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 is nominated for a 2021 City of Vancouver Book Award.[2]
Personal life[]
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[]
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]
Publications[]
Anthology contributor[]
- Boobs: Women Explore What It Means to Have Breasts, published March 15, 2016 by
- "To plant life (all)" in Watch Your Head, published 2020 by Coach House Books[5]
- "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
Artwork[]
- "Language," (2018)
- (2013)
Books[]
- On/Me, published January 21, 2020 by
- God Isn't Here Today, expected to be published May 10, 2022 by [6]
Poetry[]
- Room Magazine: Indigenous Brilliance (2021)[7]
- Room Magazine: Growing Room (2021)[8]
- "I miss the smell of cooking," : A Matter of Taste exhibition (2021)[9]
- "Coven, A Spell to Bring My Mom Back From The Dead," (2018)
- "Caged," (2017)[10]
- "Star Matter," (2017)
- "Whales Can't save us all but they try," (2017)[11]
- "Through Ribs and Things, Build up, Untitled," (2017)[12]
- "Water is Spirit Love Medicine Balance" in published by (2016)
- "Resistance," (2016)[13]
- "A Conversation With a Massage Therapist," (2016)[14]
- "For Your Darkness, Storyteller," (2015)
- "A selection of four poems," (2015)[15]
- "The Road," The Ubyssey (2010)
Short creative nonfiction[]
- "Half-Breed," The New Quarterly (2019)[16]
- Edna Staebler Personal Essay Contest Shortlist
- "Transcendence," (2017)[17]
- "Still, Small Voice," The Malahat Review (2016)[18]
Short fiction[]
- "God Isn't Here Today," (Spring/Summer 2021)[19]
- "Asleep Till You're Awake," The Malahat Review (2020)[20]
- "Starting A Religion," Grain Magazine (2018)[21]
- Short Grain Contest: 1st Place Winner
- "Complex 2675: Issue One," (2017)[22]
- "Last," (2017)[23]
- "Secrets like Lead," (2016)[24]
- "Nanosim#694" (Twitter fiction)[25]
- "The Places In-Between," (2015)
- "Pornorama," (2015)[26]
- "Slips," Active Fiction Project, a chose your own adventure story on the streets of Vancouver (2015)[27]
Other[]
- Teen Reality TV show airing on APTN (Television) (2018)[28][29][30][31][32][33]
- "The Berg," (Web-Series)(2017)[34]
- Winner 10K Web-Series Edition
- Royal BC Museum, Seeing the Museum Through an Indigenous Lens: Spring Issue, (Guest Editor)(2017)
- International Innovation Pedagogy in a Digital World. Research summary from Citizens of Tomorrow team. (Article) (2016)
- "Birdie," (Book Review)(2016)[35]
- "Faerie," (Book Review)(2016)[36]
- "Author Note," (Non-Fiction) (2016)[37]
- Nineteen Questions, Interview With Author Lee Maracle. (Interview) (2014)
- "Who I (really) am: An exploration of Urban Aboriginal Identity through short film," (2014)
- Mixed Tribes zine with some Aboriginal youth at (2013)[38]
- A Piece of Me with at (2011)[39]
Awards[]
Year | Award | Work | Result | Ref. |
---|---|---|---|---|
2014 | "2822" | Second Place | [1] | |
2017 | Hnatyshyn Foundation: REVEAL Indigenous Art Awards | Winner | [41] | |
's 10K Web-Series Edition | "The Berg" | Winner | [34] | |
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 | |
"Blood Quantum" | Winner | |||
Indigenous Voices Award | On/Me | Nominated | ||
2021 | The Malahat Review's Fiction Open Season Award | "Late Nights Over Mayo" | Shortlist |
References[]
- ^ a b "Indigenous Arts & Stories - 2822". Our Story. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b "Award winning Indigenous writer". FrancineCunningham. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ a b c d "Francine Cunningham". Goodreads. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Cunningham, Francine (April 25, 2016). "Author Note: Francine Cunningham". The Puritan. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "ART + POETRY: FRANCINE CUNNINGHAM". WATCH YOUR HEAD. 2019-11-21. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "66 works of Canadian fiction to watch for in spring 2022". CBC Books, January 11, 2022.
- ^ "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.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "New Poetry by Francine Cunningham: "Whales can't save us all—but they try"". Word and Colour. 2017-04-19. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "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.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ Cunningham, Francine (Spring 2016). ""A conversation with a massage therapist"". The Maynard. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "HA&L Biographical Sketch • Francine Cunningham". HA&L Magazine. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ 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.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ 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.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "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.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "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.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "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.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "A Piece of Me". iPortal: Indigenous Studies Search Tool. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "WRITING". Francine Cunningham. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link) - ^ "Indigenous Awards | The Hnatyshyn Foundation". RJHF. Retrieved 2021-10-21.
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: CS1 maint: url-status (link)
External links[]
- 1985 births
- Living people
- University of British Columbia alumni
- Writers from Calgary
- Writers from Vancouver
- Cree people
- Canadian Métis people