Alicia Elliott (born 1987 or 1988)
is a
Tuscarora writer and editor.
Early life and education
Elliott was born in the United States and moved with her family to the
Six Nations of the Grand River
Six Nations (or Six Nations of the Grand River, french: Réserve des Six Nations, see, Ye:i’ Níónöëdzage:h) is demographically the largest First Nations reserve in Canada. As of the end of 2017, it has a total of 27,276 members, 12,848 of w ...
reserve in
Ontario when she was 13.
Although located in southern Ontario close to major cities, her home, like many others on the reserve, didn't have running water.
She attended high school in the nearby city of
Brantford, graduating in 2005.
Career
Elliott's first paid writing opportunity occurred in 2015 when she wrote an article about band elections for ''
Briarpatch'' magazine titled "The Meaning of Elections for Six Nations".
In 2016,
Leanne Betasamosake Simpson asked Elliott to contribute to the issue of ''
The Malahat Review'' she was editing.
Elliott's essay, "A Mind Spread Out On The Ground", went on to win a
National Magazine Award
The National Magazine Awards, also known as the Ellie Awards, honor print and digital publications that consistently demonstrate superior execution of editorial objectives, innovative techniques, noteworthy enterprise and imaginative design. Or ...
, a prize that Elliot credits with kickstarting her career.
The next year, Elliott was selected by
Tanya Talaga to receive the
RBC Taylor Emerging Writer Award
The RBC Taylor Prize (2000–2020), formerly known as the Charles Taylor Prize, is a Canadian literary award, presented by the Charles Taylor Foundation to the best Canadian work of literary non-fiction. It is named for Charles P. B. Taylor, a n ...
, which includes a cash prize and a mentorship component.
A collection of Elliott's essays, also titled ''A Mind Spread Out On The Ground,'' was published by
Penguin Random House in 2019.
From 2017-2018 she was the Geoffrey and Margaret Andrew Fellow at the
University of British Columbia.
She was selected as the first mentor-in-residence for Canadian feminist literary journal ''Room'' and currently serves as the creative nonfiction editor at ''
The Fiddlehead.''
In addition to her essays, Elliott has written for newspapers and magazines including ''The Globe and Mail'', ''Maclean's'', ''Maisonneuve'', ''Today's Parent'' and ''Reader's Digest''.
Selected works
Short stories
* "Tracks," ''The New Quarterly,'' Winter 2017.
* "Unearth," ''Grain'' issue 44.3, Spring 2017.
Essays
* "On Seeing and Being Seen: The Difference Between Writing With Empathy and Writing With Love," ''Room,'' 2018.
* "A Mind Spread Out On The Ground," ''The Malahat Review'', Winter 2016.
* "The Meaning of Elections for Six Nations," ''Briarpatch,'' 2016.
Awards and honours
* Gold prize at the
National Magazine Awards for "A Mind Spread Out On The Ground" (2017).
*
RBC Taylor Emerging Writer Award
The RBC Taylor Prize (2000–2020), formerly known as the Charles Taylor Prize, is a Canadian literary award, presented by the Charles Taylor Foundation to the best Canadian work of literary non-fiction. It is named for Charles P. B. Taylor, a n ...
(2018).
*"Unearth" was selected to appear in ''The Best American Short Stories 2018'' collection.
*"Tracks" was selected to appear in the ''Best Canadian Stories 2018.''
*Longlist, Journey Prize for Short Fiction for "Tracks", 2018.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Elliott, Alicia
1988 births
Living people
21st-century Canadian essayists
21st-century Canadian women writers
21st-century First Nations writers
Canadian women essayists
First Nations women writers
Tuscarora people