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• As I Enfold You in Petals (by Richard Van Camp (Author), Scott B. Henderson (Illustrator), Donovan Yaciuk (Colorist), Nickolej Villiger (Letterer)) - 2023 HighWater Press, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
• Roth (by Richard Van Camp (Author), Christopher Shy (Illustrator)) - 2024 Renegade Arts Entertainment, Canmore, Alberta, Canada
• Beast - 2025 Douglas & McIntyre, Madeira Park, BC, Canada

• Richard Van Camp website - https://richardvancamp.com/

  Richard Van Camp is a proud member of the Dogrib (Tłı̨chǫ) Nation from Fort Smith, NWT, Canada.

  Photo credit William Au

  He is a graduate of the En’owkin International School of Writing, the University of Victoria’s Creative Writing BFA Program, and the Master’s Degree in Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia.
  He is an internationally renowned storyteller and best-selling author. His novel, The Lesser Blessed, is now a movie with First Generation Films and premiered in September of 2012 at the Toronto International Film Festival. He is the author of five collections of short stories, six baby books, three children’s books, five comics and much more.
  Awards
  2023
  A recipient of the Order of the Northwest Territories.

  2021
  The Blue Metropolis First Peoples Literary Prize at the 2021 Blue Metropolis Festival for Moccasin Square Gardens
  and Richard’s literary career so far.
  2021

  CODE Burt Award for First Nations, Inuit and Metis Young Adult Literature
  Winner English Language Category: Moccasin Square Gardens
  2016
  Nominated for the Eisner Award for Best Single Issue for A Blanket of Butterflies
  2015
  R. Ross Arnett Award for Children’s Literature for
  Little You
  2013
  Georges Bugnet award for Godless but Loyal to Heaven (Enfield & Wizenty)
  2012
  Northern Journal’s “News-maker of the Year”
  Up Here Magazine’s “Northerner of the Year”
  2006 – 2007
  Wordcraft Storyteller of the Year for “The Greatest Storytelling in Canada and the US” at the annual Returning the Gift conference held at Michigan State University by the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers
  2001
  Jugendileraturpries Award, the highest award for a translation awarded by the German government for The Lesser Blessed (Translated by Ulrich Plezdorf)
  1999 – 2000
  Canadian Children’s Book Center “Our Choice” recommended list For What’s the Most Beautiful Thing You Know About Horses
  1999
  Writer of the Year Award for Children’s Literature by the Wordcraft Circle of Native Writers and Storytellers for A Man Called Raven
  1997
  Canadian Authors Association Air Canada Award, honoring a young (under 30) Canadian writer deemed to show the most promise for the future in the field of literary creation
  Nominations
  2013
  Finalist for the Western Magazine for the short story “Devotion”
  2010
  ReLit Award for The Moon of Letting Go
  Western Magazine Award, nominated by Prairie Fire for the short story “Dypthia”

• Wikipedia -

  Richard Van Camp

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  From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  Richard Van Camp
  ONWT
  Born October 8, 1971 (age 54)
  Occupation Writer, professor
  Language English
  Nationality Dogrib (Tlicho) Nation
  Notable works The Lesser Blessed (1996)
  Website
  richardvancamp.com
  Richard Van Camp ONWT (born September 8, 1971)[1] is a Dogrib Tłı̨chǫ writer of the Dene nation from Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Canada.[2][3] He is best known for his 1996 novel The Lesser Blessed, which was adapted into a film by director Anita Doron in 2012.[2]

  Life and work
  Van Camp attended the En'owkin International School of Writing and University of Victoria's Creative Writing BFA Program, and received a Master's Degree in Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia. He teaches creative writing with an aboriginal focus at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver and teaches creative writing and storytelling at the Emily Carr Institute. Van Camp works with Musqueam First Nations youth with the Musqueaum Youth Project.[4]

  Van Camp began his career as an intern on the writing staff of the television series North of 60, produced by the CBC. He was also a CBC script and cultural consultant for four seasons.[5] He has published several short story collections. Most of his work is set in the community of Fort Simmer, a fictionalization of his hometown.[2] He has also published children's books, poetry and educational graphic novels.[6] He worked with the Healthy Aboriginal Network to create and edit graphic novels.[7] Van Camp's writing has been influenced by the tradition of oral storytelling. He has stated:

  "I need oral storytelling in my life as a listener because I'm always filtering the pauses, the slang, the rockabilly of pacing, the delivery. When I listen to a master storyteller or someone just sharing a story, I'm studying how they're talking and how they're standing, and what the pitch is in their voice. I can sometimes take their techniques and put them into a story."[8]

  Van Camp was the first Dogrib writer to publish a novel. At 24 he published The Lesser Blessed, which was later adapted for film and released in 2012. One of Van Camp's short stories, "Dogrib Midnight Runners", was re-imagined as a film directed by Zoe Leigh Hopkins called Mohawk Midnight Runners. The film was released in 2013 through Big Soul Productions. The story appears in Van Camp's short story collection The Moon Letting Go (2013). In 2018, his novella When We Play Our Drums, They Sing was published alongside Monique Gray Smith's Lucy & Lola in the compilation The Journey Forward.[9] The book was named as a shortlisted finalist for the Burt Award for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Literature. His short fiction collection, Moccasin Square Gardens, was published in 2019.[10]

  In June 2014 Van Camp was announced as a juror for the NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature. His finalist nominee was Little You artist Julie Flett. Van Camp was the 2017 Edmonton Metro Libraries writer in residence.[5]

  Van Camp was awarded the R. Ross Arnett Award for Children's Literature for his children's book Little You.[11] He was also the winner of the 2013 and 2020 Georges Bugnet Award for Fiction for his short story collections Godless but Loyal to Heaven and Moccasin Square Gardens, respective.[12] Van Camp was shortlisted for the ReLit Award for Short Fiction in 2010 for The Moon of Letting Go, in 2016 for Night Moves, and in 2020 for Moccasin Square Gardens.[13]

