Ontario Celebrates Six Young Aboriginal Writers
Young Aboriginal Writers Receive James Bartleman Award
Ontario is honouring six young Aboriginal writers from across the province for writing outstanding stories that celebrate their cultures.
The James Bartleman Aboriginal Youth Creative Writing Award celebrates Aboriginal youth for their creative writing efforts and provides an opportunity for them to showcase their work to a broader audience. The 2014 award recipients are:
- Brooklyne Amyot for her poem that compares Canada to a playground.
- Natalie Court for her poem about the beauty in what we often call our flaws.
- Krista Lee for her essay on multiculturalism in Canadian society and the role of Aboriginal peoples.
- Anawahs Migwans for her story about a girl born with one blue eye and one brown eye (click here for MPP Michael Mantha’s recent column which includes a photo of Anawahs).
- Steven Okeese for his short story about same-sex relationships and the struggle for acceptance from family.
- Jada Sofea for her essay on hope in her community of Webequie.
Honouring the diversity and talents of young Ontarians supports the government’s economic plan for Ontario. The four part plan is building Ontario up by investing in people’s talents and skills, building new public infrastructure like roads and transit, creating a dynamic, supportive environment where business thrives and building a secure retirement savings plan so everyone can afford to retire.
QUICK FACTS
- The Honourable James K. Bartleman was Ontario’s 27th Lieutenant Governor and Ontario’s first Aboriginal Lieutenant Governor. He implemented four literacy initiatives for Aboriginal youth across Ontario during his time in office.
- Since its creation in 2008, 42 Aboriginal youth have been honoured with a James Bartleman Aboriginal Youth Creative Writing Award.
- Nominations are now open for next year’s awards. The closing date for submissions is May 31, 2015.
- Eligible participants must be 18 years of age or younger at the time they submitted an entry, enrolled in an Ontario school, self-identify as an Aboriginal person, and be a permanent resident of Ontario.
