VPL Picks: Indigenous Queer and Two-Spirit LiteratureLike this list

30 items

• awâsis

  Kinky and Dishevelled

  Halfe, Louise, 1953-

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  A poetry collection inspired by Cree legend of awâsis, a genderbending shapeshifting trickster.

• Bad Cree

  a Novel

  Johns, Jessica

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  In this chilling debut, Mackenzie, a young Cree woman, begins having eerie dreams and encounters strange occurrences like a severed crow’s head. As she returns to her hometown to face her past, she must uncover the truth about her sister…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• A BODY MORE TOLERABLE

  simpson, jaye

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  "a body more tolerable is a collection of powerful and haunting poems combining faerie tales, mythology, and a self-divinized female rage. Divided into three parts, the book examines Indigenous grief, trans identity, and frustrated desires…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Coexistence

  Stories

  Belcourt, Billy-Ray

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  In Billy-Ray Belcourt's short story collection, various characters from Indigenous backgrounds navigate themes of grief, love, freedom, and haunting, offering philosophical insights and poetic perspectives that celebrate Indigenous…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Disintegrate/dissociate

  Poems

  Twist, Arielle, 1994-

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  This debut collection from Arielle Twist, an East-coast based Cree, Two-Spirit poet and educator, has garnered a lot of interest and enthusiasm. Each poem dives deep into the nature of human relationships.

• Empty Spaces

  Abel, Jordan, 1985-

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  "Engaging the land through fiction and metaphor, the successive chapters of Empty Spaces move toward an eerie, looping, and atmospheric rendering of place that evolves despite the violent and reckless histories of North America." --…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Fire Song

  Jones, Adam Garnet

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  "Fire Song" explores how a community that fears the future looks to the past for guidance and comfort. Shane must reconcile his feelings for his best friend David while he struggles with the aftermath of his sister's death by suicide.

• Fireweed

  Redvers, T'áncháy

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  Fireweed is a collection of poetry that explores the rawness, trauma, and realities of adolescence compounded with the experience of being a young, Indigenous, and two-spirit intergenerational residential school survivor.

• A Generous Spirit

  Selected Work by Beth Brant

  Brant, Beth, 1941-2015

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  This is a collection of selected works by Beth Brant. This book is seen as Brant's "survival and empathy at the intersection of Native American and lesbian experience."

• Ghost Lake

  Adler, Nathan Niigan Noodin

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  Adler follows his debut horror novel (Wrist, published 2016) with an award winning short story collection, Ghost Lake. The interconnected 13 stories are set in the same world as Wrist and are inspired by traditional Ojibwe stories.

• Green Fuse Burning

  Morris, Tiffany

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  "Morris quietly dazzles and disquiets in this weird horror novella … Poetic and grotesque imagery drives the novella’s horror, with fluid narration fostering a sense of disconnect and dread …" -- Publishers Weekly

• Kiskajeyi

  I Am Ready

  Sylliboy, Michelle, 1968-

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  Mi'kmaq artist and writer, Michelle Sylliboy blends her modern poetry, photography, and Mi'kmaq hieroglyphic poetry together" in this book of poetry.

• Kiss of the Fur Queen

  Highway, Tomson, 1951-

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  This semi-autobiographical novel follows two Northern Cree boys who are taken from their families and placed in a residential school where all aspects of their language and culture are forbidden. The brothers find salvation through music…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Kynship

  Justice, Daniel Heath

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  The first in a fantasy trilogy, "The Way of Thorn and Thunder", offers up a richly detailed ‘other world’ reminiscent of Tolkien’s middle-earth while immersed in the author’s Indigenous heritage, belief systems, and mythology. When…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Love After the End

  An Anthology of Two-spirit & Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction

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  This exciting and groundbreaking fiction anthology showcases a number of new and emerging 2SQ (Two-Spirit and queer) Indigenous writers from across Turtle Island.

• Nîtisânak

  Morgan, Jas M., 1987-

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  Winner of the Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBTQ Emerging Writers. From the Jury: "Their transformative memoir, nîtisânak, uplifts non-linear narration, poetic prose, and intertextual dialogue and will surely be discussed and beloved for many,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Love Beyond Body, Space, and Time

  An Indigenous LGBT Sci-fi Anthology

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  "Love Beyond, Body, Space, and Time" is a collection of Indigenous science fiction and fantasy stories featuring LGBTQ2S+ characters, exploring themes of love, self-discovery, and connection across time and space.

• Màgòdiz

  Calderón, Gabe

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  In “Magodiz”, a ruined world is controlled by the Madjideye, a dark spiritual force. Survivors like A'tugwewinu and her lover Bel fight to share forgotten stories and rebuild their lives. As they face enemies and discover new bonds, they…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Maiden, Mother, Crone

  Fantastical Trans Femmes

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  Curated by Gwen Benaway, this collection of fantastical short stories by trans women and trans feminine writers features powerful heroines and magical worlds, promising an enchanting journey into realms of wonder and empowerment.

• Making Love With the Land

  Essays

  Whitehead, Joshua (Writer)

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  Joshua Whitehead explores what it means to live as a queer Indigenous person in relationship to the land, and how the land has shaped our thoughts, histories, identities, and bodies.