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Jessica Johns is a Cree writer from Canada, whose debut novel Bad Cree was published in 2023.

Early life and education

Johns is a member of the Sucker Creek First Nation in northern Alberta.[1] She grew up on her traditional territory in Treaty 8. She lived in Adelaide, Australia from ages 14 to 16.[2] Johns majored in English at Grant MacEwan University and has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia.[3]

Career

While she was an MFA student, a creative writing teacher told John's class to never write about dreams. Johns wrote Bad Cree in part as a response to this, advice which Johns disagreed with due to the importance of dreams in Cree culture.[4] It was expanded from her earlier short story of the same name, which won the Journey Prize in 2020.[5]

Bad Cree was published in 2023 by HarperCollins Canada.[6] The novel was a shortlisted finalist for the 2023 Amazon.ca First Novel Award.[7] Bad Cree was selected for the 2024 edition of Canada Reads, where it was defended by Dallas Soonias.[8][9]

Awards and honours

Awards for Johns's writing
Year Title Award Result Ref.
2019 How Not to Spill bpNichol Chapbook Award
2020 "Bad Cree" Journey Prize Winner [5]
2023 Bad Cree Amazon.ca First Novel Award Shortlist [7]
2024 ALA Alex Award Winner [10]
Audie Award for Thriller/Suspense Finalist [11]
CBC Canada Reads Nominee [8][12]
Georges Bugnet Award for Fiction Shortlist [13]

Personal life

Johns divides her time between Edmonton and Vancouver and has a cat named Alfredo.[3]

Publications

  • How Not to Spill. Rahila's Ghost Press. 2018. ISBN 9781775116776.
  • Donaldson, Emily (ed.). "The Bull of Cromdale". Best Canadian Essays 2019. Biblioasis.
  • Jones, Amy; Lau, Doretta; Mutonji, Téa, eds. (2020). "Bad Cree". The Journey Prize Stories 32: The Best of Canada's New Writers. McClelland & Stewart. pp. 67–78. ISBN 9780771050992.
  • Forget, André, ed. (2022). "Good Bones". After Realism: 24 Stories for the 21st Century. Vehicule Press. ISBN 9781550655964.
  • Bad Cree. Doubleday. 2023. ISBN 9780385548694.

References

  1. ^ Bell, Justin (April 18, 2023). "Bookmarks: A dream world from local Cree author Jessica Johns". Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on April 21, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  2. ^ Haynes, Nalini (February 6, 2023). "Jessica Johns on being Cree, Queer, and representation". Dark Matter Zine. Archived from the original on February 26, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Cyca, Michelle (January 5, 2023). "In her debut novel Bad Cree, Jessica Johns has dreamed up a horror story anchored by a Cree matriarchy". Quill and Quire. Archived from the original on June 12, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
  4. ^ Michelle Cyca, "In her debut novel Bad Cree, Jessica Johns has dreamed up a horror story anchored by a Cree matriarchy" Archived June 12, 2023, at the Wayback Machine. Quill & Quire, January 2023.
  5. ^ a b "4 emerging Canadian writers receive $10K prizes from Writers' Trust of Canada". CBC Books. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  6. ^ Justin Bell, "Bookmarks: A dream world from local Cree author Jessica Johns" Archived April 21, 2023, at the Wayback Machine. Edmonton Journal, April 18, 2023.
  7. ^ a b Drudi, Cassandra (May 4, 2023). "Billy-Ray Belcourt, Jessica Johns among 2023 Amazon Canada First Novel finalists". Quill and Quire. Archived from the original on May 20, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  8. ^ a b "Meet the Canada Reads 2024 contenders". CBC. March 1, 2024. Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  9. ^ "Jessica Johns's novel Bad Cree is a story about grief, guilt and healing — read an excerpt now". CBC. January 11, 2023. Archived from the original on February 19, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  10. ^ "YALSA announces 2023 Alex Awards". News and Press Center. ALA American Library Association. January 22, 2024. Archived from the original on February 5, 2024. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
  11. ^ "2024 Audie Award Winners". Audio Publishers Association. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  12. ^ "Dallas Soonias is bringing his A-game to Canada Reads for Jessica John's Bad Cree". CBC. February 26, 2024. Archived from the original on March 21, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  13. ^ "2024 Alberta Literary Awards shortlists". Quill and Quire. April 25, 2024. Archived from the original on April 25, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jessica_Johns