Sandra Birdsell facts for kids

Sandra Louise Birdsell, a member of the Order of Canada (CM), was born on April 22, 1942. She is a Canadian writer who creates novels and short stories. Sandra has a special background, being part Métis and part Mennonite. She grew up in Morris, Manitoba.

About Sandra Birdsell

Sandra Birdsell was born in Hamiota, Manitoba. She was the fifth of eleven children in her family. When she was very young, her family moved to Morris. This is where she spent most of her childhood.

Her father was a French-speaking Cree Métis person from Canada. Her mother was a Low-German speaking Mennonite from Russia. When Sandra was six years old, her sister passed away from leukemia. This made her feel lonely, and she often spent time alone. She would go to nearby parks and rivers, letting her imagination grow wild.

Her hometown of Morris had a big flood in 1950. Sandra's first three stories in her book Night Travellers are based on this flood. She left home when she was fifteen. Later, she studied at the University of Winnipeg and the University of Manitoba.

In 1996, Sandra moved to Regina, Saskatchewan. Today, she lives in Ottawa, Ontario.

When Sandra was thirty-five, she started studying Creative Writing at the University of Winnipeg. Five years later, her first book, Night Travellers, was published.

In 2007, Sandra was a writer-in-residence at the University of Winnipeg for four months. This means she helped and taught other writers there. In 2010, she was made a Member of the Order of Canada. This is a very high honour for Canadians. In 2012, she also received the Saskatchewan Order of Merit.

Sandra is a mother to three children. She is also a grandmother to four children.

Awards and Honours

Sandra Birdsell has received many important awards for her writing. These awards show how much her stories are loved and respected.

Major Awards

• 1984: Gerald Lampert Award for Night Travellers.
• 1990: Books in Canada First Novel Award for her novel The Missing Child.
• 1992: Shortlisted for the Governor General's Award for English-language fiction for The Chrome Suite. This is one of Canada's biggest book awards.
• 1993: Marian Engel Award. This award celebrates a talented woman writer in the middle of her career.
• 1997: Shortlisted for the Governor General's Award for Fiction for The Two-Headed Calf.
• 1997: Shortlisted for the Silver Birch Award. This award is chosen by young readers! She also won the Saskatchewan Children's Literature Award for The Town That Floated Away.
• 2001: Shortlisted for the Giller Prize for The Russländer. The Giller Prize is another very important Canadian literary award.
• 2001: Won Saskatchewan Book of the Year, Best Saskatchewan Fiction, and City of Regina awards for The Russländer.
• 2007: Longlisted for the International Dublin Literary Award for Children of the Day.
• 2007: Won the Saskatchewan Best Fiction Award for Children of the Day.
• 2010: Shortlisted for the Governor General's Award for English fiction for Waiting for Joe.
• She also received a Juno Award nomination for her radio play, The Town That Floated Away.

Other Recognitions

• The Joseph S. Stauffer Prize from The Canadian Council in 1992. This was for her great achievements in the arts.
• Nominated for a National Magazine Award for her short fiction.
• Received the 45 Below Award from The Canadian Book Information Center. She was chosen as one of ten promising writers under the age of 45.
• Awarded writing grants from The Manitoba Arts Council, The Canadian Council, and the Saskatchewan Arts Board. These grants help writers focus on their work.
• Nominee for the 2010 Saskatchewan Book Award Shortlists: Fiction Award for Waiting for Joe.