  Personal life
  Van Camp is half Dogrib through his mother and half white through his father.[14][15] As of 2023, Van Camp was based in Edmonton, Canada with his wife and child.[16]

  Awards and honours
  Literary awards
  2013 Georges Bugnet Award for Fiction, Godless but Loyal to Heaven[17]
  2015 R. Ross Arnett Award for Children's Literature, Little You[18]
  2020 Georges Bugnet Award for Fiction, Moccasin Square Gardens[19]
  Honours
  2022 Member of the Order of the Northwest Territories
  Works
  Novels
  The Lesser Blessed (Douglas & McIntyre, 1996)
  Whistle (Pearson Canada, 2015)
  Beast (Douglas & McIntyre, 2024)
  Novella
  When We Play Our Drums, They Sing! (2018)
  Short story collections
  Angel Wing Splash Pattern (Kegedonce Press, 2002)
  Godless but Loyal to Heaven (Enfield & Wizenty, 2013)
  The Moon of Letting Go (Enfield & Wizenty, 2010)
  Night Moves (Enfield & Wizenty, 2015)
  Moccasin Square Gardens (2019)
  Short Stories
  "Scariest. Story. Ever." in Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology (2023)[20]
  Children's literature
  A Man Called Raven (Lee & Low Books, 1997)
  What's the Most Beautiful Thing You Know About Horses? (Children's Book Press, 2003)
  Welcome Song for Baby (Orca Books, 2007)
  Blessing Wendy (Orca Books, 2008)
  Nighty Night (McKellar & Martin, 2012)
  Little You (Orca Books, 2013)
  We Sang You Home (Orca Books, 2016)
  Kiss by Kiss (Orca Books, 2018)
  May We Have Enough to Share (Orca Books, 2019)
  Graphic novels
  Path of the Warrior (Healthy Aboriginal Network, 2010)
  Kiss Me Deadly (Healthy Aboriginal Network, 2011)
  Three Feathers (Portage & Main Press, 2015)
  A Blanket of Butterflies (Portage & Main Press, 2015)
  The Blue Raven (Pearson Canada, 2015)
  Spirit (South Slave Divisional Education Council, 2015)
  Roth (Renegade Arts Entertainment, 2024)

• Edmonton Arts Council website - https://www.edmontonarts.ca/blog/i-am-yeg-arts-richard-van-camp

  I Am YEG Arts: Richard Van Camp
  May 23, 2024

  Richard Van Camp, photo by William Au
  Internationally renowned storyteller and best-selling author, Richard Van Camp was born and raised in Fort Smith, NWT and is a proud member of the Dogrib (Tłı̨chǫ) Nation. A prolific and masterful storyteller, the ​“songbird of Old Strathcona” is the author of 30 books in 30 years. In this week’s I Am YEG Arts story, Richard tells us about second chances, his latest works exploring the darker side, and how at 52 he’s having the best time yet in his career.

  Click here to listen to Richard introduce himself in his own words.

  So, last night [May 16], you got to experience a special show?

  We were out until 11:30 pm at the Mission UK show at the Starlite Room.

  When I was 17, my parents said, ​“We have to go to Calgary for your Grade 12. You’re leaving your community. We’re going back to university.” I went kicking and screaming. I said, ​“I’m going to live in James Croizier’s basement. We’ll eat out of cans. I’ll shower once a week. You guys go to Calgary. Because everyone I’ve ever known, I’ve known since kindergarten…and there are a few people I want to make out with (yeah right – I wish! ;))” They said, ​“You know what they have in Calgary, Richard? They have McDonald’s.” I said, ​“We better pack our bags now. I’ll help.”

  So we moved to Calgary for one year. My parents go back to university. It was the greatest year. One of the greatest years of my entire life, because 1989 was when the Mission UK came out with God’s Own Medicine. And Floodland by the Sisters of Mercy; U2’s Rattle and Hum; Depeche Mode, Violator; The Cure, Disintegration; and the Cult was touring with Metallica.

  My first job was at McDonald’s for $4.20 an hour. So I got my learners, got my drivers. I made really good friends with Marco de Hoogh, who lives in Calgary — a great writer. Then I worked at the Stadium Keg for $4.50 an hour plus tips. It was just fantastic. It was cash on the dash every night.

  After that year, we go back to Fort Smith and I stay in touch with Marco de Hoogh and a bunch of other friends. Marco was from the Netherlands and he asked, ​“How would you like to come back to my country?” I saved up all my money and my dad lent me his credit card. I didn’t understand the Euro, and I ended up paying all the time for everybody. I got carried away; I’ll admit it now. Looking back, it was not the most astute decision-making of my time. It was a fabulous two weeks.

  Let me just put it this way; when I woke up and went for a coffee, half the town was thanking me for the night before, like, ​“Brother, the lobster tails; the sirloins; the shawarma. What a night! Canadians rule!”

  You travel the world and you come back and you’re never the same because you have seen new architecture, new food, and discovered new freedoms. You become a child of the world, a child of the universe. We can’t just work our whole lives. We’ve got to make new friends and experience the beauty of life and new lands.

  When I came back, I was on fire. Everybody knew it. ​“What is going on with Van Camp? He’s doing cartwheels down Main Street and he’s waking up in a handstand every day. He’s unstoppable. He’s undroppable.” So I get the Edmonton Journal, this has got to be 1991/92 and I go, ​“Oh my God, on top of everything I’ve just experienced, the Mission UK is going to Edmonton! Hey, Dad, give me that Visa.” He looked at me and said, ​“You’re not going anywhere. You spent so much money my colon is actually in spasm. You’re going to work and pay me back and save for college.” I just felt my heavenly wings snap, it actually hurt my heart. It was a childhood-ender wing-snapper. He was right, it was thousands of dollars. It took me forever to pay him back.

