Williams, Oregon
Williams is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Josephine County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 1,072.
There were three different post offices in the area named for their proxi ...
, U.S. – April 28, 2019,
Toronto, Ontario
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 ...
, Canada) was a Canadian-American writer and graphic artist. She was diagnosed with
metastatic breast cancer
Metastatic breast cancer, also referred to as metastases, advanced breast cancer, secondary tumors, secondaries or stage IV breast cancer, is a stage of breast cancer where the breast cancer cells have spread to distant sites beyond the axillary l ...
at age 37, and began to document her experiences with the terminal illness using illustrations and essays. Her works were compiled into a graphic memoir called ''In-Between Days''. The book was a finalist for the 2016
Governor General's Award for English-language non-fiction
The Governor General's Award for English-language non-fiction is a Canadian literary award that annually recognizes one Canadian writer for a non-fiction book written in English. Since 1987 it is one of fourteen Governor General's Awards for Litera ...
, and put Harrison on the list of 16 Torontonians to Watch. Harrison won the 2016
Kobo Emerging Writer Prize
The Kobo Emerging Writer Prize is a Canadian literary award, presented since 2015 by online e-book and audiobook retailer and eReader manufacturer Rakuten Kobo
Rakuten Kobo Inc., or simply Kobo, is a Canadian company that sells ebooks, audioboo ...
, and was a finalist for the 2017
Joe Shuster Award
The Joe Shuster Canadian Comic Book Creator Awards (or Joe Shuster Awards) are given out annually for outstanding achievements in the creation of comic books, graphic novels, webcomics, and comics retailers and publishers by Canadians. The awards, ...
for Cartoonist/Auteur.
She also published ''The Joyful Living Colouring Book'' in 2016, and a posthumous collection of poetry of drawings, ''Not One of These Poems is About You'' was published in January 2020.
She wrote for ''
The Walrus
''The Walrus'' is an independent, nonprofit Canadian media organization. It is multi-platform and produces an eight-issue-per-year magazine and online editorial content that includes current affairs, fiction, poetry, and podcasts, a nation ...
'', ''
Granta
''Granta'' is a literary magazine and publisher in the United Kingdom whose mission centres on its "belief in the power and urgency of the story, both in fiction and non-fiction, and the story's supreme ability to describe, illuminate and make ...
'', and ''
HuffPost
''HuffPost'' (''The Huffington Post'' until 2017, itself often abbreviated as ''HPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and covers p ...
'', and was featured in the ''
Globe and Mail
''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it fall ...
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'', and ''
WNYC
WNYC is an audio service brand, under the control of New York Public Radio, a non-profit organization. Radio and other audio programming is primarily provided by a pair of nonprofit, noncommercial, public radio stations: WNYC (AM) and WNYC- ...
''. She also spoke on
CBC Radio
CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...
about her experience. She became a respected voice on issues around metastatic breast cancer, opioids, and the power of nature.
Harrison's art was featured in a solo exhibition at the
Winnipeg Art Gallery
The Winnipeg Art Gallery (WAG) is an art museum in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Its permanent collection includes over 24,000 works from Canadian, Indigenous Canadian, and international artists. The museum also holds the world's largest collect ...
in 2017, and she was the lead illustrator of ''Draw Me Close'', a virtual-reality theatre production, created by
Jordan Tannahill
Jordan Tannahill (born May 19, 1988) is a Canadian writer and director. His novels and plays have been translated into twelve languages, and honoured with a number of prizes including two Governor General's Literary Awards.National Theatre and the
National Film Board
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; ) is a Canadian public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary films, animation, web documentaries, and altern ...
. Sections of ''Draw Me Close'' were featured at the 2017
Tribeca Film Festival
The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...
and the 74th
Venice Film Festival
The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...
. ''Draw Me Close'' was to have its North American premiere with Toronto's
Soulpepper
Soulpepper is a theatre company based in Toronto, Ontario.Keith Garebian"Soulpepper Theatre" ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'', November 4, 2010.
History
Soulpepper was founded in 1998 by twelve Toronto artists aiming to produce lesser-known theatri ...
in 2020.
Death
Harrison died in Toronto from metastatic breast cancer, aged 42, some six years after her diagnosis. Survivors included her husband, David Leonard.