Tasha Spillett-Sumner (née Spillett) is a Canadian author and educator. She is best known for her young adult graphic novel series ''Surviving the City'', volume 1 of which won the Best Work in an Alternative Format at the 2019 Indigenous Voices Awards.
Career
Spillett-Sumner competed in the 2014 Miss Indian World pageant. She was chosen as Miss Congeniality. Spillett-Sumner was a board member of Manito Ahbee and served as the chair of the Miss Manito Ahbee Youth Ambassador gathering, which honoured of missing and murdered indigenous women and girls. Spillett-Sumner also mentored young Indigenous people in Winnipeg through Sister Circle. Spillett-Sumner has taught both high school social studies and English in addition to land-based knowledge workshops and programs.
In 2018, Spillett-Sumner's debut graphic novel, ''Surviving the City'', vol. 1, was published by Highwater Press. The book was illustrated by
Natasha Donovan
Natasha Donovan is a Métis Canadian illustrator who focuses on comics and children's illustration. She is a member of the Métis Nation of British Columbia.
Life and education
Though Donovan's "Métis family are the Delarondes and the Morins ...
and depicts two young Indigenous women, Miikwan, who is
Anishinaabe
The Anishinaabeg (adjectival: Anishinaabe) are a group of culturally related Indigenous peoples present in the Great Lakes region of Canada and the United States. They include the Ojibwe (including Saulteaux and Oji-Cree), Odawa, Potawatomi, ...
, and Dez, who is Inninew. The second volume of ''Surviving the City'', "From the Roots Up" was released in October 2020.
In April 2021, Spillett-Sumner released the picture book ''I Sang You Down from the Stars'', illustrated by Michaela Goade. ''I Sang You Down from the Stars'' debuted at number 3 on the
New York Times Best Seller List
''The New York Times'' Best Seller list is widely considered the preeminent list of best-selling books in the United States. John Bear, ''The #1 New York Times Best Seller: intriguing facts about the 484 books that have been #1 New York Times ...
and remained there for a week. Spillett-Sumner began writing the book while pregnant with her daughter, Isabella.
Works
* ''Surviving the City''
** Volume 1: "Surviving the City" - illustrated by
Natasha Donovan
Natasha Donovan is a Métis Canadian illustrator who focuses on comics and children's illustration. She is a member of the Métis Nation of British Columbia.
Life and education
Though Donovan's "Métis family are the Delarondes and the Morins ...
(2018), as Tasha Spillett
** Volume 2: "From the Roots Up" - illustrated by Natasha Donovan (2020)
*''I Sang You Down from the Stars'' - illustrated by
Michaela Goade
Michaela Goade (born 1989 or 1990) is an American illustrator. A member of the Tlingit and Haida tribes, she is known for her work on picture books about Indigenous people. She won the 2021 Caldecott Medal for her illustrations in ''We Are Water ...
In 2019, "Surviving the City" was awarded Best Work in an Alternative Format at the Indigenous Voices Awards. At the
American Library Association
The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit organization based in the United States that promotes libraries and library education internationally. It is the oldest and largest library association in the world, with 49,727 members a ...
's 2020 Youth Media Awards, Spillett-Sumner's "Surviving the City" was awarded a Young Adult Book Honor. ''I Sang You Down from the Stars'' was award the McNally Robinson Book for Young People award at the 2022
Manitoba Book Awards
Manitoba Books Awards/Les Prix du livre du Manitoba is the premiere annual book awards for Manitoba, Canada. Originating in 1988, an award gala is usually held in April in Winnipeg, Manitoba, celebrating the best of Manitoba writing and publishing ...
.
Personal life
Spillett-Sumner is of
Nehiyaw
The Cree ( cr, néhinaw, script=Latn, , etc.; french: link=no, Cri) are a North American Indigenous people. They live primarily in Canada, where they form one of the country's largest First Nations.
In Canada, over 350,000 people are Cree or ...
and
Trinidadian
Trinidadians and Tobagonians, colloquially known as Trinis or Trinbagonians, are the people who are identified with the country of Trinidad and Tobago. The country is home to people of many different national, ethnic and religious origins. As a ...
descent. She has a master's degree in land-based Indigenous education from the
University of Saskatchewan
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...
. Spillett also is completing her PhD in education there. She received the Queen Elizabeth II Centennial Aboriginal Scholarship to pursue her PhD.
Spillett-Sumner is married to singer-songwriter
Leonard Sumner Leonard Sumner is an Anishinaabe singer-songwriter from Canada, whose music blends aspects of country, folk and hip hop music.