April 19, 2018

On April 25 at 7 p.m., Daniel Heath Justice will launch his new book, Why Indigenous Literatures Matter, at Glad Day Bookshop in Toronto (499 Church St.). In addition, he is slated to take part in discussions with students and the public at Wilfrid Laurier University on its Waterloo campus on April 23 at 6:30 p.m.

Detailed information is available online for the Toronto launch as well as for the Laurier event.

Currently a bestseller in Canadian non-fiction, Why Indigenous Literatures Matter is an evocative and stirring affirmation of Indigenous literatures and authors. The book is at the top of the Amazon’s Hot New Releases list as Justice begins a North American tour of literary festivals and campuses.

“Why Indigenous Literatures Matter prompts readers to rethink their assumptions about Indigenous literatures, history, and politics, and to consider the important work of Indigenous writers in nurturing, restoring, and establishing imaginative kinship with the world,” said Lisa Quinn, director of Wilfrid Laurier University Press (WLU Press). “In so doing, Justice invites new audiences to Indigenous literary criticism while offering seasoned readers a renewed appreciation for these transformative literary works and traditions.”

Daniel Heath Justice (Cherokee Nation) is a professor of First Nations and Indigenous Studies and English at the University of British Columbia, where he holds the Canada Research Chair in Indigenous Literature and Expressive Culture. He has published widely in the field of Indigenous literary studies, and his critical and creative work focuses on issues of Indigenous being, belonging, and other-than-human kinship.

Why Indigenous Literatures Matter is the latest in a line of successful volumes in the WLU Press Indigenous Studies series over the past year. Working with series editor Deanna Reder (Cree-Métis), associate professor in the Department of First Nations Studies and English at Simon Fraser University, the Press encourages scholarship and develops critical conversations about Indigenous peoples in North America. The series includes The Homing Place: Indigenous and Settler Literary Legacies of the Atlantic, by Rachel Bryant; Violence Against Indigenous Women: Literature, Activism, Resistance, by Allison Hargreaves; and the literary anthology Read, Listen, Tell: Indigenous Stories from Turtle Island, edited by Sophie McCall and others.

Following the launch in Toronto on April 25, Justice will appear on The Next Chapter with Shelagh Rogers. Following his Ontario appearances, Justice is to speak at festivals and campuses in Canada and the U.S. in the coming months.

About WLU Press

Founded in 1974, WLU Press has established a reputation for excellence in scholarly publishing in the areas of history, literature, sociology, social work, life writing, environmental humanities, film and media studies, Indigenous studies, women’s studies, and religious studies. A division of the Laurier Library system, WLU Press publishes 25-30 titles a year and has over 700 titles in print.