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| image = Writer Téa Mutonji.jpg | image = Writer Téa Mutonji.jpg
| caption = Mutonji in Toronto, October 11, 2022 | caption = Mutonji in Toronto, October 11, 2022
| birth_place = Democratic Republic of the Congo | birth_place = ]
| occupation = Author | occupation = Author
| alma_mater = University of Toronto Scarborough | alma_mater = ]
| notable_works = Shut Up You're Pretty | notable_works = Shut Up You're Pretty
}} }}
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== Early life == == Early life ==
Born in the ],<ref name="metro">. '']'', April 25, 2019.</ref> Mutonji came to Canada with her family when she was young and grew up in the ] district of ] and in ].<ref name=":0">Rachna Raj Kaur, . '']'', May 8, 2019.</ref> While living in ], she worked in the service industry.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=U of T Scarborough's Tea Mutonji wins the Ontario Creates Trillium Book Award|url=https://alumni.utoronto.ca/news-and-stories/news-and-articles/u-t-scarboroughs-tea-mutonji-wins-ontario-creates-trillium-book|access-date=2021-02-15|website=University of Toronto Alumni|language=en}}</ref> She then studied media studies and creative writing at the ],<ref name="carter" /> and planned to go to ] when she was selected as the first writer to be published by VS. Books, ]'s new Arsenal Pulp Press imprint for emerging writers of colour.<ref>Sue Carter, . '']'', December 11, 2017.</ref> Born in the ],<ref name="metro">. '']'', April 25, 2019.</ref> Mutonji came to Canada with her family when she was young and grew up in the ] district of ] and in ].<ref name=":0">Rachna Raj Kaur, . '']'', May 8, 2019.</ref> While living in ], she worked in the service industry.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|title=U of T Scarborough's Tea Mutonji wins the Ontario Creates Trillium Book Award|url=https://alumni.utoronto.ca/news-and-stories/news-and-articles/u-t-scarboroughs-tea-mutonji-wins-ontario-creates-trillium-book|access-date=2021-02-15|website=University of Toronto Alumni|language=en}}</ref> She then studied media studies and creative writing at the ],<ref name="carter" /> and planned to go to ] when she was selected as the first writer to be published by VS. Books, ]'s new Arsenal Pulp Press imprint for emerging writers of colour.<ref>Sue Carter, . '']'', December 11, 2017.</ref>


==Works== ==Works==
''Shut Up You're Pretty'', published in 2019, is a collection of linked short stories about a young girl's coming of age in Scarborough's Galloway neighbourhood.<ref name="metro" /> The novel centers around Loli and her experiences, which include, her moving from the ] to ], her sexual experiences, her grappling with gender roles, and issues revolving around poverty and consent.<ref name=":1" /> Mutonji wrote the novel in part to counter negative stereotypes of the neighbourhood with a narrative that depicted some of her own more positive experiences of having lived there.<ref name="metro" /> ''Shut Up You're Pretty'', published in 2019, is a collection of linked short stories about a young girl's coming of age in Scarborough's Galloway neighborhood.<ref name="metro" /> The novel centers around Loli and her experiences, which include, her moving from the ] to ], her sexual experiences, her grappling with gender roles, and issues revolving around poverty and consent.<ref name=":1" /> Mutonji wrote the novel in part to counter negative stereotypes of the neighbourhood with a narrative that depicted some of her own more positive experiences of having lived there.<ref name="metro" />


Currently, Mutonji is working on an anthology with Adrian De Leon and Natasha Ramoutar.  The anthology focuses on ] writing.<ref name=":0" /> Currently, Mutonji is working on an anthology with Adrian De Leon and Natasha Ramoutar.  The anthology focuses on ] writing.<ref name=":0" />
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Mutonji describes that being called pretty is not a compliment.<ref name=":2" />  It is offensive because it prioritizes women’s physical appearance and overshadows every other attribute a woman can be.<ref name=":2" />  Instead, Mutonji describes a shift that is happening where women demand that their character is looked at first.<ref name=":2" /> Mutonji describes that being called pretty is not a compliment.<ref name=":2" />  It is offensive because it prioritizes women’s physical appearance and overshadows every other attribute a woman can be.<ref name=":2" />  Instead, Mutonji describes a shift that is happening where women demand that their character is looked at first.<ref name=":2" />

== Accolades == == Accolades ==
Mutonji has received several major awards for her work, including:


⚫ In 2017, the Ontario Book Publishers Organization named Mutonji an emerging writer of the year.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Téa Mutonji {{!}} Writers' Trust of Canada|url=https://www.writerstrust.com/authors/tea-mutonji|access-date=2021-02-15|website=Téa Mutonji {{!}} Writers' Trust of Canada|language=en}}</ref>
⚫ * 2020 ] for debut fiction for ''Shut Up You're Pretty.''<ref>Samraweet Yohannes, . ], May 1, 2020.</ref>
⚫ * 2020 ] for ''Shut Up You're Pretty.''<ref>{{Cite web|title=2020 Trillium Book Award Winners|url=https://ontariocreates.ca/our-sectors/book/trillium-book-award/2020-trillium-book-award-winners|access-date=2020-10-19|website=Ontario Creates|language=en}}</ref>


In 2023 she was named one of the ten winners of the ], in a special edition devoted to ] writers.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2023-02-01 |title=Emerging black writers win the Journey Prize |url=https://thecaribbeancamera.com/emerging-black-writers-win-the-journey-prize/ |access-date=2024-10-01 |website=The Caribbean Camera |language=en-US}}</ref>
⚫ She was also named a finalist for the 2019 ].<ref>. ], September 24, 2019.</ref>  In 2017, the Ontario Book Publishers Organization named Mutonji an emerging writer of the year.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Téa Mutonji {{!}} Writers' Trust of Canada|url=https://www.writerstrust.com/authors/tea-mutonji|access-date=2021-02-15|website=Téa Mutonji {{!}} Writers' Trust of Canada|language=en}}</ref>


