Thomas King

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For other persons named Thomas King, see Tom King (disambiguation).
 Tom King  Ph.D
Thomas King
New Democratic Party candidate for
MP for Guelph
Election date
TBA
Opponent(s) Frank Valeriote (Liberal)
Gloria Kovach (Conservative)
Mike Nagy (Green)
Incumbent none following the resignation of
Brenda Chamberlain (Liberal)
Born April 24 1943 ( 1943-04-24) (age 65)
Sacramento, California
Political party New Democratic Party
Tom King
Born 24 April 1943
Sacramento, California
Occupation Novelist
Nationality Canadian
Writing period Contemporary
Genres Postmodern, trickster novel
Subjects First Nations
Notable work(s) Medicine River, Green Grass, Running Water, The Truth about Stories
Notable award(s) Order of Canada Member (2004)
Influences

Thomas King (born 24 April 1943) is a noted Canadian novelist and broadcaster who most often writes about Canada's First Nations and is an outspoken advocate for First Nations causes. He is of Cherokee and Greek descent.

Contents

[edit] Life and career

Born in Sacramento, California, he worked in Australia as a photojournalist before moving to Canada in 1980. King served as a faculty member of the University of Minnesota's American Indian Studies Department. King is currently an English professor at the University of Guelph and lives in Guelph, Ontario. He is also the creator of The Dead Dog Cafe Comedy Hour, a CBC Radio One series.

King was chosen to deliver the 2003 Massey Lectures, entitled The Truth About Stories: A Native Narrative.[1] King was the first Aboriginal Massey lecturer. In the series, King examined the Native experience in oral stories, literature, history, religion and politics, popular culture and social protest in order to make sense of North America’s relationship with its Aboriginal peoples.

In March 2007 King announced that he would be seeking the New Democratic Party (NDP) nomination for Guelph in the next federal election. On March 30, 2007 King was acclaimed as the NDP candidate for Guelph. Present at the nomination meeting was NDP leader Jack Layton.[2] A by-election is expected in the riding due to the resignation of incumbent Liberal Member of Parliament Brenda Chamberlain effective April 7, 2008. A writ of election must be issued within six months of a vacancy.

In July 2007, King made his directorial debut with I'm Not The Indian You Had In Mind, a short film for which he was also the author.

[edit] Bibliography

  • The Native in Literature - 1987 (editor)
  • An Anthology of Short Fiction by Native Writers in Canada - 1988 (editor)
  • Medicine River - 1990
  • All My Relations - 1990 (editor)
  • A Coyote Columbus Story - 1992 (Illustrated by William Kent Monkman) (nominated for a Governor General's Award)
  • Green Grass, Running Water - 1993 (nominated for a Governor General's Award)
  • One Good Story, That One - 1993
  • Coyotes Sing to the Moon - 1998 (Illustrated by Johnny Wales)
  • Truth and Bright Water - 1999
  • Dreadful Water Shows Up - 2002 (under the pen-name of Hartley GoodWeather)
  • The Truth About Stories - 2003
  • Coyote's New Suit - 2004 (Illustrated by Johnny Wales)
  • A Short History of Indians in Canada - 2005
  • The Red Power Murders: A DreadfulWater Mystery - 2006 (under the pen-name of Hartley GoodWeather)

[edit] Awards and recognition

[edit] See also

Literature Portal

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ CBC Radio One The Truth About Stories: A Native Narrative Ideas. Massey Lectures 2003. Retrieved on: September 7, 2007.
  2. ^ Tom King acclaimed as federal NDP candidate. The Fountain Pen, Guelph, Ontario. Retrieved on: September 7, 2007.

[edit] References

  • W. H. New. Encyclopedia of Literature in Canada. Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2002. 577-80.

[edit] External links