Kemosa Scholarship

 

7th Annual Kemosa Scholarship announced!

7th Annual Kemosa Scholarship Winners Announced

Winners of the 7th Annual Kemosa Scholarship for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Mothers Who Write

 

The Writers’ Guild of Alberta and Nhung Tran-Davies are pleased to announce the winners of the 7th Annual Kemosa Scholarship for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Mothers Who Write.

 

First established in 2017 by Dr. Nhung Tran-Davies in partnership with Tlicho Dene author Richard Van Camp, the Kemosa Scholarship offers an opportunity for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Mothers to obtain resources to help them complete the work on their writing – whether that be a novel, a collection of stories, poems, or whatever form their writing might take.

This year, there were many amazing entries for the Kemosa Scholarship, and it was a challenge for the judges to choose the winners from among them. After much thought and careful deliberation, here are this year’s recipients:

 

  • First Place ($3000):  Shelley Willier
  • Second Place ($2000): Rhonda Gladue
  • Third Place($1000): Paige Cardinal
  • Honourable Mention ($500): Diana Power

 

 

For more information or media inquiries, please contact the Writers’ Guild of Alberta at mail@writersguild.ca.

Meet the Winners!

 

 

 

 

Shelley Willier- First Place

 

Shelley Willier’s book, The Drum Calls Softly, co-authored with David Bouchard, was published in 2008 through Red Deer Press. In 2018, she wrote her father’s memoir, After the Moose Walked, which earned her a first-place Kemosa Scholarship (2020) and a spot in Audible’s Indigenous Writers’ Circle (2022).


Her current novel, Lost Daughters, tells the story of five women from one family, as they grapple with trauma from residential school and missing and murdered women and girls. “Our world continuously strips women of agency. I write stories with strong women, giving them the capacity and condition to exert power – to address their demons and find a sense of belonging in themselves, their families, and communities.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Rhonda Gladue – Second Place

 

Rhonda Gladue is an emerging writer from Kito Sakahekan (Calling Lake, Alberta) in Treaty 8 territory. She is the mother of three lovely and gracious children, two of whom are now young adults. In 2018, received a residency at the Banff Centre of Arts to work on the first chapter of her novel under the mentorship of Joshua Whitehead. Her passion for Treaty history and contemporary issues derives from her background in Education, which she balances with writing short YA stories and dance classes. Her short story, Golden Hour, is set at a fictional Residential School, nicknamed Old Mary’s in the early 1900’s. The protagonist, Ada, triumphs over the brutality of the Sisters and Senior girls through the help of a Nehiyawak death song given to her by her late Mushum.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Paige Cardinal – Third Place

My name is Paige Cardinal, I am from Wabasca, AB. I am a member of Bigstone Cree Nation which is located in Treaty 8 Territory. I moved to Edmonton 12 years ago for university when I was 17. I graduated from the University of Alberta in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in Indigenous Studies & a minor in Women’s & Gender Studies. I am a Queer, nêhiyaw, Artist, Poet, Mother, & Business Owner. I own Mîkisikahtak Creations and I created handmade luxury jewelry.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Diana Power – Honourable Mention

 

I am a status member of the Muscowpetung Saulteaux Nation of Treaty 4 in Saskatchewan I am Anishinaabe/Acadian descent. My maternal grandparents who have passed, Tom Anaquad and Sophie McDonald, were residential school survivors. Both attended Qu’Appelle/Lebret Indian School. I lost both my parents to cancer; my mother when I was younger and my father last year. I currently reside in Edmonton, Alberta with my spouse Eric, son Fabe, and three dogs. I am currently finishing my Indigenous Bachelor of Administration and Governance and have recently started writing after my father passed away to help with my grief. Most of my writing is loosely based on my life.

 

 

Our Gratitude

Co-Sponsors:

Donors:

    • Pam Clark
    • Jacqueline Guest
    • Ellen Kartz
    • Shari Narine
    • Audrey Whitson

 

 

 

This Year’s Judges

RICHARD VAN CAMP is a proud member of the Dogrib (Tlicho) Nation from Fort Smith, NWT, Canada from Fort Smith, NWT. He is a graduate of the En’owkin International School of Writing, the University of Victoria’s Creative Writing BFA Program, and the Master’s Degree in Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia.

He is an internationally renowned storyteller and best-selling author. His novel, The Lesser Blessed, is now a movie with First Generation Films and premiered in September of 2012 at the Toronto International Film Festival. He is the author of four collections of short stories, Angel Wing Splash Pattern, The Moon of Letting Go, Godless but Loyal to Heaven and Night Moves, as well as two children’s books with Cree artist, George Littlechild: A Man Called Raven and What’s the Most Beautiful Thing You Know About Horses?

