Joanne Arnott



Joanne Arnott (born 16 December 1960 in Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a Métis Canadian poet.

Life
Arnott lives in British Columbia with her family. She is a founding member of the Aboriginal Writers Collective West Coast, and The Aunties Collective. She has served on The Writers Union of Canada National Council (2009), The Writers Trust of Canada Authors Committee, and as jury member for the Governor General's Awards/Poetry (2011).

Writing
Arnott's works are intimate with an activist slant, exploring the issues faced by a mixed-race girl and woman in poverty, the family, danger, love and childbirth. She writes about these topics from personal experience, as a Métis and a mother of six. She has conducted workshops across much of Canada, and in Australia, including a recent series at the Carnegie Centre, sponsored by SFU.

Poetry

 * Wiles of Girlhood. Press Gang, 1991.
 * My Grass Cradle. Press Gang, 1992.
 * Steepy Mountain: love poetry. Kegedonce, 2004.
 * Mother Time: Poems New & Selected. Ronsdale, 2007.
 * Longing: Four poems on diverse matters (with Aaron Paquette). Rubicon, 2008.

Children's literature

 * Ma MacDonald (illustrated by Maryanne Barkhouse). Women's Press, 1993.

Non-fiction

 * Breasting the Waves: On Writing and Healing. Press Gang, 1995.