Biography

Born in Mashteuiatsh, Marie-Andrée Gill is an Innu artist living in Petit-Saguenay. Author, poet, columnist, screenwriter, podcast host and teacher, she was named Saguenay-Lac-St-Jean Artist of the Year at the CALQ in 2020. She has published three books of poetry with La Peuplade, all of which won awards at the Salon du livre du Saguenay-Lac-Saint-Jean, and has taken part in a number of collective publications. Her book Béante (2012) was nominated for the Governor General’s Award for Poetry. She has engaged in screenplay writing, magazines and fanzines contributions, and contributed to a number of Quebec, Indigenous and international collective works. She also organizes writing residencies on the ancestral site of Mushuau-nipi and actively participates in various writing residencies, events, conferences and performances. She is also the producer and host of podcasts such as Laissez-nous raconter : l’histoire crochie (Let us tell the story: the crooked story). She has directed and collaborated on a number of programmes and films, including Je m’appelle humain (My name is human) by Kim O’Bomsawin. In 2019, she graduated from the Université du Québec à Chicoutimi with a master’s degree.

Marie-Andrée Gill’s body of work, delving into themes of identity identity, healing, intimacy and decolonisation, stands as a major contribution to Indigenous and Quebec literature. Her poetry is pure, raw and straightforward. Her Innu identity is evident in the power of the images conveyed in her words, as well as in her humor and love of the land. Her Quebecois identity is marked by the presence of a fully embraced popular culture, which she uses to decolonise poetry and make it accessible to a wider audience. Her texts narrate stories of everyday life that bring us back to the present, a precious gift so often neglected. In all their simplicity, humility and authenticity, these texts guide us back to the essentials, to small moments in daily life that, deep down, are the true source of happiness. Her view of the world renews the values of love in everyday life.

The texts presented here offer an affectionate perspective on the region and originate from various sources. Some were created during a residency at Centre Dare-Dare in Montreal in 2020, others are from the collective Les Femmes rapaillées (The Ragged Women) published by Mémoire d’encrier in 2016, and one is a previously unpublished text.