S2 Episode 9: Francine Cunningham talks about understanding herself through writing. by Writing the Coast: BC & Yukon Book Prizes podcast published on 2020-07-18T02:01:08Z ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, guest contributor Jason Schreurs talks to Francine Cunningham about her book on/me, which is nominated for the Jim Deva Prize for Writing that Provokes. Francine talks about how her mental illness effects her writing and how she learns about herself through writing. ABOUT FRANCINE CUNNINGHAM: Francine Cunningham is a Canadian Indigenous writer, artist and educator. Her creative non-fiction has appeared in The Malahat Review, the anthologies Boobs: Women Explore What It Means to Have Breasts (Caitlin Press) and Best Canadian Essays 2017 (Tightrope Books), and was longlisted for the 2018 Edna Staebler Personal Essay. Her fiction and poetry have appeared in Grain as the winner of the Short Grain Writing Contest in 2018, The Puritan, Joyland, Echolocation, The Maynard and more. She is a graduate of the UBC Creative Writing MFA program, winner of the 2019 Indigenous Voices Award for unpublished prose, winner of The Hnatyshyn Foundation’s REVEAL Indigenous Art Award, and a recipient of Telus’ 2017 STORYHIVE web series grant. On/Me is her first book. ABOUT JASON SCHREURS: Jason Schreurs is a writer specializing in music and health. He is a student in the MFA in Creative Nonfiction program at the University of King’s College. Jason hosts a podcast called Scream Therapy, about the link between punk rock and mental health. ABOUT MEGAN COLE: Megan Cole is a writer based in Powell River, British Columbia. She also works at the Powell River Public Library as the teen services coordinator where she gets to combine her love for books and writing with a love for her community. Megan has worked as a freelance journalist and is working on a memoir which tackles themes of gender and mental health. Find out more about Megan at megancolewriter.com ABOUT THE PODCAST: Writing the Coast is recorded and produced on the traditional territory of the Tla'amin Nation. As a settler on these lands, Megan Cole finds opportunities to learn and listen to the stories from those whose land was stolen. The BC and Yukon Podcast, tentatively titled *Writing the Coast*, is a recorded series of conversations, readings, and insights into the work of the writers, illustrators, and creators whose books are nominated for the annual BC and Yukon Book Prizes. We'll also check in on people in the writing community who are supporting books, writers and readers every day. The podcast is produced and hosted by Megan Cole. Genre Learning
