Contents

Francine Cunningham

Indigenous writer, artist, and educator

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Francine Cunningham (born 1984) is an Indigenous writer, artist, and educator. She is Cree and Métis.^[1]

Her debut novel, On/Me, was nominated for the BC and Yukon Book Prize for The Jim Deva Prize for Writing that Provokes. as well as Indigenous Voices Award for a poetry book in English and was nominated for a 2021 City of Vancouver Book Award.^[2]

Cunningham is originally from Calgary, Alberta.^[3] She currently lives in Strathmore, Alberta. She lived in Vancouver, British Columbia for over 15 years.^[3]

Cunningham graduated from Keyano College with a diploma in Visual and Performing Arts with conservatory style training in acting.^[4] She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in Theatre and Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia.^[3]

In 2014, She participated in the Indigenous Writing Studio at the Banff Arts Center and placed second in the Our Story: Aboriginal Arts and Stories contest.^[3]

At present, she runs creative writing and art workshops as a guest in First Nation's reserves across Canada.^[2]

Her collection God Isn't Here Today won the 2023 ReLit Award for short fiction.^[5]

• Boobs: Women Explore What It Means to Have Breasts, published March 15, 2016 by Caitlin Press Inc.
• "To plant life (all)" in Watch Your Head, published 2020 by Coach House Books^[6]
• "Still, Small Voice" in The Best Canadian Essays 2017, published by TightRope Books
• "A conversation with a massage therapist" in #NotYourPrincess: Voices of Native American Women, published 2017 by Annick Press

• "How to teach hard topics: The Native Youth Program and Indian Residential Schools as a case study" in Transforming Our Practices: Indigenous Art, Pedagogies, and Philosophies, published in 2017 by The National Art Education Association

• "Language," Red Rising Magazine (2018)
• Kimiwan Magazine (2013)

• On/Me, published January 21, 2020 by Caitlin Press Inc.
• God Isn't Here Today, published May 10, 2022 by Invisible Publishing^[7]

• Room Magazine: Indigenous Brilliance (2021)^[8]
• Room Magazine: Growing Room (2021)^[9]
• "I miss the smell of cooking," Koffler Digital: A Matter of Taste exhibition (2021)^[10]
• "Coven, A Spell to Bring My Mom Back From The Dead," Poetry is Dead (2018)
• "Caged," Word and Colour (2017)^[11]
• "Star Matter," Red Rising Magazine (2017)
• "Whales Can't save us all but they try," Word and Colour (2017)^[12]
• "Through Ribs and Things, Build up, Untitled," The This Magazine (2017)^[13]
• "Water is Spirit Love Medicine Balance" in Gatherings: Water Anthology published by Theytus Press (2016)
• "Resistance," Word and Colour (2016)^[14]
• "A Conversation With a Massage Therapist," The Maynard (2016)^[15]
• "For Your Darkness, Storyteller," Echolocation Magazine (2015)
• "A selection of four poems," Hamilton Arts and Letters (2015)^[16]
• "The Road," The Ubyssey (2010)

• "Half-Breed," The New Quarterly (2019)^[17]
  • Edna Staebler Personal Essay Contest Shortlist

• "Transcendence," The Quebec Writers Federation (2017)^[18]
• "Still, Small Voice," The Malahat Review (2016)^[19]

• "God Isn't Here Today," Humber Literary Review (Spring/Summer 2021)^[20]
• "Asleep Till You're Awake," The Malahat Review (2020)^[21]
• "Starting A Religion," Grain Magazine (2018)^[22]
  • Short Grain Contest: 1st Place Winner
• "Complex 2675: Issue One," Joyland Magazine (2017)^[23]
• "Last," In Shades Magazine (2017)^[24]
• "Secrets like Lead," Litro Magazine (2016)^[25]
• "Nanosim#694" (Twitter fiction)^[26]
• "The Places In-Between," The Quilliad Magazine (2015)
• "Pornorama," The Puritan (2015)^[27]
• "Slips," Active Fiction Project, a chose your own adventure story on the streets of Vancouver (2015)^[28]

• THAT'S AWSM Teen Reality TV show airing on APTN (Television) (2018)^{[29][30][31][32][33][34]}
• "The Berg," Telus StoryHive (Web-Series)(2017)^[35]
  • Winner 10K Web-Series Edition
• Royal BC Museum, Seeing the Museum Through an Indigenous Lens: Spring Issue, Curious Magazine (Guest Editor)(2017)
• International Innovation Pedagogy in a Digital World. Research summary from Citizens of Tomorrow team. (Article) (2016)
• "Birdie," Prism Literary Magazine (Book Review)(2016)^[36]
• "Faerie," Prism Literary Magazine (Book Review)(2016)^[37]
• "Author Note," The Town Crier (Non-Fiction) (2016)^[38]
• Nineteen Questions, Interview With Author Lee Maracle. (Interview) (2014)
• "Who I (really) am: An exploration of Urban Aboriginal Identity through short film," The Canadian Art Teacher Journal (2014)
• Mixed Tribes zine with some Aboriginal youth at The Museum of Anthropology (2013)^[39]
• A Piece of Me with The Native Youth ProgramatThe Museum of Anthropology (2011)^[40]

• Official website
• Process & Possibility: Brandon Teigland in Conversation with Francine Cunningham
• Uplift the Craft: Stephen Leckie in Conversation with Francine Cunningham
• Author Note: Francine Cunningham
• Indigenous Women, Two Spirit, & Indigiqueer Writers to Read