Indigenous writers are in great demand in Canada. Readers and publishers are making Indigenous writing and Indigenous voices the crest of an exciting new wave in Canadian literature.
And perhaps none of these writers is in more demand, suddenly, than Joshua Whitehead.
Whitehead is a Canadian First Nations Two Spirit poet and novelist originally from Winnipeg. The Oji-Cree member of the Peguis First Nation is an assistant professor at the University of Calgary. He has gained national prominence with his studies and writings focusing on Indigenous literature and cultures with a focus on gender and sexuality. He has won numerous awards for his writing. His debut novel, “Johnny Appleseed,” won the 2021 Canada Reads competition.
Whitehead now has a new book out, published by Athabasca University Press. “Indigiqueerness: A Conversation About Storytelling,” was created through a long interview between Whitehead and Fernie writer and journalist Angie Abdou.
Abdou, herself the author of numerous acclaimed fiction and non-fiction works, said that Canadians are paying a lot more attention to aboriginal literature these days.
“Everybody wants to hear from those voices, and diversity is really high on the agenda for a publisher,” Abdou said. “It’s wonderful, all those stories are getting out that have not had as much space as previously.
“What’s happening, though, is that Indigenous writers are really in demand in a way that’s kind of overwhelming. Someone like Joshua Whitehead, he’s being pulled in a million different directions. Everybody wants him to write something, speak somewhere, appear somewhere — he’s busy!”
Whitehead was also writer-in-residence for Athabasca University. And Abdou sits on the Writer-in-Residence committee.
Abdou said that Athabasca University Press’s plan is to do a book with every writer-in-residence. The first one was with Steven Heighton, who write “The Virtues of Disillusionment” in 2022.
A book from Joshua Whitehead was to be the second such publication.
“Knowing how busy he was, I thought that this is too much to ask of him,” Abdou said. “So I thought of a way we could collaborate and do a book together. Just have a conversation, which could then be shaped into a book.”
This is the first time Abdou herself has appeared in a book in this format, as an interviewer. But she is an adept interviewer of writers. She does it regularly at Fernie book events, at the Vancouver Writers Festival, the St. Albert Writers Festival, Calgary Word Fest, and other literary events.
“Out of all the jobs that I do, interviewing writers is maybe my favourite one. I just love getting a chance to ask someone deep questions. Especially about writing. I love everything about books, so if I get a chance to really dig into someone’s process, what they’re trying to do as a writer, I find that super interesting.
“It is a big part of my professional life, doing it at festivals around the country,” she said. “But I’ve never done it as a written form. It’s such a natural fit, it made me wonder why I hadn’t done it. I would love to do it in a series — this kind of work.”
Abdou and Whitehead conducted one long interview, that was subsequently transcribed and divided into thematic chapters, to make it more reader friendly. Abdou’s questions were preserved in the book’s layout, and it has a real dialogue feel, she said.
“To me it’s like two friends having a great conversation over tea — it’s very colloquial and readable, and he has a sense of humour that really comes through in his answers.”
There is great interest in Whitehead and his work, and there are lots of things people want to know about him, and his process, and where he came from, Abdou said.
The book deals with Joshua’s life story, his process, and how his relationship to literature has evolved. “Growing up as an introverted kid who found solace in books, and how, not having grown up on a reserve, he felt out of place in both reserve and city. A really wide-ranging conversation.
“There’s a lot about what storytelling meant to him when he was young, how he got into writing, what books meant to him as a child, and how that turned into the success he is now. Why he started to use the Cree language, whether or not he translates, why is that important — it was really a fun, deep conversation.
“It would be very inspiring to people who would like to write, but also people interested in Indigenous culture, and people who are fans of Joshua’s other work and want to learn more about him.”
“Indigiqueerness: A Conversation About Storytelling,” is available through bookstore order, and via Athabasca University Press.
“Athabasca is an open access university, with an open access press,” Abdou said. “You can go to the website and download it for free, but “the thing about this book is that it’s such a beautiful art object that people will want to have it in their hands.”
Abdou and Whitehead will be appearing at a book event at Calgary’s Shelf Life at the end of June. Whitehead will be in Fernie for an appearance in the near future.