Warren Cariou facts for kids

Warren Cariou is a Canadian writer and a professor of English at the University of Manitoba. He is known for his books, especially Lake of the Prairies, and for his work with films and unique photography.

About Warren Cariou

Warren Cariou grew up on a farm near Meadow Lake, Saskatchewan. This place is described in his book Lake of the Prairies. He has worked in different jobs, including construction and as a political advisor.

He studied at the University of Saskatchewan, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree. He then went to the University of Toronto and received both a Master of Arts and a PhD in English.

Today, he teaches Indigenous literature at the University of Manitoba. He is also the director of the Centre for Creative Writing and Oral Culture. Warren Cariou is married to Alison Calder, who is also a poet and literature professor.

His Books

In 1999, Warren Cariou published his first book, a collection of short stories called The Exalted Company of Roadside Martyrs.

His memoir, Lake of the Prairies, came out in 2002. This book helped him reach a wider audience. It won the 2002 Drainie-Taylor Biography Prize. It was also considered for the 2004 Charles Taylor Prize.

Warren Cariou has also had short stories published in other collections. One of his stories won a CBC Literary Competition Prize in 1991. He is currently working on a novel called Exhaust.

Films and Photography

Warren Cariou has also worked on documentary films. In 2009, he co-created two documentaries with Neil McArthur. These films are called Overburden and Land of Oil and Water. They explore how the production of tar sands affects Indigenous communities in Saskatchewan and Alberta.

After making these films, Cariou started a unique type of photography. He uses a heavy oil product called bitumen, which comes from the tar sands. He combines this material with sunlight to create images. He calls this process "petrography." It's a way to make art while also drawing attention to environmental issues. He developed this method with help from Dr. Dusan Stulik, a scientist at the Getty Conservation Institute.

Awards and Recognition

Warren Cariou has received several honours for his work:

• 2002 Drainie-Taylor Biography Prize for Lake of the Prairies.
• 2005 Greifswald Canadian Studies Fellow in Residence at the University of Greifswald in Germany.