Billy-Ray Belcourt is from the Driftpile Cree Nation. He is Canada's first First Nations Rhodes Scholar. He is the author of the poetry collections NDN Coping Mechanisms and This Wound Is a World, which was awarded the 2018 Canadian Griffin Poetry Prize, the 2018 Robert Kroetsch City of Edmonton Book Prize, and a 2018 Indigenous Voices Award. In 2018, Belcourt was named by CBC Books as one of "14 Canadian poets to watch," one of "18 emerging writers to watch," a "Writer to know," and one of "ten young Canadians to watch" by the CBC. A History of My Brief Body marks his non-fiction debut.
* 2021 Lambda Literary Award for Gay Memoir/Biography, Finalist.* A
Best Book of 2020 --Kirkus Reviews, Book Riot, CBC, Globe and Mail,
Largehearted Boy."Belcourt, a member of the Driftpile Cree Nation,
is impressive. He writes about the intersection of queerness and
Indigenous life in poems and essays."
--Elena Nicolaou, O, The Oprah Magazine, "31 Native American
Authors to Read Right Now""Through his new collection of essays, A
History of My Brief Body, I have come to view Billy-Ray as a
trusted intellectual and scholar, a prolific creative, and a
necessary voice of resistance."
--Layli Long Soldier, BOMB"In his endeavor to honor the reality of
Indigenous pain while also remaining steadfastly committed to queer
Indigenous joy and utopic futures, Billy-Ray Belcourt has written
an incomparable book full of emotion, analysis and poetic
beauty."
--Kai Minosh Pyle, Star Tribune"A rallying cry for freedom. The
ongoingness of resilience demands a manifesto, and here it is: 'Joy
is art is an ethics of Resistance.'"
--Kristen Millares Young, The Washington Post"A History of My Brief
Body is a breathtaking literary rebellion against the brutalization
and simplification of NDN existence, establishing as resistance joy
in creativity and its ability to invent worlds."
--Samantha Zaboski, Shelf Awareness, starred review"A History of My
Brief Body is a complex, nuanced, and stunningly written
collection. Belcourt accompanies the reader, sometimes as a friend,
sometimes with academia as if he is the approachable teacher at
college I never really had. His work is important and comes to us
when we need it desperately."
--Liam Anthony, Independent Book Review"A magnificent memoir of
queer sexuality and intimacy, of the impact of intergenerational
trauma towards Indigenous peoples, of grief and survival. This slim
book is a powerhouse of intelligent, beautiful brutally honesty
writing."
--Kate Hill, Bookalong, Instagram"From a native queer experience,
Belcourt extends what it means to live in a state, to surpass the
body's defined frame, and to practice emoting as
transcendence."
--Kara Laurene Pernicano, Full Stop"In a novelistic series of queer
essays and texts, Billy-Ray Belcourt reflects on the complexities
of gender, sexuality and colonialism as someone who identifies as
an NDN queer person. Coming to understand his body, queerness and
Indigenous heritage, the 24-year-old award-winning poet examines
past anger, shame and ecstasy, while outlining a way forward."
--Sarah Taher, XtraOne of "July's Most Anticipated LGBTQ Books"
--Leo Rachman, Lambda Literary"I truly can't stop thinking about
this work because it demands more from me as a reader and an
artist. It is thunderous in the way that great art cracks open your
previously held notions of what was possible."
--Sacha Vega, Cha Cha Reader"Some of the most poetic, brilliant
essays I've read in a long time. I finished the book and thought 'I
didn't know you could do that with writing.'"
--Robin Babb, Harvest Moon Books (Albuquerque, NM)"Sometimes, a
book comes along, and it commands that you dig into it with a
pencil, highlighter, or post-its. You're hungry to eat it up, and
your brain enjoys the meal so much that it's like the best food
coma you've ever had. This is Billy-Ray Belcourt's A History of My
Brief Body... I was taken at every turn, trusting Belcourt to live
up to what I knew would be accomplished just from having read the
first page, and I was not let down. A remarkable feat, and it will
be a long-time favorite."
