Richard Van Camp facts for kids

Richard Van Camp (born September 8, 1971) is a talented writer from the Tłı̨chǫ (Dogrib Tłı̨chǫ) Nation, part of the Dene people. He grew up in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Canada. He is well-known for his 1996 book, The Lesser Blessed, which was later made into a movie in 2012.

About Richard Van Camp's Life and Writing

Richard Van Camp studied writing at different schools, including the University of Victoria and the University of British Columbia. He now teaches creative writing, often focusing on Indigenous storytelling. He also works with young people from the Musqueam First Nation, helping them with creative projects.

How Richard Van Camp Started Writing

Richard began his career working on a TV show called North of 60 for the CBC. He helped with the scripts and made sure the cultural details were correct. He has written many books, including collections of short stories. Most of his stories are set in a made-up town called Fort Simmer, which is a lot like his hometown.

He has also written books for children, poetry, and educational graphic novels. He even worked with an organization called the Healthy Aboriginal Network to create and edit graphic novels.

The Power of Storytelling

Richard Van Camp's writing is greatly inspired by the tradition of oral storytelling, which means telling stories by speaking them aloud. He once said that listening to master storytellers helps him learn how to use pauses, slang, and different ways of speaking in his own writing. He studies how people talk, stand, and use their voices, and then he uses those techniques in his stories.

Famous Books and Movies

Richard Van Camp was the first writer from the Dogrib people to publish a novel. He was only 24 when his book The Lesser Blessed came out. It was later turned into a movie in 2012.

One of his short stories, "Dogrib Midnight Runners," was also made into a film called Mohawk Midnight Runners in 2013. This story can be found in his short story collection called The Moon Letting Go (2013). In 2018, his novella When We Play Our Drums, They Sing was published. His short story collection, Moccasin Square Gardens, came out in 2019.

Awards and Recognition

Richard Van Camp has received many awards for his writing. In 2014, he was chosen to be a judge for a special children's literature prize. He also won the R. Ross Arnett Award for Children's Literature for his children's book Little You.

He has won the Georges Bugnet Award for Fiction twice, in 2013 and 2020, for his short story collections Godless but Loyal to Heaven and Moccasin Square Gardens. He has also been a finalist for the ReLit Award for Short Fiction several times.

Richard Van Camp's Family Life

Richard Van Camp's mother is Dogrib, and his father is white. As of 2023, he lives in Edmonton, Canada, with his wife and child.

Awards and Honours

Literary Awards

• 2013 Georges Bugnet Award for Fiction, for Godless but Loyal to Heaven
• 2015 R. Ross Arnett Award for Children's Literature, for Little You
• 2020 Georges Bugnet Award for Fiction, for Moccasin Square Gardens

Other Honours

• 2022 Member of the Order of the Northwest Territories

Richard Van Camp's Books

Novels

• The Lesser Blessed (1996)
• Whistle (2015)

Novella

• When We Play Our Drums, They Sing! (2018)

Short Story Collections

• Angel Wing Splash Pattern (2002)
• Godless but Loyal to Heaven (2013)
• The Moon of Letting Go (2010)
• Night Moves (2015)
• Moccasin Square Gardens (2019)

Short Stories in Anthologies

• "Scariest. Story. Ever." in Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology (2023)

Children's Books

• A Man Called Raven (1997)
• What's the Most Beautiful Thing You Know About Horses? (2003)
• Welcome Song for Baby (2007)
• Blessing Wendy (2008)
• Nighty Night (2012)
• Little You (2013)
• We Sang You Home (2016)
• Kiss by Kiss (2018)
• May We Have Enough to Share (2019)

Graphic Novels

• Path of the Warrior (2010)
• Kiss Me Deadly (2011)
• Three Feathers (2015)
• A Blanket of Butterflies (2015)
• The Blue Raven (2015)
• Spirit (2015)