  But deep down inside, I was like, ​“I can’t believe I didn’t see the Mission UK.” Well, now I’m 52 and a couple of months ago on Facebook it said the Mission UK was coming and my wife bought me tickets. They were supposed to be at a different venue, but they ended up in the Starlite Room and I went with my best friend, Richard Mercredi.

  When the Mission took the stage, they said, ​“You know what, we’ve got colds, but we’re with friends. We’re a long way from home, let’s make this fantastic.” And they had so much fun. They got actually goofy with it. I think it was just goofy with joy, sometimes it’s the crowd that carries you to your highest self — we reached a communion last night together and that’s what I love about Edmonton.

  It was a night I didn’t know I needed. Sometimes you don’t know the medicine that you need until you get there and you’re like, ​“This is my fantasy come true.”

  Forthcoming October 2024 release: "Roth". Written by Richard Van Camp, illustrated by Christopher Shy

  Forthcoming October 2024 release: "Beast" by Richard Van Camp

  Cover of "The Spirit of Denendeh: As I Enfold You in Petals" by Richard Van Camp

  Tell us more about what makes Edmonton special to you.

  I was talking to somebody the other day who was walking her dog. We ended up walking together for 15 minutes and she says ​“This happens all the time. This would not happen in Toronto, Vancouver or Montréal.” If somebody were to come up and start talking to you elsewhere, usually people would reach for their phone and say, ​“Hey, sorry, I’ve got a call. I’m busy.”

  I think that Edmonton is a very affordable place to live. It’s a place where you can raise your family. You can buy a home. I think that in other cities people are so stressed financially that everybody has a side hustle. It’s its own quiet hell. Here you can relax. I find Edmonton is a city filled with kindness. Everybody is always up for a good story. Like when I go to Save On every day, I gotta see my friends. I’m an extrovert, I gotta pollinate the flowers. The stories I tell at check out and in the aisles to everybody who works there — it’s a giggle fest.

  Edmonton is rich in kindness. I find people look out for each other here. The bike lanes make it very easy to visit. Anytime that my chain pops, I usually have somebody stop and offer to help me because I’m obviously feeble and pitiful. Like ​“The Creator hasn’t given that guy a whole heck of a lot to work with.” So, I’m just grateful every day that we live in Edmonton. I can do my best work because we live here.

  You’ve written about the joy of storytelling and stories as medicine in Indigenous culture. Did you always want to pursue storytelling?

  I was born in 1971 and I spent the first 18 years of my life in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories. Except for a couple of years when I had to come down to Calgary because my parents went back to the University of Calgary for their degrees. Those were wonderful years, but nothing beats home.

  Growing up, I was always a pen and ink artist. I had probably 80 sketchbooks filled with drawings. Somewhere along the way, I noticed that my titles were getting longer. I was putting more thought into the titles of my drawings than the actual art, and then after a while, the titles started to go three or four times around the actual drawings.

  In college, I met a professor named Ron Klassen at Aurora College, who started reading my short stories and my poetry. I was in Yellowknife in those days, going to college and I was studying land claims and Ron Klassen realized quite quickly that he had met a writer. He could see the writer in me long before I could. I remember one day when we were getting close to graduating from this Native Management Studies class at Aurora College. He pulled me aside and just said, ​“Don’t give your life to politics. You’re a writer, I can see it.” I’d already started writing music reviews and book reviews. I had a little radio show called Malcolm and Henry’s Hour of Power at the local radio station. And I was just bursting with pop culture and my love for all things music and comic books and graphic novels. And you know, sometimes you need someone to pull you aside and say, ​“Don’t give your life to this.”

  He told me about the En’owkin International School of Writing for Indigenous students. There was an anthology that the En’owkin Centre put out once a year called Gathering. He had the first three issues of this anthology and he said, ​“Go home, read these and if this speaks to your heart, let’s get you to the college.” I went home and I devoured all three volumes. And I said, This is me. These are my people. This is our town. This is our language. This is our slang. This is our humour. I gotta get to the mothership.” And so, we wrote a letter.

  That was really where I found my voice as a storyteller and writer. And then I went off to the University of Victoria, I got my bachelor’s there. And then I went off to UBC, I got my master’s there. I sold the Lesser Blessed in my third year at the University of Victoria, and it changed my life forever. I’ve been a published author since 1996. I’ve been able to put out basically a book a year, so we have 30 books out these past 30 years and I’m living my wildest dreams.

  Tell us about your approach to working in many different genres.

  I think the biggest mistake English teachers in Canada make is to stand up and say, ​“If you want to be a writer, you got to make a choice: you’re either going to write prose so it’s fiction and nonfiction, or you’re going to write poetry. And if you write poetry, you’re going to have a hard life.” We received that speech in Grade 8. That’s just so sad because great poetry is so beautiful.

  When I went to the En’owkin International School of Writing what I really learned and realized is the story is the boss. When you are chosen for a story, you, as a disciple of the craft of writing, get to decide and really listen. Robert Creeley said, ​“Form should echo content.” I mean this respectfully with absolute humility: What does this story want to be? What does it deserve to be? Does it want to be a children’s book, a lullaby, a poem or a novella? Does it want to be a short story, a novel, a graphic novel? Does it want to be a play? Does it want to be a tweet? How can I serve the story? That’s how I’ve approached my craft.

  And so people say, ​“You write in every genre.” I think I listen in every genre and have honoured every story that has chosen me; that I’ve called and prayed and begged for. I’ve been very lucky to find the 13 publishers that I work with who really understand that there’s no genre that we shouldn’t approach to best serve this story.

