Lisa Bird-Wilson
Lisa Bird-Wilson is a Métis and nêhiyaw writer from Saskatchewan.
Biography
A survivor of the Sixties Scoop, as a child Bird-Wilson was adopted, disconnecting her from her Cree and Métis heritage. This experience informs much of her writing.Bird-Wilson's debut collection of short stories, Just Pretending, was chosen as the Saskatchewan Library Association's 2019 One Book One Province. The book won four Saskatchewan Book Awards, and was a finalist for the 2014 Danuta Gleed Literary Award. Reviewing the stories for The /tƐmz/ Review, Amy Mitchell says "the stories and characters are so alive, and the writing is so beautiful in its stripped-down simplicity."
She has also published poetry and non-fiction books.
, Bird-Wilson is CEO of the Gabriel Dumont Institute, the education arm of the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan. She is also a founding board member and chair of the Ânskohk Aboriginal Writers' Circle and founding president of the Saskatchewan Aboriginal Literacy Network.
Awards
;2014- Shortlisted for the Danuta Gleed Literary Award for Just Pretending
- University of Regina Book of the Year for Just Pretending
- SaskPower Fiction Award for Just Pretending
- Rasmussen, Rasmussen & Charowsky Aboriginal Peoples' Writing Award for Just Pretending
- First Nations University of Canada Aboriginal Peoples' Publishing Award for Just Pretending
- YWCA Women of Distinction Award for Arts, Culture or Heritage
- John Hodgin's Founder Award for short story "Counselling"
- Saskatchewan Arts Board, RBC Emerging Artist Award
- Silver Medal, Column, National Magazine Awards for "Clowns, Cake, Canoes: This is Canada?"
- Shortlisted for the Amazon.ca First Novel Award for Probably Ruby
- Finalist for the 2022 Governor General's Award for English Fiction for "Probably Ruby"; 2022