Writer drawn to Mushkegowuk

Author Joseph Boyden recently released his new book, Through Black Spruce, the second in a series of books set in the James Bay region of Ontario. His first book, Three Days Road, told the story of two Cree men who joined the army as snipers during the World War One.
-Darcy Finley - Special to Wawatay News

Joseph Boyden is just starting to hit his stride as a novelist.

His latest work, Through Black Spruce is a continuation of his first novel, Three Day Road, and was written about the Bird family on the west coast of James Bay.

October 16, 2008: Volume 35 #21

The characters in Through Black Spruce are the grandchildren of the main characters in his first novel, Xavier and Elijah who left their homeland to become snipers in World War One, though only one made it home.

Three Day Road deals with the aftermath of the one who made it home.

His novels are set in the James Bay region in Ontario.

Boyden says he developed a great respect and love of the land and people of James Bay during his stint as a teacher at Northern College, teaching in Moosonee, Moose Factory, Kashechewan, Fort Albany and Attawapiskat.

“I can’t imagine the Mushkegowuk Cree existing without the land and the land existing without the people,” said Boyden.

“I can’t separate the two. I’ve been drawn to write about them and that will always be the place.”

Boyden, who is Metis, began writing poetry before his decision to become a novelist.

He feels he’s part of an explosion of Aboriginal writers across the country that has taken place in the past decade.

“It’s an amazing time to be a writer. It’s a renaissance of sorts, there’s so many worlds out there but I will always write about First Nations people in one way or another,” said Boyden. “The history of Native people in Canada hasn’t been told in a fictional way.”

Boyden says he spent years developing his voice as a writer, sending his material out to small magazines and receiving many rejections. Though some of those rejections stung, he pressed on, eventually getting some attention from small publishing houses.

After that there was no turning back, he was hooked.

“Even if I had never been published or am never published again, I have to write. It’s something that I need to do. I would be an incomplete person if I didn’t,” said Boyden.

“There’s no question getting published validates you as a writer. It’s a way of expressing and getting out what I need to get out.”

Boyden says his writing is character based, a crucial part to any good novel.
“If you have the plot and characters then you have something to work with,” said Boyden.

He says a story with only a plot and not much character is going to be a fast paced read and quickly forgettable.

“Strong character will carry a novel, you can put that character on an adventure and that’s interesting. I’m an adventure writer.

“There’s no getting around the writing,” said Boyden. “It’s a very lonely craft. It’s very strange, I come to writer’s festivals and book releases and meet the public after I’m finished, but in reality you spend years alone writing so you can release a book.

“It’s like exercising, you don’t really want to do it but after you finish you feel great. I try to finish every day on a high so it motivates you to get into it the next day.”

He resides in New Orleans, Louisiana where he teaches and can live in obscurity.
“My wife is a writer too,” laughs Boyden. “So we find that New Orleans is a place where we both can write and get what we need. I have to have a quiet place to write.”

Boyden says he’s not done, as there are plans for a third novel in the series, with a very young narrator named Pik, the daughter of a character in Through Black Spruce who travels into the dream world often.

Through Black Spruce is now available and is published by Penguin Books.