Dallas Hunt provides a vivid and at times stark portrayal of Indigenous-settler relations in Canada through a poetic lens. Hunt, who is Cree from Wapsewsipi (Swan River First Nation) in Treaty 8 territory, explores themes in his poetry such as racism, identity, language reclamation, and healing. Through works such as “150 Kilometers West of Saskatoon,” he grieves the death of Colten Boushie and interrogates how racism has called into question our humanity. Yet there are also rays of light and hope, such as the imagery invoked in “Cree Dictionary,” where Hunt says, “the Cree word for constellation is a saskatoon berry bush in summertime.” Hunt’s book of poetry would be an exceptional contemporary addition to any high school or classroom library.

128 pp., 5.5 × 8"

Dallas Hunt (Cree, Wapsewsipi)

Source: Association of Book Publishers of BC - Canadian Indigenous Books for Schools (2021-2022)

Dallas Hunt is Cree and a member of Wapsewsipi (Swan River First Nation) in Treaty Eight territory in northern Alberta. He has had creative works published in Prairie Fire, PRISM international and Arc Poetry. His first children’s book, Awâsis and the World-Famous Bannock, was published through Highwater Press in 2018, and was nominated for several awards. His first poetry collection, Creeland, published in 2022, was nominated for the George Ryga Award for Social Awareness in Literature, Gerald Lampert Memorial Award and the Indigenous Voices Award.

Dallas Hunt's profile page

• Short-listed, Gerald Lampert Memorial Award
• Short-listed, ReLit Award (Poetry)
• Short-listed, Indigenous Voices Award
• Long-listed, Gerald Lampert Memorial Award
• Short-listed, George Ryga Award for Social Awareness in Literature