Michelle Good is a

Cree The Cree, or nehinaw (, ), are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people, numbering more than 350,000 in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada, First Nations. They live prim ...

writer, poet, and lawyer from Canada, most noted for her

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

'' Five Little Indians''.Angelica Haggert
"'The story I was intended to write': Michelle Good on forthcoming novel 'Five Little Indians'"
''

Canadian Geographic ''Canadian Geographic'' is a magazine published by the Royal Canadian Geographical Society, (RCGS) based in Ottawa, Ontario. History and profile After the Society was founded in 1929, the magazine was established the next year in May 1930 unde ...

'', February 20, 2020. She is a member of the

Red Pheasant Cree Nation The Red Pheasant Cree Nation () is a Plains Indians, Plains Cree First Nations in Canada, First Nations band government in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The band's sole Indian reserve, reserve, Red Pheasant 108, is south of North Battle ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...

. Good has an MFA and a law degree from the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

and, as a lawyer, advocated for residential-school survivors.

Early life and education

Good is a member of the

. She was impacted by the 60s scoop and spent time in the foster care system. Her great-grandmother participated in the 1885 uprising at Frog Lake and her Great Grandmother's uncle was Big Bear. Good graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative writing in 2014. The first draft of her debut novel, ''Five Little Indians,'' was her graduate thesis project. She began to practice law in her 40's, sharing the histories of residential schools in courtrooms. Good received an Honorary Doctor of Letters, ''honoris causa'', from

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a Public university, public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It maintains three campuses in Greater Vancouver, respectively located in Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, British Columbia, Surrey, and ...

on October 7, 2022.

Career

'' Five Little Indians'' is a story about five British Columbia residential-school survivors. Although the novel itself is fiction, some of the episodes were based on real experiences of her mother and grandmother, who were both survivors of Canada's residential school system. The book was set to be adapted as a 2021 limited television series by producer Martin Katz. ''Truth Telling'' is the second book written by Good, it is a collection of essays on historical and modern experiences of indigenous in Canada. It covers wide variety of topics from life of indigenous people to modern social institution in Canada. Published on May 30, 2023, and finalist for the

Balsillie Prize for Public Policy The Balsillie Prize for Public Policy is an annual Canada, Canadian literary award, presented to honour the year's best non-fiction work on public policy issues. Created in 2021, the award is presented by the Writers' Trust of Canada, and sponsored ...

Awards and Nominations

''Five Little Indians'' literary awards

Biblio

* '' Five Little Indians'' (2020) * ''Truth Telling: Seven Conversations About Indigenous Life in Canada'' (2023)

Poetry

* * ''The Best of the Best Canadian Poetry in English: The Tenth Anniversary Edition.'' Published on November 1, 2017 by Tightrope Books. Editors Anita Lahey and Molly Peacock.

Essays

* ''A Tradition of Violence'' published in ''Keetsahnak: Our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Sisters.'' Published in 2018 by University of Alberta Press. Editors Kim Anderson, Maria Campbell, and Christi Belcourt. * ''Best Canadian Essay 2023.'' Published in December 13, 2022 by Bilblioasis. Editor Mireille Silcoff.

Journal

* ''Gatherings Volume VII: The En'owkin Journal of First North American Peoples''. Published in 1996 by Theytus Books. Editors Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm and Jeannette Armstrong

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Good, Michelle 21st-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian women writers 21st-century First Nations writers Canadian women novelists First Nations novelists Cree women writers Cree writers Cree poets Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Canadian women poets Governor General's Award–winning fiction writers Amazon.ca First Novel Award winners Red Pheasant Cree Nation University of British Columbia alumni Poets from Saskatchewan Novelists from Saskatchewan