Griffin Poetry Prize
1 appearances
-
Edition 18 (2018) Winner
Billy-Ray Belcourt
ビリィ・レイ・ベルクール
Billy-Ray Belcourt
Profile
- Gender
- Male
- Born
- Driftpile, Alberta
- Nationality
- Canadian, Driftpile Cree Nation
- Languages
- English
- Residence History
- Driftpile, Alberta → Edmonton, Alberta → Oxford, England → Vancouver, British Columbia
Career
- Occupations
- Author, Poet, Scholar, Associate Professor
- Active Years
- 2016-
- Affiliations
- University of British Columbia, Driftpile Cree Nation
- Nominations
- Gerald Lampert Award 2018 (shortlisted), Raymond Souster Award 2018 (shortlisted), Amazon.ca First Novel Award 2023 (shortlisted, A Minor Chorus), ReLit Award 2020 (shortlisted, NDN Coping Mechanisms), Danuta Gleed Literary Award 2025 (shortlisted, Coexistence)
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of Alberta | — | Comparative Literature | B.A. (Hons.) | undergraduate | Canada |
| Oxford University | — | Women's Studies | M.St. | 2016-2017 | United Kingdom |
| University of Alberta | — | English and Film Studies | Ph.D. | Ph.D. program | Canada |
University of Alberta
Comparative Literature
Degree:
B.A. (Hons.)
Period:
undergraduate
Year of Graduation:
2016
Country:
Canada
First Class Honours
Oxford University
Women's Studies
Degree:
M.St.
Period:
2016-2017
Year of Graduation:
2017
Country:
United Kingdom
with Distinction
University of Alberta
English and Film Studies
Degree:
Ph.D.
Period:
Ph.D. program
Year of Graduation:
2020
Country:
Canada
Research on Indigenous paranormal
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Griffin Poetry Prize | This Wound Is a World | Poetry | Griffin Trust | winner |
| 2016 | Rhodes Scholarship | — | — | Rhodes Trust | recipient |
| 2017 | P.K. Page Founder's Award for Poetry | Love Is a Moontime Teaching | Poetry | — | winner |
| 2019 | Indspire Award | — | Youth – First Nation | Indspire | winner |
| 2020 | Stephan G. Stephansson Award for Poetry | NDN Coping Mechanisms | — | — | winner |
Griffin Poetry Prize
2018
Work:
This Wound Is a World
Category:
Poetry
Organization:
Griffin Trust
Result:
winner
Rhodes Scholarship
2016
Organization:
Rhodes Trust
Result:
recipient
P.K. Page Founder's Award for Poetry
2017
Work:
Love Is a Moontime Teaching
Category:
Poetry
Result:
winner
Indspire Award
2019
Category:
Youth – First Nation
Organization:
Indspire
Result:
winner
Stephan G. Stephansson Award for Poetry
2020
Work:
NDN Coping Mechanisms
Result:
winner
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
This Wound Is a World
2017 PoetryA poetry collection exploring decolonial love, grief, intimacy, and queer sexuality.
Decolonial loveGriefIntimacyQueer sexualityIndigenous resistance
NDN Coping Mechanisms: Notes from the Field
2019 PoetryPoetry collection on Indigenous coping mechanisms.
Indigenous survivalBiosociality
A History of My Brief Body
2020 MemoirLyric essays on queer Indigenous body and identity.
BodyQueerIndigenous
A Minor Chorus
2022 NovelCoexistence
2024 LiteratureBibliography
- This Wound Is a World (2017)
- NDN Coping Mechanisms (2019)
- A History of My Brief Body (2020)
- A Minor Chorus (2022)
- Coexistence (2024)
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- LyricGenre-bendingMemoiristic
- Recurring Motifs
- Decolonial loveIndigenous paranormalQueer intimacyReserve lifeNon-sovereignty
Legacy
Rising star in Canadian Indigenous literature, Griffin Poetry Prize winner, acclaimed for queer Indigenous perspectives on decolonialism.
In Popular Culture
- Featured in CBC best books, praised by Leanne Betasamosake Simpson
Trivia
- First First Nations Rhodes Scholar
- Advocate for LGBTQ+ and Indigenous communities
- Began writing poetry around age 19