  This is a craft and at the end of the day when you look at your books, you have to know in your heart that you have entered a new terrain. You did everything you possibly could to tell this story and honour this story. And I always say, ​“Every time you publish a book, you’re firing an arrow of light into the world.” You never know where it’s going to end up, and sometimes your biggest fans never tell you that maybe one of your short stories saved their life or one of your short stories helped them leave an abusive relationship or move schools for their child, who is being heavily bullied. You don’t know the full impact, you just have to show up every day and trust open-hearted ready to serve.

  Bonus content: Click here to listen to Richard share how he got into writing graphic novels.

  You’ve said before that you’re now at a stage in life in which you can comfortably share what you have. Can you tell us about this mentality and how it influences your role as a mentor and educator?

  I love everything that I’m doing and the best part of my life now, professionally, is that I get to mentor and I’m really proud to be able to help other writers who I can see have talent. I’m the Ron Klassen and I’m the one who says, ​“Don’t give your life to this.”

  When I was teaching at UBC, I had the opportunity to teach with Maureen Medved. She wrote The Tracey Fragments, which is one of my favourite books. It’s an incredible and brutal book. I think about it all the time. And I asked her one day, ​“How do you do it all? How do you write and teach? How do you craft? How do you mentor?” And Maureen said, ​“Richard, your students will always bring out the best in you. Your students will keep you on your toes because they want what you’ve got.”

  That’s what mentoring is like in a way, because again, back to the Ron Klassen ability and agility of being able to see and read talent. It inspires me to work with somebody and go, ​“You are so good at what you do. Where did you come from? You’re this Holy Ghost.” And then it kind of gets me going, ​“Well, I better up my game if this is the new voice that’s coming out of left field, I’m going to get back to this big mothership of mine, hone it and make it even more magnificent.”

  When a great author passes, I love when the tributes to them include that they pressed other author’s manuscripts into their publishers’ hands, saying, ​“You’ve got to publish this writer; this voice needs nurturing.” I want to be remembered as somebody who helped launch several careers.

  Tell us about your current projects and what’s coming up next for you.

  Well, I’m really excited about October because we have Beast coming out with Douglas and McIntyre. It’s the biggest novel I’ve ever written. It’s a young adult spiritual thriller. It’s about three teenagers who are taking on an ancient darkness, one is Tłı̨cho Denę, one is Cree, and one is Métis, and it’s again set in 1986. I’m so excited about this novel and the other is Wheetago War: ROTH, that’s about a father who’s been bitten by a wheetago. He’s holding rat root, which is one of our most powerful medicines, and he knows if he lets this root go, he will turn full wheetago. And he doesn’t want to do that. So he has to save his family and he has to trust these convicts who have escaped out of jail because of a wheetago attack and they need to trust each other as he starts to heal and grow.

  I have a completely revolting, disgusting boundary-pushing short story called Mouthless that’s in the new horror anthology by Kegedonce. That’ll be out in October as well. For some reason I’ve chosen the path of darkness this year. I’m really excited that I have a story in the anthology Never Whistle at Night called ​“Scariest Story Ever.” I really crossed the line with that one, I’ve actually asked my wife never to read it.

  We just finished a beautiful movie with stop motion puppets with Amanda Strong with the National Film Board, Inkwo For When the Starving Return. Inkwo in our language means medicine. The National Film Board will put that movie online for free.

  I’m just over the moon with everything we’re doing. It’s a great time to be alive despite everything that’s happening. I think pop culture will never let you down. I love Edmonton and I’m living proof that this is the city of kindness and I’m really grateful to live here. I love the arts community, Edmonton’s comic scene, I just love the pop culture scene here. It’s so vibrant and I really can’t wait to see what’s going to happen next, whether it’s comic books, literature or movie making. The best part about being an artist now with everything that’s happening is you never know what’s going to happen next with your career. It could be an email; it could be a tweet. When people see that you’re doing your best and that you’re trying your best to mentor and help, the world can be very gracious and giving.

  I’m having a lot of fun at 52. I can’t remember a time I’ve ever been more grateful to be alive. I’m so grateful to be a father, husband, son, brother, mentor and friend.

  About Richard Van Camp

  Richard Van Camp is a proud member of the Dogrib (Tłı̨chǫ) Nation from Fort Smith, NWT, Canada.

  He is a graduate of the En’owkin International School of Writing, the University of Victoria’s Creative Writing BFA Program, and the Master’s Degree in Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia.

  He is an internationally renowned storyteller and best-selling author. His novel, The Lesser Blessed, is now a movie with First Generation Films and premiered in September of 2012 at the Toronto International Film Festival. He is the author of five collections of short stories, six baby books, three children’s books, five comics and much more. His forthcoming novels Wheetago War: ROTH and novel Beast will be available later this year in October.

• Quill & Quire - https://quillandquire.com/authors/richard-van-camp-on-his-hope-for-the-spirit-of-denendeh/

  Richard Van Camp on his hope for The Spirit of Denendeh

  Richard Van Camp, a Dogrib Tłı̨chǫ writer of the Dene nation from Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, is the author of 26 books. His love for comic books began with Issue 13 of Warlord. A Blanket of Butterflies, originally published in 2015, about the experiences of Indigenous and Japanese-Canadian people during the Second World War, now with revised illustrations, is the first book of the graphic novel trilogy series, The Spirit of Denendeh.

