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Jessica Johns is a Cree writer from Canada, whose debut novel Bad Cree was published in 2023.

Early life and education

Johns is a member of the Sucker Creek First Nation in northern Alberta. She grew up on her traditional territory in Treaty 8. She lived in Adelaide, Australia from ages 14 to 16. Johns majored in English at Grant MacEwan University and has an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia.

Career

While she was an MFA student, a creative writing teacher told John's class to never write about dreams. Johns wrote Bad Cree in part as a response to this, advice which Johns disagreed with due to the importance of dreams in Cree culture. It was expanded from her earlier short story of the same name, which won the Journey Prize in 2020.

Bad Cree was published in 2023 by HarperCollins Canada. The novel was a shortlisted finalist for the 2023 Amazon.ca First Novel Award. Bad Cree was selected for the 2024 edition of Canada Reads, where it was defended by Dallas Soonias.

Awards and honours

Personal life

Johns divides her time between Edmonton and Vancouver and has a cat named Alfredo.

Publications

• How Not to Spill. Rahila's Ghost Press. 2018. ISBN 9781775116776.
• Donaldson, Emily (ed.). "The Bull of Cromdale". Best Canadian Essays 2019. Biblioasis.
• Jones, Amy; Lau, Doretta; Mutonji, Téa, eds. (2020). "Bad Cree". The Journey Prize Stories 32: The Best of Canada's New Writers. McClelland & Stewart. pp. 67–78. ISBN 9780771050992.
• Forget, André, ed. (2022). "Good Bones". After Realism: 24 Stories for the 21st Century. Vehicule Press. ISBN 9781550655964.
• Bad Cree. Doubleday. 2023. ISBN 9780385548694.

References

1. Bell, Justin (April 18, 2023). "Bookmarks: A dream world from local Cree author Jessica Johns". Edmonton Journal. Archived from the original on April 21, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
2. Haynes, Nalini (February 6, 2023). "Jessica Johns on being Cree, Queer, and representation". Dark Matter Zine. Archived from the original on February 26, 2024. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
3. ^ Cyca, Michelle (January 5, 2023). "In her debut novel Bad Cree, Jessica Johns has dreamed up a horror story anchored by a Cree matriarchy". Quill and Quire. Archived from the original on June 12, 2023. Retrieved February 26, 2024.
4. Michelle Cyca, "In her debut novel Bad Cree, Jessica Johns has dreamed up a horror story anchored by a Cree matriarchy" Archived June 12, 2023, at the Wayback Machine. Quill & Quire, January 2023.
5. ^ "4 emerging Canadian writers receive $10K prizes from Writers' Trust of Canada". CBC Books. Archived from the original on February 21, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
6. Justin Bell, "Bookmarks: A dream world from local Cree author Jessica Johns" Archived April 21, 2023, at the Wayback Machine. Edmonton Journal, April 18, 2023.
7. ^ Drudi, Cassandra (May 4, 2023). "Billy-Ray Belcourt, Jessica Johns among 2023 Amazon Canada First Novel finalists". Quill and Quire. Archived from the original on May 20, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
8. ^ "Meet the Canada Reads 2024 contenders". CBC. March 1, 2024. Archived from the original on January 18, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
9. "Jessica Johns's novel Bad Cree is a story about grief, guilt and healing — read an excerpt now". CBC. January 11, 2023. Archived from the original on February 19, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
10. "YALSA announces 2023 Alex Awards". News and Press Center. ALA American Library Association. January 22, 2024. Archived from the original on February 5, 2024. Retrieved January 22, 2024.
11. "2024 Audie Award Winners". Audio Publishers Association. Archived from the original on March 8, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
12. "Dallas Soonias is bringing his A-game to Canada Reads for Jessica John's Bad Cree". CBC. February 26, 2024. Archived from the original on March 21, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
13. "2024 Alberta Literary Awards shortlists". Quill and Quire. April 25, 2024. Archived from the original on April 25, 2024. Retrieved April 25, 2024.

• 21st-century Canadian novelists
• 21st-century Canadian short story writers
• 21st-century Canadian women writers
• 21st-century First Nations writers
• First Nations novelists
• First Nations women writers
• Cree writers
• Writers from Alberta
• University of British Columbia alumni
• Living people
• MacEwan University alumni