--Margy, Loganberry Books Blog"[Belcourt's] deft use of language to
render queerness, indigeneity, and the corporeal into ravishing
works of poetic art translates beautifully into nonfiction prose.
This essay collection is slim but immersive, a work of joy and
reckoning, and of imagining a better world."
--Sarah Neilson, LitHub"With keen sensibility and precision,
Belcourt delivers a complex meditation on love, NDN queer identity,
sexuality, art and joy amid the compounding brutalities of settler
colonialism. This is a radiant collection."
--Ruth Lefaive, The Rumpus "What Belcourt does transcends genre.
The celebrated author is at once deliberate and playful with his
use of language. He uses it to engage deeply with the body, its
pain and joy and needs, and to push through the thickets of
fighting against a settler colonialism that constantly tries to
break bodies down from without and within. Collecting fragments of
imagery, the scholarly and poetic work of others, and snares of
love and capitalism, Belcourt has crafted an outstanding
missive."
--Sarah Neilson, them.us"[Belcourt's] writing in this stellar
collection is a tool of resistance through which he imbibes lost
languages and false histories, digests and absorbs them that he
might destroy the systems of oppression exercised over NDNs (his
term), a struggle that ultimately helps create joy, love, and
hope... an incredible read."
--Andrew T. Powers, American Library Association's Rainbow Round
Table"In this stunning essay-collection-cum-prose-poem-cycle,
Belcourt meditates on the difficulty and necessity of finding joy
as a queer NDN in a country that denies that joy all too often. Out
of the 'ruins of the museum of political depression' springs a
'tomorrow free of the rhetorical trickery of colonizers
everywhere.' Happiness, this beautiful book says, is the ultimate
act of resistance."
--Michelle Hart, O, The Oprah Magazine"Belcourt's writing is poetic
and philosophical, and often meanders in lovely and
thought-provoking ways, whether he writes of colonialism, his
grandmother, or his queer/NDN identity. Clearly a student, too, he
includes words of other writers, particularly Ocean Vuong and
Maggie Nelson, but his voice is distinctly his own. This timely and
intriguing collection would make a great read-alike for Saeed
Jones' How We Fight for Our Lives."
--Kathy Sexton, Booklist"Topically wide-ranging, the essays in
Billy-Ray Belcourt's debut memoir challenge the history and ongoing
brutality of colonialism and offer a perspective on grief, love,
and queerness. While writing personal, intimate details, Belcourt
also puts his essays in context with texts from writers like Judith
Butler, Terese Marie Mailhot, and José Esteban Muñoz. Academically
rigorous and linguistically beautiful, A History of My Brief Body
is a captivating, genre-defying book."
--Wendy J. Fox, BuzzFeed"In sharp pieces infused with a yearning
for decolonized love and freedom, Belcourt, of the Driftpile Cree
Nation, ably balances poetic, philosophical, and political insights
throughout this unique book... An urgently needed, unyielding book
of theoretical and intimate strength."
--Kirkus Reviews, starred review"The poetic and probing essay
collection shuttles between personal reflection, critical race
theory, and commentary on poetics, colonialism, queerness,
loneliness, and utopia."
--Dana Isokawa, Poets & Writers "A History of My Brief Body knocked
me on my ass. Billy-Ray Belcourt, a member of the Driftpile Cree
Nation and Canada's first Rhodes Scholar, explores the complexities
of gender, sexuality, and colonialism in a short, poetic memoir.
These essays transcend genre and become something else entirely --
a reliquary of self-love and becoming."
--BuzzFeed "38 Great Books To Read This Summer, Recommended By Our
Favorite Indie Booksellers"; Gary Lovely, marketing manager of The
Book Loft"When I cracked open A History of My Brief Body, I wasn't
intending on spending the night, but with each essay, I found
myself drawn further into this bold and beautiful declaration of
the self. Liberating and fortifying. I know I'll be returning to
this book for years to come."