  What inspired this new edition of The Spirit of Denendeh: A Blanket of Butterflies?
  I did have a bit of a mandate. Growing up in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, I was very much a child of the 1980s. But deep inside, I always had this anger and frustration and concern. My personal agenda with A Blanket of Butterflies was to illustrate our 10 Dene laws. I also wanted to honour the Deline prophet [Louis] Ayah. Ayah passed in 1940, and the detonation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki happened years later, so he never got to see his worst nightmare come true. The uranium from the Port Radium and Rayrock mines in the Northwest Territories was instrumental in the detonation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Ayah warned us that we must never help the white people when they come North looking for the black eggs in the earth because they are going to put them in birds that never have to flap their wings and those birds are going to fly to the other side of the world where the sun goes at night when we sleep. They are going to drop two black eggs on people who look just like us and there is going to be a fire so bright it leaves only their shadows and what’s left of their homes. We’re complicit in those detonations because we didn’t listen to our own prophet. I wanted to tell a visually compelling story, but I also wanted to illustrate the legacy [of what happens] when you don’t listen to your own prophets.

  What are you hoping young people gain from this book?
  I’m 50 years old, and I’m still starving to see Northerners in literature and comic books. And I just hope that The Spirit of Denendeh and this series inspire a whole new generation of writers, storytellers, or artists. I’m proud that this is set in my hometown of Fort Smith, I’m so proud that these characters look like us. I want the world to know how beautiful we are as Northerners and Indigenous people.

  A Blanket of Butterflies shows the links between trauma and violence. Why was it important for you to also show healing and redemption?
  I’m continuously thinking about what it would take to weaken certain men with sweetness. What would it take to turn an evil, wicked man’s heart? The beauty of The Spirit of Denendeh is you get to follow Benny the Bank knowing it was his granddaughter, as she was dying from cancer, who made him promise to be a good man and turn his life around. This is about a grandfather’s promise to a little girl who isn’t here anymore but who has come back in spirit. That’s a pretty wicked, wounded place to begin a trilogy from.

  My mom went to residential schools. She was stolen when she was five, she went to two different residential schools for 12 years. We’re still living in the shadow of those murderous machines. Benny knowingly milked that trauma and made a fortune as a bootlegger and now is starting to understand. These characters [in A Blanket of Butterflies] are descendants of survivors and the many who didn’t make it back. The book is about what you would do if you suddenly saw the full scope of your life and realized you weren’t always this way and it’s never too late to change. Benny is a symbol for everyone who has come up north and stolen, milked, or benefitted from the pain and trauma of residential schools and the culture of extinguishment that the Canadian government carried out against Indigenous people. Maybe a wicked man will read this and turn their life around. That’s my prayer.

  This interview has been edited and condensed.

• CBC - https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/the-lesser-blessed-among-books-banned-from-alberta-schools-1.7624898

  Q+A: Tłı̨chǫ author 'honoured' to have been on Alta. list of banned books
  Richard Van Camp’s The Lesser Blessed was among hundreds of books deemed too explicit for some schools
  CBC News · Posted: Sep 04, 2025 10:38 AM EDT | Last Updated: September 4

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  Man in hide, beaded vest stands outside. Arms crossed, smiles at camera.
  Richard Van Camp’s The Lesser Blessed was among hundreds of books deemed too explicit to be on school shelves in Alberta. He says it's an honour. (William Au)
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  An N.W.T. author is among those with books that had been slated to be pulled from shelves in some Alberta school libraries.

  The Alberta government has hit pause now, but last month ordered school libraries to ban books with sexually explicit content by Oct. 1. That prompted the Edmonton school board to make a list banning more than 200 books, including Forever by Judy Blume, The Color Purple by Alice Walker, and The Lesser Blessed by Tłı̨chǫ author Richard Van Camp.

  His novel is set in the fictional town of Fort Simmer, but is based around the true lived experiences of those in the N.W.T. — Van Camp himself is from Fort Smith — and doesn't shy away from telling hard truths through fiction.

  The Alberta government has since paused the ban, but said Tuesday it would be issuing new rules soon.

  Before the pause was announced Tuesday, Trailbreaker host Shannon Scott spoke with Van Camp about the book ban and being included on the Edmonton school board's list.

  This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

  When you found out that your book made this Edmonton school board list, what was your reaction?

  I was honoured. I was over the moon. I love being banned, Shannon. It's the best. The Lesser Blessed has been challenged and banned for almost 30 years.

  Tell me about that reaction. Why does it please you so much to be on a banned list?

  Well, first of all, how we find anything out these days is all your rowdy cousins start texting you, 'congratulations, you made the list,' and so the United Conservative Party of Alberta sent a list of requisites that they asked the Edmonton Public School Board (EPSB) to find and filter out over 200 books.

  And so EPSB said, 'Well, alright, if you given us the prereqs for books, we're going to pull 200 of the greatest books ever written,' and Richard Van Camp's The Lesser Blessed included.

  I'm in there with Atwood, I'm in there with The Godfather, you name it — the best of the best, baby.

  The key here is not to pay this any mind. Definitely be outraged. It's a national embarrassment that this is happening. But I sure love that the Edmonton Public School Board knew exactly what they were doing.

  Isaac Asimov said any book worth banning is a book worth reading.

  Stephen King said when books are banned from school libraries, run to your public library or the nearest bookstore and read what it is your elders don't want you to know.

  Alberta premier says new order banning school library books with sexual content coming soon
  The Handmaid's Tale among more than 200 books to be pulled at Edmonton public schools
  I'm really proud of The Lesser Blessed. I stand by the novel. I love it when it gets challenged because I always want to know why.

  I can back it up and say, 'Well, did you know about residential schools?'

  This novel speaks to the shadow that we're still under. Look at all the shadows that we're still under because of residential schools. Look at all the fallout we're still in. This novel gave voice to that.

  So anyone wants to go, let's go. Toe-to-toe, baby, let's go.

  This story does include sexual and graphic content. Why was it important for you to include those scenes in the book?

  The Lesser Blessed was originally supposed to go to a smaller publishing house.

  And I remember meeting an editor and she just said, 'Listen, I read your novel and wow, whoa, hey, listen, you got to take out all the sex and the drugs and all the rock'n'roll. That's just not going to fly.'

