Falen Johnson facts for kids

Falen Johnson is a talented writer and podcaster from Canada. She is a member of the Mohawk and Tuscarora nations.

About Falen Johnson

Falen Johnson was born in 1982. She grew up in Six Nations of the Grand River. This is a large First Nations territory in Ontario. She also spent time in Brantford, Ontario.

She is part of the Bear Clan. This is an important family group in her culture. Falen studied at the George Brown Theatre School. She finished her studies there in 2005. Today, she lives in Toronto.

Falen's Amazing Plays

Falen Johnson is a well-known playwright. This means she writes plays for the theatre. Her plays often explore what it means to be an Indigenous woman today. They also look at how Indigenous people fit into modern society.

Salt Baby

Salt Baby was Falen's first play. It tells the story of an Indigenous woman. She tries to understand the differences between life on a reserve and life in a big city. The play was inspired by Falen's own experiences. She lived in both Six Nations and Brantford.

Two Indians

Two Indians is another play by Falen. It's a dark comedy. This means it's funny but also deals with serious topics. The play shows what it's like to be Indigenous in Canada. In 2021, Two Indians was nominated for a big award. It was a finalist for the Governor General's Award for English-language drama.

Ipperwash

Falen wrote Ipperwash in 2018. This play was created after the Idle No More movement. It is based on a real event. This was the 1995 occupation of the Ipperwash Provincial Park. The play focuses on the strong bond between two cousins. It shows the importance of family ties. Ipperwash was also the first play Falen directed herself. She worked with the Stony Point Ojibway community to create it.

Falen is currently working on a new play. It will be about the life of Shirley Fletcher Horn. Shirley is an artist and a survivor of a residential school.

Podcasting and Radio

Falen Johnson is also a popular podcaster and radio host.

Secret Life of Canada

She co-hosts a podcast called Secret Life of Canada. She works with Leah-Simone Bowen on this show. The podcast explores parts of Canadian history that many people don't know about. It shares stories from different communities in Canada.

Unreserved

In 2020, Falen became the host of Unreserved. This is a news show on CBC Radio. It focuses on Indigenous news and stories.

Awards and Recognition

Falen Johnson has received several awards for her work.

• In 2020, Maclean's Magazine named her one of the "20 people to watch."
• In 2019, she won the Best Audio Work award. This was at the imagineNATIVE Film and Media Arts Festival. She won for her work on the Secret Life of Canada podcast.
• In 2015, the Ontario Arts Council gave her the Emerging Artist Award. This award is part of their Indigenous Arts Award Laureates program.