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The Globe held a virtual event on Sept. 23 with the two authors discussing King’s works

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Catch up on Margaret Atwood and Thomas King's entire conversation.

The Globe and Mail

The latest edition of The Globe and Mail Book Club was held on Wednesday, Sept. 23, with a livestream conversation between Margaret Atwood and Thomas King. The authors discussed King’s career with a focus on three of his works: his just-published novel Indians on Vacation, his Taylor Prize-winning The Inconvenient Indian: A Curious Account of Native People in North America, and Obsidian, the latest in his Thumps DreadfulWater mystery series.

You can play the full video of their conversation and catch up on all our coverage of the Book Club and Thomas King and his works.

Why are there so few Indigenous crime writers? It’s no mystery

Wayne Arthurson is a writer of Cree and French Canadian descent. He is the author of five novels. The Red Chesterfield won the 2020 Arthur Ellis Award for best crime novella.

In Canada, there are two writers who define ourselves as 1) Indigenous, and 2) crime writers. One of them is me and the other, Thomas King, didn’t even use his own name when he debuted the first book in his Thumps DreadfulWater mystery series. Of course, everyone knew Hartley Goodweather was Thomas King, but for some reason someone thought his real name would confuse readers and not sell books. We know now this made no sense, because the crime books bearing his actual name are selling like crazy. Read the full story

With his wry observations on life, Thomas King educates and entertains

An Ojibway from the Curve Lake First Nation in Ontario, Drew Hayden Taylor is an award-winning playwright, author and journalist.

First of all, let me start off by confessing that I’m a huge Tom King fan. By that I don’t mean I’m a physically imposing fan, but merely a reader who appreciates his talents. As a developing author, I hoped to grow up to be much like him – again, not specifically a 6-foot-5 half-Greek, half-Cherokee, American-turned-Canadian photographer and former moustache grower. Instead, I wanted to stand in his shadow or beside it, using the written word and humour to showcase the multifaceted environments of the Indigenous community. In that journey, I still have far to go. Read the full story

Open this photo in gallery:

Inconvenient Indian, Michelle Latimer's documentary adaptation of Thomas King's award-winning book, premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in September.Courtesy of TIFF

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