--Luis Correa, Avid Bookshop"Deeply personal and raw, Belcourt
flays himself wide open in a way that is simultaneously delicate
and jarring. And while his history may be brief due to his limited
years on earth, his writing overflows with insight and conviction.
There is an alluring complexity to the language and style of his
writing, as well as the subject matter, which will leave the reader
looking forward to more from Belcourt's hand in the future."
--Beth Mowbray, The Nerd Daily"Filled with beauty, vitality, and
grief, and includes pieces that are infused with reflections on
race and sexuality, love and loneliness, a desire for decolonial
freedom, and refusal of erasure."
--Jennifer McDermid, Megaphone Magazine"At just 23 years old,
Belcourt won the Griffin Prize for Poetry for his book This Wound
is a World--he's also been a Rhodes scholar and, now, is publishing
his first book of prose, a memoir that begins with his early life
in Joussard, Alta, on the Driftpile First Nation and goes on to
explore loves, sexual exploration and intimacy."
--Deborah Dundas, Toronto Star 'Twenty books you need to know about
in Spring 2020'"I'll pretty much read anything from Columbus-based
publisher, Two Dollar Radio, and A History of My Brief Body is no
exception... a début, this essay collection focuses on the author's
personal history."
--Samantha Evans, CityBeat, "27 Hot Summer Reading Recommendations
from Cincinnati Librarians and Booksellers""[A History of My Brief
Body is] about being Indigenous and queer, but most importantly,
it's a collection of essays focused on the future."
--Cody Lee, The Rumpus"Wow. This book completely blew me away. I
finished it and started right back in to pick at the nuanced and
knotted language that emits from Belcourt. This is a phenomenal
exploration of the poetics of queerdom and isolation and loneliness
as philosophy, and as a collection of essays it stands alone. It
exists as a statement of pure joy while at the same time delves
deep into the (thoroughly complicated and corrupted) self. I can't
wait to share this with everyone I know, I see Bill-Ray going
far."
--Ryan Evans, WORD Bookstore"A History of My Brief Body is a storm
raging at the crossroads of post-structuralist, decolonial, and
queer theory. Here, is a catalog of the abuses levied against brown
and queer bodies by a monolith of past and present. Here, also, is
a litany towards the unmaking of these abusive structures.
Billy-Ray Belcourt commands a sophisticated range of politics and
philosophy, presented here with prose as brutal in truth as it is
beautiful in form. The result is a moving swirl of personal
artifacts, salvaged from and brought to bear against a persistent,
callous history in the pursuit of a compassionate, emancipated
future."
--Connor Mason, The Book Loft"These essays transcend genre and
become something else entirely--a poetic masterpiece of self love
and becoming. Billy-Ray Belcourt is one of the best we've got."
--Gary Lovely, The Book Loft"Billy-Ray Belcourt exposes
colonialism's historical and ongoing brutality against both the
North American Indigenous and queer experiences. Through theory,
memoir, and poetry, Belcourt notates an 'archive of injuries' to
then shape joy beyond known parameters. These essays are a glorious
way to be held accountable. Bill-Ray Belcourt writes for his body,
his being; read for yours."
--Heidi Birchler, Moon Palace Books"I choose not to reduce A
History of My Brief Body to simply a bending of genre. Well beyond
that simple idea, Billy-Ray Belcourt uses a dexterity of language
and form as a container for memory and nostalgia as vehicles for
truth about a still-blooming present. I love a book where a writer
treats themselves and their own histories with gentleness and care,
and this book is a towering achievement on that front."
--Hanif Abdurraqib, author of They Can't Kill Us Until They Kill
Us, Go Ahead in the Rain, and A Fortune for Your Disaster"A History
of My Brief Body is an NDN love story that will stop you in your
tracks. I'm struck by the gentleness in Belcourt's words, his
ability to move across scales, and the complexity of his thought.
