Lisa Charleyboy is a First Nations (
Tsilhqot’in) writer, storyteller, editor, and social entrepreneur. She is the editor-in-chief of ''Urban Native Magazine'', which focuses on popular culture from an Indigenous perspective. She makes frequent appearances on radio and television, promoting her magazine and giving her opinion on current Aboriginal issues in Canada. Charleyboy has said in interviews that she considers herself a
feminist
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male po ...
and that she wants to provide positive representations of Aboriginal people in her magazine.
Charleyboy has written about
cultural appropriation
Cultural appropriation is the inappropriate or unacknowledged adoption of an element or elements of one culture or identity by members of another culture or identity. This can be controversial when members of a dominant culture appropriate from ...
, popular culture, and politics, and has been named one of Toronto’s Top Bloggers and one of Canada’s Top Ten Fashion Bloggers. In 2013, she was named by ''
Huffington Post
''HuffPost'' (formerly ''The Huffington Post'' until 2017 and sometimes abbreviated ''HuffPo'') is an American progressive news website, with localized and international editions. The site offers news, satire, blogs, and original content, and ...
'' as one of three Aboriginal
millennials
Millennials, also known as Generation Y or Gen Y, are the Western demographic cohort following Generation X and preceding Generation Z. Researchers and popular media use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000 ...
to watch, and recommended for a Toronto DiverseCity Fellowship for 2013-2014.
Early life and education
Charleyboy moved from
Abbotsford, British Columbia
Abbotsford is a city located in British Columbia, adjacent to the Canada–United States border, Greater Vancouver and the Fraser River. With an estimated population of 153,524 people it is the largest municipality in the province outside metrop ...
to Toronto to attend
Ryerson University
Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public university, public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Garden District, although i ...
for Fashion Communication. She cites her love of magazines and desire to become a fashion editor as factors that prompted her to transfer to
York University
York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...
for Professional Writing.
Career
In 2007 Charleyboy created a blog
Urban Native Girl (UNG) which focuses on Indigenous contemporary life and popular culture.
In 2013 she parlayed her blog into ''Urban Native Magazine'', a lifestyle publication geared toward inspiring
Indigenous
Indigenous may refer to:
*Indigenous peoples
*Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention
*Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band
*Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...
youth with positive success stories.
The magazine is aimed towards Aboriginal Canadians aged from 15-35.
In 2014 Charleyboy released a book with author Mary Beth Leatherdale called "Dreaming in Indian: Contemporary Native American Voices".
Charleyboy has also served as a board member for Association for the Native Development of Visual and Performing Arts (ANDVPA), the Young Indigenous Professionals, and is now the Director of Communications for the Aboriginal Professionals of Canada (APAC). She has also been invited to give talks at Harvard University and to Aboriginal Women Entrepreneurs, and has become a regular writer/contributor and guest in the media.
In 2015, she hosted the summer documentary and interview series ''New Fire'' for
CBC Radio One
CBC Radio One is the English-language news and information radio network of the publicly owned Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It is commercial-free and offers local and national programming. It is available on AM and FM to 98 percent of Ca ...
.
Publications
Indigenous
*Not Your Pocahontas: Breaking the Stereotypes of a 21st Century Urban Native", to be released in August 2018.
*
''#NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women''. September 12, 2017 by Annick Press.
*''Urban Native: Breaking Through Society's Stereotypes''. October 11, 206 by Key Lime Press.
*''Urban Tribes: Native Americans in the City''. September 9, 2015 by
Annick Press Ltd.
*''Dreaming in Indian: Contemporary Native American Voices.'' July 24, 2014 by
Annick Press
Annick Press is a Canadian book publishing company that was founded in Toronto, Ontario in 1975 by Anne Millyard and Rick Wilks. Rick Wilks became the sole owner in 2000. A second editorial office was opened in Vancouver by Colleen MacMillan in 1 ...
.
*"
Idle No More
Idle No More is an ongoing protest Social movement, movement, founded in December 2012 by four women: three First Nations in Canada, First Nations women and one non-Native ally. It is a grassroots movement among the Indigenous peoples in Canad ...
: Canada’s Indigenous People Are Demanding a Better Deal," ''
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 ...
'', January 2013
*"No Doubt, Exploiting ‘hot’
Native American Stereotypes is never OK", ''
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 ...
'', November 2012
*"In the Arctic, A Hunger for Ancestral Foods", ''Spirituality & Health'', November 2012
*"The Ancient Art of Smudging", ''Spirituality & Health'', November 2012
*"Native Fashion; The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly", ''CBC'', January 2012
*''iLit Strength and Struggle: Perspectives From First Nations, Inuit, and Métis Peoples in Canada.'' May 2, 2011 by
McGraw-Hill Ryerson
Ryerson Press was a Canadian book publishing company, active from 1919 to 1970.Janet B. Friskney"The Birth of The Ryerson Press Imprint" Historical Perspectives on Canadian Publishing. First established by the Methodist Book Room, a division of t ...
.
*"2010 Winter Olympics token tribute and Memorial March for Indigenous Women" ''Georgia Straight'', February 14, 2010
Fashion
*"Urban Native Girl: Huntress On The Rise", ''Indian Country Magazine'', August 2011
*"Urban Native Girl Muks It Up", I''Indian Country Magazine'', February 2011
*"Fall in love with the season’s top trends", ''MSN.ca'', September 2010
*"Luggage That’s Worth Its (light) weight", ''Travel Goods, Fashion and Accessories'', Summer 2010
*"‘Bags that Really Have It All", ''Travel Goods, Fashion and Accessories'', Summer 2010
*"Spring Fashion Trends", ''MSN.ca'', February 2010
Lifestyle
*"Go Green with your Beauty Routine", ''MSN.ca'', March 2010
*"Destress Your Life", ''MSN.ca'', January 2010
*"Original Wedding Gifts", ''MSN.ca'', February 2010
Education and employment
*"Behind Inclusion Works, Canada’s top Aboriginal Career Convention", ''Job Postings Magazine'', October 2012
*"Canadian Roots Exchange Brings Aboriginal Education to Life", ''Job Postings Magazine'', October 2012
*"Northward Bound", ''Job Postings Magazine'', November 2010
*"Aboriginal Opportunities", ''Job Postings Magazine'', September 2010
Reception
#NotYourPrincess (2017)
''#Notyourprincess: Voices of Native American Women'' received the
American Indian Youth Literature Award
The ''American Indian Library Association
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United ...
for Best Young Adult Book (2018) and was a
YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction
The YALSA Award for Excellence in Nonfiction, established in 2010, is an annual literary award presented by the Young Adult Library Services Association of the American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonp ...
Finalist (2018).
Dreaming in Indian (2014)
''Dreaming in Indian: Contemporary Native American Voices'' was a 2016
American Indian Youth Literature Award
The ''American Indian Library Association
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United ...
for Best Middle Grade Book Honor Book.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Charleyboy, Lisa
Canadian bloggers
Living people
First Nations journalists
First Nations women writers
Journalists from British Columbia
CBC Radio hosts
Dene people
People from Abbotsford, British Columbia
York University alumni
21st-century First Nations writers
Canadian women radio journalists
Canadian women bloggers
Year of birth missing (living people)
Tsilhqot'in people
Canadian women radio hosts