  And I just thought, there's probably two pages left that aren't sex, drugs and rock'n'roll. And that's when I knew that I was definitely not in the right room with the right editor and the right publisher.

  So to all the writers out there, you know, don't hold back. Share your truth. Share your courage. Expose the poison that's happening in your inheritance and in your family and in your communities.

  Don't ever hold back, because that courage is what readers respect.

  I'm sure you've been in this situation, Shannon, where you were reading up, you were reading well above where you should have been because you loved it.

  And I mean, that's the beauty of reading. You get to live all these lives. You get to be a part of all these universes.

  Does having your book and others potentially being pulled from schools worry you at all?

  No.

  Book banning is never good in any way, right? I'm completely against that. But I think you can bet Edmonton Public Libraries is going to have all 200 of these books ready to go for anybody, no questions asked.

  We live in a digital age. You know, kids can buy it on their phone. They can listen to the audiobooks on Audible.

  You can't stop the people from what they want and what they deserve. You can't stop them. And in fact, I think what EPSB's strategy was, 'Not only are these 200 phenomenal books that everyone should be reading, I think that this will get people reading those 200 books.' This is exactly the backlash that the UCP deserve.

  With files from Shannon Scott

Van Camp, Richard A BLANKET OF BUTTERFLIES HighWater Press (Teen None) $21.95 9, 6 ISBN: 978-1-77492-040-4

When a Japanese man comes to Canada to claim his family's samurai armor, he finds healing and peace with a Tłı̨chǫ Dene family.

In a museum in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, Shinobu, a man from Nagasaki, has arrived to take a suit of samurai armor back to his family. Unfortunately, the museum's old manager gambled the sword away to a man known as Benny the Bank. With the guidance of Sonny, a Tłı̨chǫ boy, he finds Benny's place but is attacked and knocked unconscious. Sonny brings him back to his grandmother's house, and together, with the help of a spirit, he and Ehtsi heal Shinobu's wounds. After getting to know each other and sharing stories of their respective cultures and connected histories, Ehtsi suggests going together to retrieve the sword peacefully. Van Camp (Dogrib Tłı̨chǫ) was inspired by an actual suit of samurai armor of mysterious provenance at the Northern Life Museum. This is a striking colorized version of his 2015 original. The story and messages of honor, respect, peace, and human connection are powerful and moving. Touching on the impacts of the Second World War on First Nations communities and their link to the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, an author's note and two notes from experts in the fields of history and museum education add valuable cultural and historical insights to support the story.

A powerful, visually impactful story of cross-culture relations. (Graphic fiction. 14-adult)

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2022 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Van Camp, Richard: A BLANKET OF BUTTERFLIES." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Aug. 2022. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A713722824/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=0efe1be4. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.

Van Camp, Richard AS I ENFOLD YOU IN PETALS HighWater Press (Teen None) $23.95 4, 25 ISBN: 9781774920411

Notorious bootlegger Benny the Bank and his crew return in a story about connecting with TÅı̨chÇ« Dene heritage and reckoning with personal and community struggles.

It's Benny's birthday, and whoever can impress him will receive a significant sum of money. Curtis, a young man who recently returned to Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, after six weeks in rehab, surprises Benny by returning his lost watch to him. Curtis found it in the forest while fighting fires. Desperate to change his life and not fall back on abusing alcohol, Curtis asks not for money but to have his grandfather's home, which Benny now owns. Curtis' grandfather was said to have healing powers given to him by the Little People and Spirit Helpers. Wanting to help others in Fort Smith who struggle with alcoholism, Curtis believes he can bring the old magic back. As Curtis calls on the Little People, Benny struggles physically (with a wound he received in prison from being stabbed with a poisoned knife) and mentally (with thoughts of the legacy he will leave behind). Van Camp (TÅı̨chÇ« Nation) has created a fast-paced tale containing positive depictions of Dene medicine, spirituality, and people. The striking full-color illustrations add cultural context and drama to the text. Although second in a series, this book can be read as a stand-alone. Backmatter gives cultural information and context for one character's Inuit face tattoos.

A beautiful, moving story of helping, healing, and hope. (Graphic fiction. 14-adult)

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Van Camp, Richard: AS I ENFOLD YOU IN PETALS." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Mar. 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A740905403/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=6c2d87b1. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.

The Spirit of Denendeh, v.2: As I Enfold You in Petals. By Richard Van Camp. Art by Scott B. Henderson and Donovan Yaciuk. 2023.72p. HighWater, paper, $21.95 (9781774920411). 741.5.

The Eisner-nominated author/artist/colorist trio (This Place: 150 Years Retold, 2019) reunites here to continue the Denendeh series, a planned trilogy. The inaugural volume, A Blanket of Butterflies, introduced a Tlicho Dene community in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, controlled by the town's "bad man," Benny, whose "DIRTY DEEDS DONE DIRT CHEAP!" sign belied a broken heart. Benny returns in volume 2, celebrating his birthday with an endless line of desperate people hoping to "impress" him for a $20,000 reward. Curtis, who's just returned to Fort Smith after six weeks in rehab, presents Benny with Benny's long-missing gold watch. Rather than the cash, Curtis requests his grandfather Louis' house back, which Benny owns. Curtis desperately hopes Louis' "old magic" is still contained within. To break the generations of self-destruction, Curtis knows the only way to help himself is to help others, Benny included. Once again, Van Camp affectingly melds his Tlicho Dene heritage--and his Fort Smith hometown--with urgent, contemporary storytelling, memorably enlivened by Henderson's meticulous, realistic art and vibrantly colored by Yaciuk.--Terry Hong

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 American Library Association
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Hong, Terry. "The Spirit of Denendeh, v.2: As I Enfold You in Petals." Booklist, vol. 119, no. 18, 15 May 2023, pp. 37+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A751443150/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=e35e7462. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.

