photo of stacks (lower floor)

Canadian Literature & Poetry
in English

Indigenous Literatures

Indigenous Poetry: Anthologies, History & Criticism

Native Poetry in Canada: A Contemporary Anthology Armstrong, Jeannette C., and Lalage Grauer, editors Selection of poems from both critically-acclaimed poets and poets whose work has not previously been published. Represents a record of Native cultural revival as it emerged from the 1960s to 2000 as portrayed in the works of Lee Maracle, Rita Joe, Wayne Keon and many others.
Honouring the Strength of Indian Women: Plays, Stories, Poetry Manuel, Vera, and Coupal, Michelle, et al., editors This critical edition delivers a comprehensive collection of the works of Ktunaxa-Secwepemc writer and educator Vera Manuel, daughter of prominent Indigenous leaders Marceline Paul and George Manuel. A vibrant force in the burgeoning Indigenous theatre scene, Manuel was at the forefront of residential school writing and did groundbreaking work as a dramatherapist and healer. Long before mainstream Canada understood and discussed the impact and devastating legacy of the residential schools, Manuel wrote about it as part of her personal and community healing.
My Home as I Remember Maracle, Lee, and Sandra Laronde, editors An edited anthology comprising poetry, short stories, and artwork created by First Nations, Inuit and Métis women across Canada and the United States, including contributions from New Zealand and Mexico.
Indigenous Poetics in Canada McLeod, Neal, editor Explores a wider sense of poetics, including Indigenous oralities, languages, and understandings of place. It examines four elements of Indigenous poetics: the poetics of memory, performance, place and space, and the poetics of medicine.
The Decolonizing Poetics of Indigenous Literatures Neuhaus, Mareike Neuhaus uncovers residues of ancestral languages found in Indigenous uses of English. She shows how these remainders ground a reading strategy that enables us to approach Indigenous texts as literature, with its own discursive and rhetorical traditions that underpin its cultural and historical contexts.
Shaping a World Already Made: Landscape and Poetry of the Canadian Prairies Tracie, Carl J. Traci, a cultural geographer, explores how reading poetry influences the way we see the Prairies. The book analyzes the texts of Indigenous poets such as Emma LaRocque, Marilyn Dumont, Armand Ruffo, and others.
Avant Canada: Poets, Prophets, Revolutionaries Betts, Gregory, et al., editors A collection of original essays and creative works on a representative array of avant-garde literary movements in Canada from the past fifty years, from the work of Leonard Cohen and bpNichol to that of Jordan Abel and Liz Howard. Also explores intersection of Canadian avant-gardisms and Indigenous decolonization and discusses topics such as the relationship between Canadian and Indigenous literatures, cultural appropriation, gender and the Conceptual Writing movement.
In the Belly of a Laughing God: Humour and Irony in Native Women’s Poetry Andrews, Jennifer Examines how eight contemporary Native women poets in Canada and the United States employ humour and irony to address the intricacies of race, gender, and nationality.

Indigenous Drama & Theatre: Anthologies, History & Criticism

Indian Act: Residential School Plays St. Bernard, Donna-Michelle, editor A collection of works by Indigenous playwrights Drew Hayden Taylor, Tara Beagan, Curtis Peeteetuce, Yvette Nolan, and more. Seven plays by contemporary Indigenous playwrights cover the broad scope of residential school experiences.
Honouring the Strength of Indian Women: Plays, Stories, Poetry Manuel, Vera, and Coupal, Michelle, et al., editors This critical edition delivers a comprehensive collection of the works of Ktunaxa-Secwepemc writer and educator Vera Manuel, daughter of prominent Indigenous leaders Marceline Paul and George Manuel. A vibrant force in the burgeoning Indigenous theatre scene, Manuel was at the forefront of residential school writing and did groundbreaking work as a dramatherapist and healer. Long before mainstream Canada understood and discussed the impact and devastating legacy of the residential schools, Manuel wrote about it as part of her personal and community healing.
Performing Turtle Island: Indigenous Theatre on the World Stage Archibald-Barber, Jesse Rae, et al., editors This book analyzes theatre as a tool for community engagement, education, and resistance, and examines how communities in turn influence the construction of Indigenous identities through theatre.
Indigenous Women’s Theatre in Canada: A Mechanism of Decolonization MacKenzie, Sarah Closely analyzing dramatic texts by Monique Mojica, Marie Clements, and Yvette Nolan, MacKenzie explores representations of gendered colonialist violence in order to determine the varying ways in which these representations are employed subversively and informatively by Indigenous women.
Aboriginal Drama and Theatre Appleford, Robert Examines trickster drama, performance culture, specific plays, and historical heritage of Indigenous theatre and drama in Canada.
Pursued by a Bear: Talks, Monologues, and Tales Moses, Daniel D. Collection of essays about First-Nations Canadian playwrights and authors, which examines how Indigenous stories contribute to the Canadian collective memory.

Major Scholarly Journals

The Canadian Journal of Native Studies vol. 1 (1981)–present Articles, bibliographies, book reviews, and discussions related to all cultural aspects of Indigenous Peoples, including literature. Peer-reviewed.
Canadian Poetry: Studies, Documents, Reviews no. 1 (1977)–present no. 4 (1979)–present Includes articles on the study of poetry Canada from all regions and periods. Peer-reviewed.
Canadian Literature: A Quarterly of Criticism and Review no. 171 (2001)–present no. 1 (1959)–present Includes articles, interviews and commentaries on Canadian writing. Peer-reviewed.
Journal of Canadian Studies vol. 27 (1992)–present vol. 1 (1966)–present Includes articles on a wide range of studies on Canada: literature, arts, architecture, anthropology, community planning, culture, the economy, education, history, Indigenous issues, politics and public affairs, and sociology. Peer-reviewed.

reviewed & updated 11 November 2021 | compiled by Agatha Barc, MI