Rosanna Deerchild facts for kids

Rosanna Deerchild is a talented Canadian Cree writer, poet, and radio host. She is well-known for hosting the radio show Unreserved on CBC Radio One. This show shared music, cultures, and stories from Indigenous people across Canada. She hosted it from 2014 to 2020.

Besides Unreserved, Rosanna has hosted other shows for CBC Radio One, like "The (204)" and the "Weekend Morning Show". She also appeared on CBC Radio's DNTO. Her work has been seen on other media networks too, such as APTN, Global Television Network, and Native Communications (NCI-FM).

Rosanna Deerchild was born in South Indian Lake, Manitoba, which is now called O-Pipon-Na-Piwin Cree Nation. Today, she lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In 2018, she achieved a special dream: she was an emcee (a host) at a powwow, which is a traditional Indigenous gathering.

In 2020, Rosanna left Unreserved to host a new podcast series for the CBC. This podcast focuses on Indigenous history. Another host, Falen Johnson, took over Unreserved. In 2022, Rosanna also started her first acting role. She played a recurring character in the TV comedy show Acting Good.

Rosanna Deerchild's Writing Career

Rosanna Deerchild's poems have been featured in several literary magazines. These include Prairie Fire and CV2. Her writing has also been included in various collections of works by different authors. Some of these collections are Post-prairie: An Anthology of New Poetry (2005), Strong Women Stories: Native Vision and Community Survival (2003), and #NotYourPrincess (2017).

She helped start the Aboriginal Writers Collective in 1999 and is still a member. This group of writers from Manitoba has published two collections of their work: urban kool and Bone Memory. They also released a live spoken word CD called Red City. Rosanna has performed live comedy and written book reviews for the Winnipeg Free Press newspaper.

Her First Book: This is a Small Northern Town

Rosanna's first book, This is a Small Northern Town, is a collection of poems. It explores life in a small town in the north. The poems look at how the town was divided by race and how families kept long-held secrets.

Her Second Book: Calling Down the Sky

Her second book, Calling Down the Sky, is a very personal story. It is about Canada's Indigenous Residential Schools. This book came from a healing journey that lasted several years. It shares the story of Rosanna's own mother and her struggles. Her mother was a survivor of residential schools, and the book shows how these experiences affected generations. In 2016, this book won the Lowther Memorial award.

Contributions to Other Books

Rosanna Deerchild also helped write and edit a book about women's health and experiences. More than 100 female and non-binary writers contributed to this book, including Rosanna. She was one of three editors for the project.

In 2009, Rosanna Deerchild received an award for her poetry. She won the Aqua Books Lansdowne Prize for Poetry for her book this is a small northern town. Rosanna and her mother, Edna Ferguson, also wrote a poetry book together. This book was about her mother's experiences in residential school.

Rosanna Deerchild's Activism and Advocacy

In 2015, Rosanna Deerchild appeared on the cover of Maclean's Magazine. The magazine called Winnipeg Canada's most racist city. It featured many Indigenous voices who had experienced racism. Rosanna was quoted on the cover saying, "They call me a stupid squaw, or tell me to go back to the rez."

After the magazine was released, Rosanna often spoke about racism. She also talked about how people viewed Indigenous life in Winnipeg. Brian Bowman, who was the mayor of Winnipeg in 2015, agreed that racism was a problem in the city. He encouraged the community to work together to end racism.