As I Enfold You in Petals

Richard Van Camp, author

Scott B. Henderson, illustrator

Donovan York, colorist

Nickolej Villiger, letterer

Highwater Press

https://www.portageandmainpress.com/HighWater-Press

9781774920411, $21.95, PB, 72pp

https://www.amazon.com/Enfold-You-Petals-Spirit-Denendeh/dp/1774920417

Synopsis: Newly sober, Curtis searches for healing in the ancient cultural practices of his T cho Dene grandfather. But will the Little People answer his call?

Curtis has returned to Fort Smith, six weeks sober. He doesn't have any sober friends, his mom's still drinking, and his best friend (and secret crush) Lacey probably is too. Still, he's determined to abstain from alcohol and help his people. Along the way, he might just be able to help himself.

Louis, Curtis's late grandfather, was a healer. Legend has it, Louis made a deal with the Little People that gave him the power to heal. No one has heard from the Little People since Louis's death, but his cabin may hold the key for them to return. There's only one problem: Benny the Bank stands in the way.

An infamous bootlegger, Benny has profited off Fort Smith's pain for decades. After being critically wounded in an attempt on his life, Benny knows he doesn't have much time before the poison in his blood takes him. He also happens to own Louis's cabin.

Can Curtis convince Benny to return the home that once belonged to Louis? Will the Little People answer Curtis's call? And can Benny find a way to make amends and leave a legacy he can be proud of?

Critique: An original, and compulsive page turner of a graphic novel, "As I Enfold You in Petals" continues "The Spirit of Denedeh" saga begun with "A Blanket of Butterflies" and will keep young readers focused attention from first page to last. Deftly scripted, impressively illustrated, and also available for personal reading lists in a digital book format (Kindle, $13.99), "As I Enfold You in Petals" is a very strongly recommended addition to middle school, highschool, and community library graphic novel collections for ages 8-12.

Editorial Note #1: Richard Van Camp (https://richardvancamp.com) is a proud member of the Dene Nation from Fort Smith, Northwest Territories. He is the author of more than 25 books including The Lesser Blessed (also a feature film), the Eisner Award-nominated graphic novel A Blanket of Butterflies (with Scott B. Henderson), and Three Feathers (also a feature film). He is a contributor to the groundbreaking graphic novel anthology This Place: 150 Years Retold. Richard is also the author of five collections of short stories, including Night Moves, and six baby books, including the award-winning Little You (with Julie Flett).

Editorial Note #2: Scott B. Henderson (https://scotthendersonart.wordpress.com) is author/artist of the sci-fi/fantasy comic The Chronicles of Era and has illustrated select titles in the Tales From Big Spirit series, as well as the A Girl Called Echo, The Reckoner Rises, and 7 Generations series. He is also the artist for AIYLA Honour Book Fire Starters, Eisner Award- nominee A Blanket of Butterflies, and select stories in This Place: 150 Years Retold. In 2016, he was the recipient of the C4 Central Canada Comic Con Storyteller Award. Find Scott on social media: @ouroboros09

Editorial Note #3: Since 1998, Donovan Yaciuk (http://www.chromanaut.com) has colored books published by Marvel, DC, Dark Horse comics, and HighWater Press including the A Girl Called Echo and The Reckoner Rises series, as well as select stories in This Place: 150 Years Retold. Donovan holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) from the University of Manitoba and began his career as a part of the legendary, now-defunct Digital Chameleon coloring studio.

Please Note: Illustration(s) are not available due to copyright restrictions.

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2023 Midwest Book Review
http://www.midwestbookreview.com/cbw/index.htm
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"As I Enfold You in Petals." Children's Bookwatch, June 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A756905810/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=f1ea9a58. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.

Richard Van Camp; BEAST; Douglas & McIntyre (Fiction: Thriller) 14.95 ISBN: 9781771624145

Byline: Anna Karnedy

In Richard Van Camp's moving novel Beast, an Indigenous teenager and his friends fight a sinister evil threatening their hometown.

Lawson is a member of the Dogrib tribe, which feuds with the Chipewyan tribe. As a Yabati, his role is to protect the fragile peace treaty between the two groups. When one of his volatile peers, Silver, makes a deal with an ancient devil, the Dead One, it puts Silver's younger brothers, Cody and Stanley, in danger of losing their souls. After Lawson agrees to help save the brothers and rectify the peace treaty, he teams up with his friends Shari and Isaiah, who possess spiritual powers.

Though they are from three different tribes, Lawson, Shari, and Isaiah all want to counteract violence with empathy and understanding. They believe in their heritage and encourage Silver's brothers to fight against the Dead One by doing the same. The peace engendered through their work together goes against the Dead One's call for war and separation, resulting in triumphs.

Lawson is a thoughtful narrator whose descriptions of the world and people around him are evocative. He holds reverence for the elders in his tribe, and he brings his town, Fort Simmer, into focus when recalling fond childhood memories. Further, there's figurative power in the book's symbols. Halley's comet is in orbit, and Lawson sees it as a signifier of a once-in-a-lifetime event coming to pass. And the hope of the peace treaty centers all, moving the book toward an ending that is exciting and that honors the elements of friendship and cultural tradition that run throughout the book.

A rousing supernatural novel, Beast is a coming-of-age story in which a young man protects his Indigenous tribe.

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 Foreword Magazine, Inc.
http://www.forewordmagazine.com
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Karnedy, Anna. "Beast." ForeWord, 21 Apr. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A837432348/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b70cbc80. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.

Van Camp, Richard BEAST Douglas & McIntyre (Teen None) $14.95 6, 3 ISBN: 9781771624145

In his latest, Van Camp, a member of the Dogrib (TÅįchÇ«) Dene Nation, weaves '80s pop culture references and supernatural elements into a page-turning thriller that follows a teen who confronts a terrifying threat to his community.

