Books
Canada Through American Eyes: Literature and Canadian Exceptionalism
Canada Through American Eyes: Literature and Canadian Exceptionalism explores how a selection of recent American novels expose the hypocrisy of Canadian claims to multicultural inclusivity, using fiction to reveal histories of racism and sexism that complicate Canada’s stance of exceptionality when compared to its southern neighbour. Employing six recent American-authored novels as case studies, my book offers close readings of key moments in Canadian historical and literary studies to explore how Canada has strategically positioned itself in relation to the United States and why American perspectives on Canada, as articulated in these contemporary texts, offer an important contrast to dominant narratives of Canadian nationality and identity in the post-millennial era that continue to view Canada as unique and exceptional, especially given the Trump Presidency of 2016 to 2021.
In the Belly of a Laughing God: Humour and Irony in Native Women's Poetry
How can humour and irony in writing both create and destroy boundaries? In the Belly of a Laughing God examines how eight contemporary Native women poets in Canada and the United States - Joy Harjo, Louise Halfe, Kimberly Blaeser, Marilyn Dumont, Diane Glancy, Jeannette Armstrong, Wendy Rose, and Marie Annharte Baker - employ humour and irony to address the intricacies of race, gender, and nationality. While recognizing that humour and irony are often employed as methods of resistance, this careful analysis also acknowledges the ways that they can be used to assert or restore order.
Border Crossings: Thomas King’s Cultural Inversions
Thomas King is the first Native writer to generate widespread interest in both Canada and the United States. He has been nominated twice for Governor General's Awards, and his first novel, Medicine River, has been transformed into a CBC movie. His books have been reviewed in publications such as The New York Times Book Review, The Globe and Mail, and People magazine. King is also the author of the serialized radio series The Dead Dog Café and is an accomplished photographer. Border Crossings is the first full-length study to explore King's art.