675: Issue One | JOYLAND". Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ "Last". In Shades Magazine. Archived from the original on 2021-10-21. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ Cunningham, Francine (2016-10-28). "Litro #157: Nightmares: Secrets like Lead". Litro Magazine. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ "#694". Nanoism: A place for twitter-fiction. 2021-10-06. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ "Francine Cunningham | Pornorama | The Puritan Issue 30: Summer 2015". THE PURITAN. 2015-09-01. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ "Writers". Active Fiction Project. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ "Zipline". That's AWSM!. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ "Surfing". That's AWSM!. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ "Motocross". That's AWSM!. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ "Flyboard". That's AWSM!. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ "That's AWSM! Paragliding". That's AWSM!. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ "Helicopter". That's AWSM!. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ a b "The Berg: 2017 Web Series". Story Hive. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ "An Invitation To A Ceremony of Healing: Tracey Lindberg's "Birdie"". PRISM international. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ "Eisha Marjara Tackles Tough Issues Head On: A Review of "Faerie"". PRISM international. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ Cunningham, Francine (2016-04-25). "Puritan Author on Writing Short Fiction". the Town Crier. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ "Digital Zine Making: NYP | Citizens of Tomorrow". Citizens of Tomorrow. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ "A Piece of Me". iPortal: Indigenous Studies Search Tool. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ "WRITING". Francine Cunningham. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ "Indigenous Awards | The Hnatyshyn Foundation". RJHF. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
- ^ Deborah Dundas, "5 Canadians nominated for first Carol Shields Prize for Fiction for women and non-binary writers, worth $150,000 (U.S.)". Toronto Star, March 8. 2023.
External links[edit]
- Official website
- Process & Possibility: Brandon Teigland in Conversation with Francine Cunningham
- Uplift the Craft: Stephen Leckie in Conversation with Francine Cunningham
- Author Note: Francine Cunningham
- Indigenous Women, Two Spirit, & Indigiqueer Writers to Read
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