He's achieved something here that we've collectively been trying to
achieve for a long time, and it makes me feel proud."
--Leanne Betasamosake Simpson, author of This Accident of Being
Lost"Billy-Ray Belcourt is proving himself to be a literary genius.
His poetry and prose are tender and brutal and brilliant. This
memoir recounts the intimate and sexual history of a young
Indigenous poet who studies the reserve and the city. As with the
writing of Maggie Nelson, I was astounded at both Belcourt's
scholarship and his acute reflections on the human condition. The
book also provides indispensable insight into the political
consciousness of Indigenous peoples in Canada."
--Heather O'Neill, author of The Lonely Hearts Hotel"Billy-Ray
Belcourt's moving and important book A History of My Brief Body
dazzles in its quest to prove 'Joy is art is an ethics of
resistance.' Not quite memoir, not quite poetry, not quite novel,
this dizzying and intelligent book traces a queer NDN coming-of-age
with equal parts search and insight. The book draws inspiration
from the likes of Claudia Rankine, Terese Marie Mailhot, and Maggie
Nelson, but Belcourt is no mimic; with A History of My Brief Body,
Belcourt takes his place among these important thinkers."
--Danny Caine, Raven Book Store (Lawrence, KS)"In A History of My
Brief Body, Billy-Ray breaks apart the reflection of a life into
the specificity of moments--both his own and our collective
experience--and beads them into his simultaneously sharp and lush
writing. Bursting with all the movements of sex, riot, and repose,
this book presents us with a shock of recognition and reclamation,
and we are better for it--punch drunk and aching but, oh, so much
better. I'm gutted by his brilliant mind."
--Cherie Dimaline, author of Empire of Wild and The Marrow
Thieves"Settler colonialism demands we believe we'd be better off
without our bodies--their needs, their feelings, their raucous
disobedience and ungovernable change. I don't always know how to
talk back to the violent nonsense that says, Disappear. With
precision and care, Billy-Ray Belcourt presses thought against
feeling to make, in each essay, an unbounded space for knowing and
for staying whole."
--Elissa Washuta, author of My Body is a Book of Rules"A History of
My Brief Body puts the reader at the center of a deeply serious
struggle--with language, with sexuality, with race and colonial
Canada, and with love and joy and a life in art. It's about the
attempt to stand in a center one has created, all while feeling the
impossibility of ever doing so, and also wondering if maybe one
shouldn't. This is a passionate and vital autobiography about the
intellect, the culture, and the flesh, as it bears its assaults and
preserves a true light."
--Sheila Heti, author of Motherhood and How Should a Person Be?
Praise for Billy-Ray Belcourt's This Wound Is a World and NDN
Coping Mechanisms: Awards for This Wound is a World:
Winner, Griffin Poetry Prize
Winner, Robert Kroetsch City of Edmonton Book Prize
Winner, Most Significant Book of Poetry in English by an Emerging
Indigenous Writer, Indigenous Voices Award
Finalist, Governor General's Literary Award for Poetry
Finalist, Gerald Lampert Memorial Award
Finalist, Raymond Souster Award
A CBC Books Best Poetry Collection of the Year"This book is a
monument for the future of poetic possibility. It is rare to be
able to call a book something so grand and full--and have it be
utterly true. That's what This Wound Is a World affords us: myth
and hyperbole pressed into a lived and realized life. A reckoning
for and of the wreck--bravely buoyant, alive, and finally
here."
--Ocean Vuong, author of On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous"This Wound
Is a World is a wonder. It is filled with humor, sadness, sadness
about sadness, sex, profound and profane lyricism, and above all
power. Billy-Ray Belcourt's voice is uniquely plangent and
self-aware. The book is a world with worlds inside it. It means to
de-colonize any possible reader's pre- or mis-conceptions about
what it means to be alive and Indian today."
--Tommy Orange, author of There There"The urgent, fresh voice of
his generation."
--Paula Simons, Edmonton Journal
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