Connie Fife

Connie Fife (1961-2017) was a Cree Canadian poet and editor. She published three books of poetry, and edited several anthologies of First Nations women's writing. Her work appeared in numerous other anthologies and literary magazines.[1]

Connie Fife
BornAugust 27, 1961
Prince Albert, Saskatchewan
DiedFebruary 3, 2017
Haines Junction, Yukon
OccupationPoet, Editor
NationalityCree, Canadian
ChildrenRussell Fife

Originally from Saskatchewan, she was a longtime resident of Victoria, British Columbia, and resided in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Toronto, Ontario, and Haines Junction, Yukon.

In 2000, she was one of four writers, alongside Dan David, Walter Nanawin and Anna Marie Sewell, awarded the special one-time Prince and Princess Edward Prize in Aboriginal Literature from the Canada Council for the Arts.[2] The jury of the award described her pen as "fearless."[3] From 1990 to 1992 she was a writer-in-residence at the En'owkin School of Writing in Penticton, British Columbia,[4] where she was awarded a fellowship from the Canadian Native Arts Foundation to study creative 1992.[5]

An out lesbian,[6] she served on the jury of the Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBT writers in 2014.[7]

In addition to her work as a poet, Connie Fife was an outreach worker for the Urban Native Youth Association in Vancouver, British Columbia.[8]

Works

Poetry
  • Beneath the Naked Sun (1992)
  • Speaking Through Jagged Rock (1999)
  • Poems for a New World (2001)

Anthologies
  • Fireweed Native Women's Issue, No. 26 (1986)
  • Gatherings 2 (1991)
  • The Colour of Resistance: A Contemporary Collection of Writing by Aboriginal Women (1998)

References
  1. Bateman, David. "Review of Native Poetry in Canada: A Contemporary Anthology." Canadian Ethnic Studies Journal. Ed. Jeannette C. Armstrong and Lally Grauer. Vol. 35. 2003. 161-162. Rpt. in Contemporary Literary Criticism. Ed. Jeffrey W. Hunter. Vol. 298. Detroit: Gale, 2011. Literature Criticism Online. Web. 8 July 2015. http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CAOWYHX008922976&v=2.1&u=tplmain&it=r&p=LCO&sw=w Gale Document Number:GALE|AOWYHX008922976.
  2. "Prince praises talent, energy and hard work of Canadians". The Guardian (Charlottetown), August 25, 2000.
  3. "Four Canadian aboriginal artists receive Prince and Princess Edward Prize. (News from Canada Council)". Kola. 11 (2): 90. 1999.
  4. Bataille, Gretchen M.; Lisa, Laurie (2003-12-16). Native American Women: A Biographical Dictionary. Routledge. ISBN 9781135955878.
  5. "B.C. writers, dancers and students get awards". Vancouver Sun, January 22, 1992.
  6. New, W. H., Encyclopedia of Literature in Canada. University of Toronto Press, 2002. ISBN 0802007619. Chapter "Gay and Lesbian Writing", pp. 418-422.
  7. "Writers' Trust Presents LGBT Literary Award to Author and Screenwriter, Tamai Kobayashi" Archived 2015-07-10 at the Wayback Machine. Writers' Trust of Canada, June 23, 2014.
  8. "Aboriginal women are at greater risk". Ammsa.com. Retrieved 2018-08-22.
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