Darrel James McLeod (July 13, 1957 – August 29, 2024) was a Canadian Cree writer."Book review: New memoir maps the terrain of reconciliation". The Province, September 28, 2018. His memoir Mamaskatch: A Cree Coming of Age, an account of his childhood experience of physical and sexual abuse, won the Governor General's Award for English-language non-fiction at the 2018 Governor General's Awards"Book about campus rape and an Indigenous memoir win $25,000 Governor General’s Literary Award". Toronto Star, October 30. and was a shortlisted finalist for the 2019 RBC Taylor Prize."Finalists for RBC Taylor Prize announced". Toronto Star, January 9, 2018.
McLeod was born in 1957 in Athabasca, Alberta. Originally from Treaty 8 Cree territory near Smith, Alberta,"Sooke author among finalists for Governor General’s Literacy (sic) Awards". Monday Magazine, October 3, 2018. McLeod went on to work as a teacher, a health care worker, a land claims negotiator and as director of education and international affairs for the Assembly of First Nations. He began writing the book while studying creative writing under Betsy Warland at Simon Fraser University.
The book also touches both on McLeod's coming out as a gay man,"Be inspired by these new memoirs from remarkable people". Toronto Star, September 28, 2018. and on his sibling's transition as transgender."Mamaskatch: A Cree Coming of Age". Quill & Quire, July 2018.
His second book, Peyakow, was shortlisted for the 2021 Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction,Vicky Qiao, "Jordan Abel & Ian Williams among five finalists for $60K Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction". CBC Books, September 15, 2021. and the 2022 Jim Deva Prize for Writing that Provokes."British Columbia authors Alix Ohlin & Ruth Ozeki among 2022 B.C. and Yukon Book Prizes finalists". CBC Books, April 13, 2022.
McLeod died in Victoria, British Columbia on August 29, 2024, at the age of 67.Joshua Chong, Darrel J. McLeod, award-winning Cree author and educator, dies at 67. Toronto Star, August 30, 2024.
Bibliography
Developing Culturally Focused Aboriginal Early Childhood Education Programs (2001) Mamaskatch: A Cree Coming of Age (2018) Peyakow: Reclaiming Cree Dignity, A Memoir (2021) A Season in Chezgh'un: A Novel (2023)
References