Joshua Whitehead facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Joshua Whitehead
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| Born | 5 January 1989  Canada (Canada)
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| Occupation | Novelist, academic, poet, LGBT rights activist |
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Joshua Whitehead is a talented writer from Canada. He is a member of the First Nations, which are the original peoples of Canada. He is also known as a two spirit person, a special term used by some Indigenous cultures. Joshua writes amazing poems and novels.
He is from the Oji-Cree people and is a member of the Peguis First Nation in Manitoba. Joshua started writing and publishing poetry when he was studying at the University of Winnipeg.
Contents
Joshua Whitehead's Early Career
Joshua Whitehead began his writing journey while attending university. He showed a strong talent for poetry from the start. His early works helped him become known in the literary world.
Studying Indigenous Literature
After his undergraduate studies, Joshua went on to study Indigenous literature at the University of Calgary. This is where he focused on stories and writings from Indigenous peoples. This deep dive into his heritage helped shape his unique writing style.
First Poetry Collection
In 2017, a publishing company called Talonbooks released Joshua's first collection of poems. It was titled Full-Metal Indigiqueer. This book was very important because it explored themes of Indigenous identity and being two-spirit.
Award Recognition and Identity
Full-Metal Indigiqueer was nominated for a Lambda Literary Award in 2018. These awards celebrate LGBTQ+ literature. Joshua later decided to withdraw his book from the "Transgender Poetry" category. He explained that he identifies as two-spirit, which is different from being transgender. This was an important step for him to clarify his identity.
His Famous Novel: Jonny Appleseed
Joshua Whitehead's first novel, Jonny Appleseed, was published in 2018 by Arsenal Pulp Press. This book quickly became very popular and received many awards. It tells a powerful story that connects with many readers.
Awards for Jonny Appleseed
Jonny Appleseed was recognized with several major awards and nominations:
- In 2018, Joshua was a finalist for the Dayne Ogilvie Prize, which honors Canadian LGBTQ writers.
- The book was also longlisted for the 2018 Scotiabank Giller Prize, one of Canada's biggest literary awards.
- It was a finalist for the Governor General's Award for English-language fiction at the 2018 Governor General's Awards.
- In 2019, it was a finalist for the Amazon.ca First Novel Award.
- The book won the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction at the 31st Lambda Literary Awards.
- In 2021, Jonny Appleseed won the Canada Reads competition. This is a national book debate where famous Canadians champion a book. The book was championed by actress Kawennáhere Devery Jacobs.
Editing an Important Anthology
Joshua Whitehead also edited an important book called Love After the End: An Anthology of Two-Spirit and Indigiqueer Speculative Fiction. This book was published in 2020. An anthology is a collection of writings by different authors.
Award-Winning Anthology
This anthology won the Lambda Literary Award for LGBTQ Anthology in 2021 at the 33rd Lambda Literary Awards. It features stories from many talented writers, including Nathan Niigan Noodin Adler, Darcie Little Badger, Gabriel Castilloux Calderon, Adam Garnet Jones, Mari Kurisato, Kai Minosh Pyle, David Alexander Robertson, jaye simpson, and Nazbah Tom. The book explores futuristic and imaginative stories from a two-spirit and Indigiqueer perspective.
