Joseph Dandurand

Winner of the Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Literary Excellence

Jurors: Otoniya Juliane Okot Bitek, Sarah Ellis and Sirish Rao

Statement from the jurors on the selection of Joseph Dandurand:
“Joseph Dandurand is a keeper of deep cultural knowledge, whose work gives shelter to voices that have been silenced or ignored. What he does to keep these voices, experiences, and a way of storytelling alive, is an act of conservation which requires both tenderness and ferocity. At a time when we look to artists for healing and for orientation, we are all fortunate to have the guidance of Joseph Dandurand.” 

Joseph A. Dandurand is a member of Kwantlen First Nation located on the Fraser River about 20 minutes east of Vancouver. He resides there with his three children – Danessa, Marlysse, and Jace. Joseph is the Director of the Kwantlen Cultural Center. He has published 13 books of poetry including: I Want (Leaf Press 2015), Hear And Foretell (BookLand Press 2015), The Rumour (BookLand Press 2018), SH:LAM (the doctor) (Mawenzi Press 2019), The East Side of It All (Nightwood Editions 2020), I Will Be Corrupted (Guernica Editions 2020), and his children’s play: Th’owixiya: the hungry feast dish (Playwrights Press Canada 2019).