Scars and Stars

Fans of Jesse Thistle's extraordinary debut From the Ashes have already had the pleasure of reading his poetry, which is sprinkled throughout his bestselling memoir. In Scars & Stars, he digs deeper into the poetic form, which is especially close to his heart.

Charting his own history, the stories of people from his past, the burning intensity of new and unexpected love, the complex legacies of family and community, and the beauty of parenthood, this collection is a profound meditation that expands his engagement with the ideas and experiences that have shaped his body of work thus far.

Throughout the collection, prose pieces complement the poems, and to bring readers into Jesse's life with greater intimacy than ever before. The result is an unforgettable furthering of his singular story, one that is sure to delight his many readers, but also serve as a perfect entry point for those new to the work of one of our most thrilling and honest writers. (From McClelland & Stewart)

Scars & Stars is available on Oct. 18, 2022.

Jesse Thistle is Métis-Cree, from Prince Albert, Sask., and an assistant professor in Humanities at York University in Toronto. His memoir From the Ashes was the top-selling Canadian book in 2020, the winner of the Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for Nonfiction, Indigenous Voices Award, and the High Plains Book Award, and a finalist for Canada Reads 2020.

Thistle won a Governor General's Academic Medal in 2016, and is a 2016 Pierre Elliott Trudeau Foundation Scholar and a 2016 Vanier Scholar. A frequent keynote speaker, he lives in Hamilton, Ont., with his wife Lucie.

• How Jesse Thistle survived addiction, homelessness and incarceration — and became a Canada Reads finalist
• Jesse Thistle among winners of 2020 High Plains Book Awards for memoir From the Ashes
• From the Ashes by Jesse Thistle is the #1 bestselling Canadian print book of 2020 so far
• The CBC Books Writers to Watch list: 24 Canadian writers on the rise in 2020
• Jesse Thistle's memoir From the Ashes wins $10K Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for nonfiction

Interviews with Jesse Thistle

The Next Chapter16:27Jesse Thistle on From the Ashes

Featured VideoJesse Thistle talks to Shelagh Rogers about his best selling memoir, From the Ashes: My Story of Being Métis, Homeless, and Finding My Way.

Canada Reads50:42Canada Reads 2020 special episode: From the Ashes by Jesse Thistle

Featured VideoCBC Books is airing special one-hour programs dedicated to each book. This episode looks at the memoir From the Ashes by Jesse Thistle, which will be defended by country music singer George Canyon.

Now or Never14:36How best-selling author Jesse Thistle is overcoming fears about being a good dad

Featured VideoBest-selling author Jesse Thistle says when he looks back at his family history, he sees a line of broken men who didn't know how to parent. Now he is out to change his family history by overcoming his fears and being a great dad to his new daughter Rose.