Fort Simmer in Canada's Northwest Territories is home to many different Indigenous groups. Lawson Sauren, whose family is Dogrib, has Chipewyan neighbors, the Cranes family. Their "ancestors used to be warring tribes," but in the early 19th century, the two groups forged a peace treaty that still holds in 1986. As a Yabati, or protector, Lawson is charged with maintaining the peace treaty. But the town bully, Silver Cranes, keeps provoking and mocking him, trying to get him to lash out with violence. Due to Silver's silver-colored hair, people believe he's a reincarnated shaman or prophet with exceptional abilities. And in fact his brother Cody, who's gay, a target of Silver's homophobia, and friends with Lawson, says that Silver can read minds. When Silver resurrects a demon called the Dead One, Lawson--with help from his friend Isaiah Valentine, who's Cree, and crush, Shari Burns, who's Métis--must step up. Lawson is a realistic, awkward, strongly characterized teen hero dealing with growing pains. This engaging story focuses on the importance of relationships and how actions affect others, for example through the ripples created by Lawson's mother's death.

Delicately balances a gripping storyline with well-rendered cultural elements and accessible writing. (QR code for playlist)(Supernatural thriller. 13-18)

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 Kirkus Media LLC
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"Van Camp, Richard: BEAST." Kirkus Reviews, 1 May 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A837325545/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=67e09e5c. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.

Beast. By Richard Van Camp. June 2025. 320p. Douglas & McIntyre, paper, $14.95 (9781771624145). Gr. 8-12.

From a Tlicho Dene author comes an eerie thriller placing readers in the Northwest Territories, 1986. Lawson Sauron's whole life has revolved around a treaty governing the peace between the Dogrib and Chipewyan tribes of Fort Simmer, Lawson honoring the Yabati motto of "Protect, accept, respect, and defend with honour." When his best friend, Cody Cranes, goes missing, Lawson believes he may be the only one who can help find Cody. Late one evening, Lawson witnesses some sort of malevolent spirit possessing Cody's brothers, and his fears are confirmed: a powerful, evil entity is being used to break the treaty. Elements of medicine, magic, and dark forces are interwoven throughout the work, as are tribal stories focused on community, identity, and responsibility. Lawson's struggle is familiar to many teens, with his piling responsibilities and outsider status as he tries to find his friend. The cast of characters offers a unique glimpse into some of the more intimate practices of various Indigenous cultures, and fun pop culture nods firmly cement this supernatural work in its 1980s setting. A rewarding read.--Sam Ponke

Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2025 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
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Ponke, Sam. "Beast." Booklist, vol. 121, no. 19-20, June 2025, p. 95. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A847198165/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=7639424c. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.

"Van Camp, Richard: A BLANKET OF BUTTERFLIES." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Aug. 2022. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A713722824/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=0efe1be4. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025. "Van Camp, Richard: AS I ENFOLD YOU IN PETALS." Kirkus Reviews, 15 Mar. 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A740905403/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=6c2d87b1. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025. Hong, Terry. "The Spirit of Denendeh, v.2: As I Enfold You in Petals." Booklist, vol. 119, no. 18, 15 May 2023, pp. 37+. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A751443150/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=e35e7462. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025. "As I Enfold You in Petals." Children's Bookwatch, June 2023. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A756905810/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=f1ea9a58. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025. Karnedy, Anna. "Beast." ForeWord, 21 Apr. 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A837432348/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=b70cbc80. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025. "Van Camp, Richard: BEAST." Kirkus Reviews, 1 May 2025. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A837325545/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=67e09e5c. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025. Ponke, Sam. "Beast." Booklist, vol. 121, no. 19-20, June 2025, p. 95. Gale General OneFile, link.gale.com/apps/doc/A847198165/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=bookmark-ITOF&xid=7639424c. Accessed 3 Nov. 2025.

• Foreword Reviews
  https://www.forewordreviews.com/reviews/the-light-on-horn-island/
  Word count: 338

  Beast
  Richard Van Camp
  Douglas & McIntyre (Jun 3, 2025)
  Softcover $14.95 (320pp)
  978-1-77162-414-5

  2024 INDIES Finalist
  Finalist, Young Adult Fiction (Children's)
  In Richard Van Camp’s moving novel Beast, an Indigenous teenager and his friends fight a sinister evil threatening their hometown.

  Lawson is a member of the Dogrib tribe, which feuds with the Chipewyan tribe. As a Yabati, his role is to protect the fragile peace treaty between the two groups. When one of his volatile peers, Silver, makes a deal with an ancient devil, the Dead One, it puts Silver’s younger brothers, Cody and Stanley, in danger of losing their souls. After Lawson agrees to help save the brothers and rectify the peace treaty, he teams up with his friends Shari and Isaiah, who possess spiritual powers.

  Though they are from three different tribes, Lawson, Shari, and Isaiah all want to counteract violence with empathy and understanding. They believe in their heritage and encourage Silver’s brothers to fight against the Dead One by doing the same. The peace engendered through their work together goes against the Dead One’s call for war and separation, resulting in triumphs.

  Lawson is a thoughtful narrator whose descriptions of the world and people around him are evocative. He holds reverence for the elders in his tribe, and he brings his town, Fort Simmer, into focus when recalling fond childhood memories. Further, there’s figurative power in the book’s symbols. Halley’s comet is in orbit, and Lawson sees it as a signifier of a once-in-a-lifetime event coming to pass. And the hope of the peace treaty centers all, moving the book toward an ending that is exciting and that honors the elements of friendship and cultural tradition that run throughout the book.

  A rousing supernatural novel, Beast is a coming-of-age story in which a young man protects his Indigenous tribe.

  Reviewed by Anna Karnedy
  May / June 2025

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