Alexandra Shimo is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

writer, who was a shortlisted nominee for the

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 ...

at the

2014 Governor General's Awards The shortlisted nominees for the 2014 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were announced on October 7, 2014,Edmund Metatawabin Edmund Metatawabin is a First Nations chief and writer, whose 2014 memoir ''Up Ghost River: A Chief’s Journey Through the Turbulent Waters of Native History'' was a shortlisted nominee for the Governor General's Award for English-language non-f ...

's memoir ''Up Ghost River: A Chief's Journey Through the Turbulent Waters of Native History''."Governor-General Literary Awards finalists unveiled"
''

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 approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'', October 7, 2014. The book describes Metatawabin's life during and after St. Anne's, a residential school in Fort Albany, northern Ontario, a place where there was a home-made electric chair to punish the children. The school is considered one of the worst in North America, where children were regularly sexually and physically abused. The book became a national bestseller, and was named one of the best books of 2014 by the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

, ''

The Hill Times ''The Hill Times'' is a Canadian twice-weekly newspaper and daily news website, published in Ottawa, Ontario, which covers the Parliament of Canada, the federal government, and other federal political news. Founded in 1989 by Ross Dickson and Jim ...

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Quill and Quire ''Quill & Quire'' is a Canadian magazine about the book and publishing industry. The magazine was launched in 1935 and has an average circulation of 5,000 copies per issue, with a publisher-claimed readership of 25,000. ''Quill & Quire'' reviews ...

''. In February 2015, it was named one of the winners of the CBC's Bookie Awards. Alex spent her formative years in London, attending St. Paul's Secondary School in Islington before attending Oxford University. In 2016, Shimo published ''Invisible North: The Search for Answers on a Troubled Reserve''. Based on first person reportage of the four months Shimo lived in Kashechewan First Nation reserve in northern Ontario, the book describes how inhuman conditions had decimated the local community and the legal, economic and political circumstances that trap many northern indigenous communities in poverty. The book was longlisted for the

RBC Taylor Prize 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 ...

, and a finalist for the BC Award for Canadian Non-Fiction. It was one of the Globe and Mail's best books of the year. A former editor at ''

Maclean's ''Maclean's'', founded in 1905, is a Canadian news magazine reporting on Canadian issues such as politics, pop culture, and current events. Its founder, publisher John Bayne Maclean, established the magazine to provide a uniquely Canadian perspe ...

'', Shimo is a freelance journalist who has contributed to ''

The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...

'', the ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

'', the

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'', the ''

National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper available in several cities in central and western Canada. The paper is the flagship publication of Postmedia Network and is published Mondays through Saturdays, with ...

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Toronto Life ''Toronto Life'' is a monthly magazine about entertainment, politics and life in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. ''Toronto Life'' also publishes a number of annual special interest guides about the city, including ''Real Estate'', ''Stylebook'', ''Eatin ...

'', she is also the author of ''The Environment Equation: 100 Factors That Can Add to or Subtract From Your Total Carbon Footprint''. An out

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

,"Memoir: I couldn’t shake the abuse and despair I saw on a First Nations reserve"
. ''

'', November 11, 2014. she is the partner of activist Lia Grimanis. She also serves on the advisory board of Grimanis' charitable organization Up With Women. She teaches creative nonfiction part-time at University of Toronto Continuing Studies.

Awards

* Finalist 2017 – BC Achievement Award for Non Fiction * Winner 2016 - Speaker's Book Award * Winner 2015 –

CBC Books CBC Arts (french: Radio-Canada Arts) is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that creates and curates written articles, short documentaries, non-fiction series and interactive projects that represent the excellence of Canada's div ...

Bookie Award for Non-Fiction * Winner 2015 –

Ontario Historical Society The Ontario Historical Society is a non-profit organization centred on the preservation of Ontario’s history. It is governed by an all-volunteer board of directors, and its members include individuals as well as historical institutions from across ...

's Donald Grant Creighton Award * Finalist 2014 – Governor General's Literary Award for Non-Fiction * Finalist 2015–2016 –

Trillium Book Award The Trillium Book Award (french: Prix littéraire Trillium or ''Prix Trillium'') is an annual literary award presented to writers in Ontario, Canada. It is administered by Ontario Creates, a Crown agency of the Government of Ontario, which is ov ...

* Finalist 2015–2016 – First Nation Communities Read

Works

*''The Environment Equation: 100 Factors That Can Add to or Subtract From Your Total Carbon Footprint'' (2008) *''Up Ghost River: A Chief's Journey Through the Turbulent Waters of Native History'' (2014) *''Invisible North: The Search for Answers on a Troubled Reserve'' (2016)

References

External links

Alexandra Shimo
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shimo, Alexandra Canadian newspaper reporters and correspondents Canadian magazine writers First Nations women writers Writers from Toronto Living people Canadian LGBT journalists Canadian lesbian writers LGBT First Nations people 21st-century Canadian non-fiction writers 21st-century Canadian women writers Maclean's writers and editors 21st-century First Nations writers Canadian women non-fiction writers Canadian women columnists Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century Canadian LGBT people