For
the sake of the fortieth anniversary of the writer-in-residence program (the
longest lasting of its kind in Canada) at the University of Alberta, I have
taken it upon myself to interview as many former University of Alberta
writers-in-residence as possible [see the ongoing list of writers here]. See the link to the entire series of interviews (updating weekly) here.
Richard Van Camp is a proud member of
the Dogrib (Tlicho) Nation from Fort Smith, Northwest Territories. He is the
author of two children’s books with the Cree artist George Littlechild: A Man Called Raven and What’s the Most
Beautiful Thing You Know About Horses? He has published a novel, The Lesser Blessed, which is now a
feature film with First Generation Films; his collections of short fiction
include Angel Wing Splash Pattern, The Moon of Letting Go and Other Stories, Godless but Loyal to Heaven and Night Moves. He is the author of
three baby books: Welcome Song for Baby:
A Lullaby for Newborns; Nighty Night: A Bedtime Song for Babies and Little You (now translated into Cree, Dene
and South Slavey!), and he has two comic books out with the Healthy
Aboriginal Network: Kiss Me Deadly
and Path of the Warrior. His graphic
novel, Three Feathers, is about
restorative justice; his new novel, Whistle,
is about mental health and asking for forgiveness and his graphic novel, The Blue Raven, is about mental health.
His latest graphic novel is A Blanket of
Butterflies and it’s about peacemaking where a grandmother is the hero of
the story. Cinematic adaptations of his work include “Mohawk Midnight Runners”,
by Zoe Hopkins based on Richard’s short story, “Dogrib Midnight Runners” from The Moon of Letting Go and “Hickey Gone
Wrong”, based on his comic book by Chris Auchter.
You
can visit Richard on Facebook, Twitter or at his website: www.richardvancamp.com
He
was writer-in-residence at the University of Alberta during the 2011-12
academic year.
Q:
When you began your residency, you’d been publishing books for nearly two
decades. Where did you feel you were in your writing? What did the opportunity
mean to you?
A:
At the time, I was new to Edmonton and it was my perfect welcome into the rich
writing community here in the city. I had the opportunity to work with writers
who’d been showing their work to the last dozen U of A Writers in Residence.
This is an incredible resource for anyone who is looking for support. I also
made friends during this time, one of whom is Leif Gregersen who astonishes me
to this day with his dedication to the craft of writing.
I
also took the job because I write so early in the morning that my day is
basically free and it’s important to get out of the house and out of your head
every once in a while.
I’m
also mid-career and feel that I’ve been so blessed to work with such fearless
publishers, editors and artists that it's time to give back and help nurture
artists, the same way I was at the En’owkin Centre, The University of Victoria
and UBC, where I received my Master’s Degree in Creative Writing.
I
love Edmonton and we are so proud to call this city—which is really like a big
town to me—our home.
I
want to take this opportunity to thank the English Department for all the
support they gave me at the time. To have an office with a brand new computer
and printer was delicious to my soul! :)
Q:
What do you feel your time as writer-in-residence at University of Alberta
allowed you to explore in your work? Were you working on anything specific
while there, or was it more of an opportunity to expand your repertoire?
A:
At the time, I was working on Godless but
Loyal to Heaven, my third short story collection, and my graphic novel, Three Feathers, which are both out now
and doing well.
I
was just so amazed at all the great writers out there. Edmonton has world class
writers and I am so very proud to have been included in the U of A Writer in
Residence tradition.
Invite
me back! I’d say, “Yes!” in a heartbeat.
Q:
How did you engage with students and the community during your residency?
A:
I was given a very cool office where students booked their time with me; I also
did a few class visits.
We
did a screening of our movie Mohawk
Midnight Runners when we were there and that was so fantastic.
Q:
What do you see as your biggest accomplishment while there? What had you been
hoping to achieve?
A:
The manuscripts that I was working on then are all now out or are coming out: Whistle, The Blue Raven, Wheetago War,
Three Feathers, A Blanket of Butterflies and Night
Moves, my new collection.
I
would love to come back as Writer in Residence. Grant MacEwan has so much going
for it and I love the energy there.
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