Julie Flett 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 ...

Métis The Métis ( , , , ) are a mixed-race Indigenous people whose historical homelands include Canada's three Prairie Provinces extending into parts of Ontario, British Columbia, the Northwest Territories and the northwest United States. They ha ...

author and

illustrator An illustrator is an artist who specializes in enhancing writing or elucidating concepts by providing a visual representation that corresponds to the content of the associated text or idea. The illustration may be intended to clarify complicate ...

, known for her work in

children's literature Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. In addition to conventional literary genres, modern children's literature is classified by the intended age of the reade ...

centered around the life and cultures of Indigenous Canadians. Flett is best known for her illustrations in books such as ''Little You,'' and ''When We were Alone,'' as well as for her written work in books such as ''

Birdsong Bird vocalization includes both bird calls and bird songs. In non-technical use, bird songs (often simply ''birdsong'') are the bird sounds that are melodious to the human ear. In ornithology and birding, songs (relatively complex vocalization ...

.'' Many of Flett's books are bilingual, and written in a combination of English,

Michif Michif (also Mitchif, Mechif, Michif-Cree, Métif, Métchif, French Cree) is one of the languages of the Métis people of Canada and the United States, who are the descendants of First Nations (mainly Cree, Nakota, and Ojibwe) and fur trade wo ...

, and

, and serve as an introduction to Michif and Cree for English-speaking readers. Flett's works are critically successful and have been awarded the Governor General's Literary Award and the TD Canadian Children's Literature Award. Flett is also known for her advocacy work in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

Downtown Eastside The Downtown Eastside (DTES) is a list of neighbourhoods in Vancouver, neighbourhood in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. One of the city's oldest neighbourhoods, the DTES is the site of a complex set of social issues, including disproportio ...

neighborhood with indigenous youth and other community members. Flett is also involved in efforts to preserve and share indigenous languages among English-speaking populations.

Personal life

Flett was born in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

where she lived with her Swampy-Cree

father and Scottish-Irish mother. She studied for one year at

Alberta College of Art and Design The Alberta University of the Arts (AUArts) is a public art university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The university is a co-educational institution that operates four academic schools. The institution originated from the art department ...

, taking coursework in

textile Textile is an Hyponymy and hypernymy, umbrella term that includes various Fiber, fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, Staple (textiles)#Filament fiber, filaments, Thread (yarn), threads, and different types of #Fabric, fabric. ...

s, before transferring to Emily Carr University of Art + Design in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

, taking courses in film and studio arts. She completed a degree in

Fine Arts In European academic traditions, fine art (or, fine arts) is made primarily for aesthetics or creativity, creative expression, distinguishing it from popular art, decorative art or applied art, which also either serve some practical function ...

Concordia University Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...

Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...

and afterwards relocated to Vancouver. Upon returning to Vancouver, Flett became involved with advocacy work for women on Vancouver's Downtown East Side. Working for the Positive Women's Network as an outreach worker and arts educator. Flett was also involved in print making classes where she worked with indigenous youth and community members. Early encounters with Inuit printmaking and paintings initially drove Flett's interest in the arts. Cree and Inuit cultures, and artists including Meelia Kelly, Pitseolak Ashoona, Annie Pootoogook, and Christi Belcourt are also notable influences on Flett's work, in addition to her mother who worked as a textile artist. Additionally,

The Woman in the Dunes is a novel by the Japanese writer Kōbō Abe, published in 1962. It won the 1962 Yomiuri Prize for literature, and an English translation by E. Dale Saunders, and The Woman in the Dunes (film), a film adaptation, directed by Hiroshi Teshigahar ...

by the Japanese writer

Kōbō Abe , known by his pen name , was a Japanese writer, playwright and director. His 1962 novel ''The Woman in the Dunes'' was made into an Woman in the Dunes, award-winning film by Hiroshi Teshigahara in 1964. Abe has often been compared to Franz Kaf ...

is stated as having a profound effect on Flett.

Works

Flett's writing and illustrations primarily centre Indigenous people, particularly Cree and Métis children, and their family relationships. Flett's picture books and illustration work as seen in ''Wild Berries/Pakwa Che Menisu'', ''Lii Yuboo Nayaapiwak Swer (L'Alfabet De Michif)/Owls See Clearly at Night (A Michif Alphabet''), and ''We All Count'' utilize bilingual texts and themes of indigenous culture, and aim to promote voices of indigenous characters within her body of work. Her work also focuses heavily on language, and the importance of representation of indigenous languages and narratives within contemporary literature. Flett's books, such as ''Wild Berries'', have been praised for their cultural relevance and accessibility, and for their utility as resources for Cree and Michif language education. Early examples of Flett's work in children's books include her digital collages created for ''The Moccasins'' written by Earl Einarson. This style of digital collage work would go on to form the basis for Flett's future work, which eventually grew to include watercolor paintings, and handmade textile patterns inspired by the work of her mother, as well as visual motifs linked to Cree mythology and visual culture. Flett has described her process as largely based on the tone of a given piece, where the basis of the image such as a landscape or interior background, is used to establish the themes and

color scheme In color theory, a color scheme is a combination of 2 or more colors used in aesthetic or practical design. Aesthetic color schemes are used to create style and appeal. Colors that create a harmonious feeling when viewed together are often u ...

of the illustrations.

Reception

Flett's work quickly garnered critical attention and favor upon the publishing of ''The Moccasins'' in 2004, and gained further attention as her career continued in ''Zoe and the Fawn''. Flett's 2019 book ''

'' was awarded the 2020 TD Canadian Children's Literature Award, and was named a finalist for the

Governor General's Literary Award The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the governor general of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields. The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by the ...

for young people's literature, selected as a best picture book of 2019 by

Kirkus Reviews ''Kirkus Reviews'' is an American book review magazine founded in 1933 by Virginia Kirkus. The magazine's publisher, Kirkus Media, is headquartered in New York City. ''Kirkus Reviews'' confers the annual Kirkus Prize to authors of fiction, no ...

School Library Journal ''School Library Journal'' (''SLJ'') is an American monthly magazine containing reviews and other articles for school librarians, media specialists, and public librarians who work with young people. Articles cover a wide variety of topics, wi ...

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

, and

The Horn Book Magazine ''The Horn Book Magazine'', founded in Boston in 1924, is the oldest bimonthly magazine dedicated to reviewing children's literature. It began as a "suggestive purchase list" prepared by Bertha Mahony and Elinor Whitney Field, proprietors of t ...

., as well as an honor title for the 2020 American Indian Youth Literature Award.

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Flett, Julie Artists from Toronto Artists from Vancouver 20th-century Canadian non-fiction writers Canadian women painters First Nations women writers Living people Métis painters Writers from Toronto Writers from Vancouver Canadian children's writers Canadian illustrators Governor General's Award–winning children's illustrators Métis artists Métis writers 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian non-fiction writers 21st-century Canadian women writers 20th-century First Nations writers 20th-century First Nations women 21st-century First Nations writers Canadian women non-fiction writers 21st-century Canadian women artists Year of birth missing (living people) Canadian Métis women