JACQUELINE GUEST is an international award-winning author with twenty professionally published novels.  She has presented across Canada, the United States and in Africa to audiences of all ages including the American Library Association, the American Indian Library Association, University of Calgary, Manitoba Association of Teachers of English, Alberta Association of Library Technicians, MASC Conference Ottawa, University of Victoria, Cultural Diversity Institute, North Central Teachers Association, Saskatoon Reading Council Teachers Conference, the Edmonton Young Offenders Centre, plus hundreds of schools, libraries and conferences. 

In addition to her in-depth knowledge on writing novels, Jacqueline has over twenty-five years of experience presenting in classrooms, libraries and at conferences.  She has been the Creator-in-Residence for CANSCAIP plus Writer in Residence for the Marigold Library System, the International Spanish Academy, St. Clare School, St Rose of Lima School, and Glenmeadows Spanish School in Calgary.  She has mentored many writers offering advice and direction in their chosen career.  Her novels have been nominated for or won numerous awards in Canada and the United States, including the AILA Middle School Award, Moonbeam Award, Red Maple, Silver Birch, Red Cedar, Golden Eagle, CCBC Our Choice, and more.  Her curriculum-based school presentations, which tie in with her novels, have even reluctant students reading.  

Jacqueline is the proud recipient of the Indspire Award for the Arts. In 2017, Jacqueline was awarded the Order of Canada for her work in the literary arts.

History of the Kemosa Scholarship

The Kemosa Scholarship for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Mothers Who Write was launched in 2017 by Nhung Tran-Davies to help aspiring writers focus on their creativity and find time to write, and to help give voice to Indigenous mothers who write. The Kemosa Scholarship awards 3-5 prizes annually. 

Nhung Tran-Davies:

As a Vietnamese immigrant to Canada, I am fascinated by the stories of this land and its people. In 2017, after speaking with renowned author Richard Van Camp and learning more about the struggles of Indigenous women, I was moved to found the Kemosa Scholarship for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Mothers Who Write.

As a writer and mother of three young children, I know how difficult it is to find time to write. Financial constraints can make this time even more difficult.  Fortunately, I also work as a physician and therefore, I felt that I, in some way, could help my fellow aspiring writers focus on her creativity, to help give voice  to Indigenous mothers who write.

In its first year, my intention was to award $1000 scholarship to an emerging Indigenous writer, but because of the high calibre of the submissions, I, in the end, awarded scholarship funds to four emerging writers.

2023 Winners

First Place ($3000): Falon Fayant – Shadow of the Moon 

Second Place ($2000): Josephine Small  – Eagles Songs R Me
Third Place ($1000): Brittany Whitford – A Day at A Time

6th Annual Kemosa Scholarship Winners Announced

2022 Winners

  • First Place ($3000):  Lareina Abbott – Pchit – Little One
  • Second Place ($2000): Amber Boyd – Spirit Bead 
  • Third Place($1000): Apryl Gladue –the assertion of truth in our bones (and other poems)
  • Honourable Mention ($500):  Sandra Lamouche – ᐊᐸᑯᓯᐢ Apakosis
  • Honourable Mention ($500):  Shirley Cire – Sleigh Ride (and other poems)

READ MORE ABOUT LAST YEAR’S WINNERS

2021 Winners

  • First Place ($3000):  Sierra Roberts 
  • Second Place ($2000): Teresa Jane Wouters 
  • Third Place($1000): Holly Gerlach
  •  Honourable Mention:  Melissa Caillou

2020 Winners

    • First Place ($3000):  Shelley Willier
    • Second Place ($2000): Trish Noelle McOrmond
    • Third Place ($1000): Teresa Callihoo    
    • Honourable Mention: Felice Gladue
    • Honourable Mention: Katie-Jo Rabbit
    • Honourable Mention: Alycia Two Bears
    • Honourable Mention: Amber Weasel Head

2019 Winners

  • First Place ($3000):  Falon Christine
  • Second Place ($1500): Amber D. Boyd
  • Third Place ($1000): Shelley Wiart
  • Honourable Mention ($300): Angela Hall
  • Honourable Mention ($300): Kali Stewart

2018 Winners

  • First Place ( $1000) – Rhonda Gladue
  • 2nd Place ($500)-  Catherine Lafferty – Yellowknife
  • 3rd Place  ($250) – Brittany Johnson – Beaumont
  • Honourable Mention – Paige Cardinal – Edmonton