In 2023 she was named one of the ten winners of the ], in a special edition devoted to ] writers.<ref>. ''Caribbean Camera'', February 1, 2023.</ref> ''Shut Up You're Pretty'' was selected for the 2024 edition of '']'', where it was defended by actress ].<ref>, ], January 11, 2024.</ref>
{| class="wikitable sortable"
! Year
! Work
! Award
! Category
! Result
! Ref
|-
! rowspan="2" | 2019
| rowspan="3" | ''Shut Up You're Pretty''
| ]
| —
| {{sho}}
| <ref>. ], September 24, 2019.</ref>
|-
| ]
| ]
| {{won}}
⚫ | <ref>{{Cite web|title=2020 Trillium Book Award Winners|url=https://ontariocreates.ca/our-sectors/book/trillium-book-award/2020-trillium-book-award-winners|access-date=2020-10-19|website=Ontario Creates|language=en}}</ref>
|-
! 2020
| ]
| —
| {{won}}
⚫ | <ref>Samraweet Yohannes, . ], May 1, 2020.</ref>
|-
! 2023
| —
| ]
| —
| {{won}}
| <ref name=":3" />
|}
==Biblio==


* {{cite book |last=Mutonji |first=Téa |title=Shut Up You're Pretty |publisher=Arsenal Pulp Press |year=2019 |isbn=9781551527550 |author-mask=2}}
''Shut Up You're Pretty'' was selected for the 2024 edition of '']'', where it was defended by actress ].<ref>, ], January 11, 2024.</ref>


==References== ==References==

Revision as of 01:04, 1 October 2024

Canadian writer and poet
Téa Mutonji
Mutonji in Toronto, October 11, 2022Mutonji in Toronto, October 11, 2022
BornDemocratic Republic of the Congo
OccupationAuthor
Alma materUniversity of Toronto Scarborough
Notable worksShut Up You're Pretty

Téa Mutonji is a Canadian writer and poet, whose debut short story collection Shut Up You're Pretty was published in 2019.

Early life

Born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Mutonji came to Canada with her family when she was young and grew up in the Scarborough district of Toronto and in Oshawa. While living in Scarborough, she worked in the service industry. She then studied media studies and creative writing at the University of Toronto Scarborough, and planned to go to law school when she was selected as the first writer to be published by VS. Books, Vivek Shraya's new Arsenal Pulp Press imprint for emerging writers of colour.

Works

Shut Up You're Pretty, published in 2019, is a collection of linked short stories about a young girl's coming of age in Scarborough's Galloway neighborhood. The novel centers around Loli and her experiences, which include, her moving from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Canada, her sexual experiences, her grappling with gender roles, and issues revolving around poverty and consent. Mutonji wrote the novel in part to counter negative stereotypes of the neighbourhood with a narrative that depicted some of her own more positive experiences of having lived there.

Currently, Mutonji is working on an anthology with Adrian De Leon and Natasha Ramoutar.  The anthology focuses on Scarborough writing.

Themes

In an interview with CityNews, Mutonji stated that she writes from an "activist lens".

Mutonji describes that being called pretty is not a compliment.  It is offensive because it prioritizes women’s physical appearance and overshadows every other attribute a woman can be.  Instead, Mutonji describes a shift that is happening where women demand that their character is looked at first.

Accolades

In 2017, the Ontario Book Publishers Organization named Mutonji an emerging writer of the year.

In 2023 she was named one of the ten winners of the Journey Prize, in a special edition devoted to Black Canadian writers.

Shut Up You're Pretty was selected for the 2024 edition of Canada Reads, where it was defended by actress Kudakwashe Rutendo.

Year Work Award Category Result Ref
2019 Shut Up You're Pretty Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize — Shortlisted
Trillium Book Award English Prose Won
2020 Edmund White Award — Won
2023 — Journey Prize — Won

Biblio

References

  1. ^ Sue Carter, "Vivek Shraya's book imprint launches with Scarborough author Tea Mutonji". Toronto Star, April 12, 2019.
  2. ^ "'Galloway was amazing': Toronto author's short-story collection gives readers another view of Scarborough". Metro Morning, April 25, 2019.
  3. ^ Rachna Raj Kaur, "Téa Mutonji adds an incisive coming-of-age tale to Scarborough's literary canon". Now, May 8, 2019.
  4. ^ "U of T Scarborough's Tea Mutonji wins the Ontario Creates Trillium Book Award". University of Toronto Alumni. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  5. Sue Carter, "Téa Mutonji selected as first writer under Vivek Shraya's VS. imprint with Arsenal Pulp". Quill & Quire, December 11, 2017.
  6. ^ "Writers' Trust finalist Tea Mutonji on the ugly side of 'pretty'". CityNews. November 1, 2019.
  7. "Téa Mutonji | Writers' Trust of Canada". Téa Mutonji | Writers' Trust of Canada. Retrieved 2021-02-15.
  8. ^ "Emerging black writers win the Journey Prize". The Caribbean Camera. 2023-02-01. Retrieved 2024-10-01.
  9. "Meet the Canada Reads 2024 contenders", CBC Books, January 11, 2024.
  10. "André Alexis, Michael Crummey shortlisted for $50K Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize". CBC Books, September 24, 2019.
  11. "2020 Trillium Book Award Winners". Ontario Creates. Retrieved 2020-10-19.
  12. Samraweet Yohannes, "Téa Mutonji and Kai Cheng Thom among winners of 2020 Publishing Triangle Awards for LGBTQ literature". CBC Books, May 1, 2020.
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