Michelle Good is a

Cree The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a Indigenous peoples of the Americas, North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations in Canada ...

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 p ...

Five Little Indians Five Little Indians ( bn, ফাইভ লিটিল ইন্ডিয়নস), (also known as FLI) was an alternative rock band based in Kolkata. The band was formed in January 2007. Five Little Indians merged melodic rock and a heavier ...

''.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 ( cr, ᒥᑭᓯᐘᒌᕽ, mikisiwacîhk) is a Plains Cree First Nations band government in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The band's sole reserve, Red Pheasant 108, is south of North Battleford. History Ch ...

Saskatchewan Saskatchewan ( ; ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada, western Canada, bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and on t ...

. 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 Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

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 uncle was

Big Bear Big Bear, also known as ( cr, ᒥᐢᑕᐦᐃᒪᐢᑿ; – 17 January 1888Mistahimaskwa
...

. 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 on October 7, 2022.

Works

''Five Little Indians''

''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. Published in 2020, the novel was longlisted for the

Giller Prize The Giller Prize (sponsored as the Scotiabank Giller Prize), is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English (including translation) the previous year, after an annual juried competition be ...

and shortlisted for the

Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize The Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, formerly known as the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, is a Canadian literary award presented by the Writers' Trust of Canada after an annual juried competition of works submitted by publishers. A ...

. ''

Now Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * Now ...

'' listed it as one of the top 10 novels of 2020. In 2020, the book won the HarperCollins/UBC Best New Fiction Prize. Then, in 2021, the book won the

Governor General's Award for English-language fiction The Governor General's Award for English-language fiction is a Canadian literary award that annually recognizes one Canadian writer for a fiction book written in English.2020 Governor General's Awards, the

Amazon.ca First Novel Award The Amazon.ca First Novel Award, formerly the Books in Canada First Novel Award, is a Canadian literary award, co-presented by Amazon.ca and ''The Walrus'' to the best first novel in English language, English published the previous year by a citize ...

, the

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 ...

,Deborah Dundas
"Michelle Good wins Kobo Emerging Writer fiction prize — making it three wins for the three noms she got on that big day in May"
''

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 ...

'', June 22, 2021. and the

Canada Reads ''Canada Reads'' is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcast by Canada's public broadcaster, the CBC. The program has aired in two distinct editions, the English-language ''Canada Reads'' on CBC Radio One, and the Frenc ...

2022. Also in 2021, the book will be adapted as a limited television series by producer Martin Katz.

''Truth Telling: Seven Conversations about Indigenous Life in Canada''

''Truth Telling'' is the second book of 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 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 by tech ...

Poetry

* ''Defying Gravity'' published in ''The Best Canadian Poetry 2016.'' Published on Oct 1, 2016 by Tightrope Books. Guest editor Helen Humphreys, editor Molly Peacock, and series editor Anita Lahy. * ''The'' ''Best of the Best Canadian Poetry, A 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

Awards and Nominations

"The Evergreen Award" issued by

Forest of Reading The Forest of Reading is Canada's largest recreational reading program, featuring ten award programs and run by the Ontario Library Association (OLA). Programs are primarily geared towards French and English readers in kindergarten to grade twelve ...

program for ''Five Little Indians'' in 2021 " The City of Vancouver Book of the Year Award" issued for ''Five Little Indians'' in 2021 "The Jim Deva Prize for Writing that Provokes", issued by

BC and Yukon Book Prizes The BC Book & Yukon Prizes, established in 1985, celebrate the achievements of British Columbia and Yukon writers and publishers. The prizes, as well as the Lieutenant Governor's Award for Literary Excellence, are presented annually at the Lieutena ...

for ''Five Little Indians'' in 2021

References

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