Two books by Indigenous authors are being honoured with the Periodical Marketers of Canada PMC Indigenous Literature Award. The award was inspired by the annual First Nations Communities READ program, which celebrates and promotes the importance of Indigenous literature across Canada. 

In the children’s category, Phoenix Gets Greater (Second Story Press) by Marty Wilson-Trudeau, an Anishinaabe Kwe writer originally from M’Chigeeng, Ontario, and her son, Phoenix Wilson, with illustrations by Megan Kyak-Monteith, is a story of a supportive and loving family.  

In the young adult/adult category, My Indian Summer (Tidewater Press) by Joseph Kakwinokanasum, a member of the James Smith Cree Nation, was named the winning title. Kakwinokanasum’s book is about identity, reconciliation, and survival.

The selected titles, chosen by a jury of librarians from First Nation Public libraries across Ontario, will be recognized online during First Nation Public Library Week on October 5.

The authors each receive a $5,000 cash prize.