Ojibway journalist and author Tanya Talaga writing three nonfiction books, the first to be published in 2023
The first book of a three-book deal will focus on the legacy of Canada’s residential school system
Author, journalist and Massey lecturer Tanya Talaga has signed a three-book deal with Canadian publisher HarperCollins Canada.
The first book, which has yet to be named, is set to publish in 2023. The book will focus on Canada's residential school system and explore why the discovery of the unmarked graves has finally resonated with Canadians and the world.
Talaga is the Ojibway author of the RBC Taylor Prize-winning book Seven Fallen Feathers: Racism, Death and Hard Truths in a Northern City, which delves into the history of Thunder Bay through the deaths of seven Indigenous high school students.
Talaga, an Ontario-based investigative journalist of Anishinaabe and Polish descent, has received two National Newspaper Awards recognizing her work on investigative projects. In 2017, she was named the Atkinson Fellow for public policy. The work produced during this period formed the basis of her 2018 CBC Massey Lectures, All Our Relations.
"The Indian Residential School was a pillar of Canada's genocidal policies against Indigenous Peoples. Every Indigenous family is touched by the trauma of the 'schools.' Those places did the opposite of nurturing and educating," Talaga said in a statement.
"Canada hoped the world wouldn't notice — but it has. All of our communities, our families, know the stories of the lost, those stolen from us. It is time the children are honoured and their voices heard. I'm beyond grateful to HarperCollins for understanding this is the book we need now."
The book deal was brokered by Michael Levine, chairman of Westwood Creative Artists.
