During the last thirty years of his career, Drew Hayden Taylor has done many things, most of which he is proud of.
An Ojibway from the Curve Lake First Nations in Ontario, he has worn many hats in his literary career, from performing stand-up comedy at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., to being Artistic Director of Canada’s premiere Native theatre company, Native Earth Performing Arts. He has been an award-winning playwright, a journalist/columnist (appearing regularly in several Canadian newspapers and magazines), short-story writer, novelist, television scriptwriter, and has worked on numerous documentaries exploring the Native experience. Most notably as a filmmaker, he wrote and directed REDSKINS, TRICKSTERS AND PUPPY STEW, a documentary on Native humour for the National Film Board of Canada, and for CBC, co-created SEARCHING FOR WINNITOU, an exploration of Germany’s fascination with North American Indigenous culture. 2 years later he followed it up with the documentary COTTAGERS AND INDIANS, about Indigenous/non-Indigenous conflicts over land and water issues. Most recently, THE PRETENDIANS aired, exploring the phenomenon of non-Native people claiming Indigenous heritage.
This fall, the third season of his APTN documentary series, Going Native, will be going into production, expanding production locales to the Yucatan, New Zealand, Australia and the Arctic.
Author, Playwright, Storyteller
As a playwright, Drew has proudly been a part of what he refers to as the contemporary Native Literary Renascence. An author of more than 20 plays (resulting in over a hundred productions), his popular plays such as TORONTO AT DREAMER’S ROCK, ONLY DRUNKS AND CHILDREN TELL THE TRUTH, THE BERLIN BLUES, and COTTAGERS AND INDIANS have left their mark on the Canadian theatre scene. The latter play is currently one of the most remounted shows in recent years.
In the world of prose, he enjoys spreading the boundaries of what is considered Indigenous literature.
In 2007, Annick Press published his first Novel, THE NIGHT WANDERER: A Native Gothic Novel, a teen novel about an Ojibway vampire. 2010 saw the publication of his novel MOTORCYCLES & SWEETGRASS (Finalist for the Governor General’s Award for Fiction). More recently, Douglas & McIntyre published a collection of his Native themed science fiction short stories, titled TAKE US TO YOUR CHIEF AND OTHER STORIES. In 2019, a new novel titled CHASING PAINTED HORSES, was published by Cormorant Press. This coming winter, COLD, published by McClelland & Stewart, will bring his publication total to 35 books.
His success as a writer has allowed him the opportunity to travel the world, spreading the gospel of Native literature. Through many of his non-fiction books, from the four volume set titled FUNNY, YOU DON’T LOOK LIKE ONE, to the ME FUNNY, ME SEXY, ME ARTSY and ME TOMORROW series, he has tried to educate and inform the world about issues that reflect, celebrate, and interfere in the lives of Canada’s First Nations.
Self-described as a contemporary story teller, his exploration of the storytelling tradition has explored many boundaries. For example, he co-created and was the head writer for MIXED BLESSINGS, a television comedy series as well as contributed scripts to four other popular Canadian television series including BEACHCOMBERS and NORTH OF 60. In 2007, a made-for-tv movie he wrote, IN A WORLD CREATED BY A DRUNKEN GOD (based on his play which was a finalist for the Governor General Award for Drama) was nominated for three Gemini Awards, including Best Movie. In 2011 and 2012, he wrote the script for the National Aboriginal Achievement Awards, now known as the INDSPIRE AWARDS. In 2021, he received the INDSPIRE AWARD for his work in the Arts.
Selected Works
Funny, You Don’t Look Like One: Observations from a Blue-Eyed Ojibway
This is Taylor’s first of what has become a series of collections of humorous articles, essays and columns.
Explore This TitleMotorcycles and Sweetgrass
A story of magic, family, a mysterious stranger . . . and a band of marauding raccoons.
Explore This TitleCottagers and Indians
Explores the politics and issues surrounding a real-life event still occurring in the Kawartha Lakes region of Central Ontario.
Explore This TitleA Lifetime of Work
The last few years has seen him proudly serve as the Writer-In-Residence at the Berton House in Dawson City Yukon, the University of Michigan, the University of Western Ontario, University of Luneburg (Germany), Ryerson University, Wilfrid Laurier, as well as a host of Canadian theatre companies i.e. Cahoots theatre, Blyth Theatre etc.
The years of writing have brought him many accolades by his peers, including the Floyd S. Chalmers Award, Dora Mavor Moore Award and the Canadian Author’s Literary Award, He has also been the recipient of many other varied honours; an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from Mount Allison University, a Plaque of Honour on the Peterborough Walk of Fame, the Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Award, Ontario Premier’s Award for Creative Arts and Design, and Victoria Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award for Outstanding Artistic Achievement in Theatre, to name a few.
Oddly enough, the thing his mother was most proud of was his ability to make spaghetti from scratch.
Awards & Recognitions
- 2012 - Queen Elizabeth Diamond Jubilee Award
- 2011 - CBC Bookie for Best Character for Motorcycles and Sweetgrass
- 2010 - Ontario Premier’s Award for Creative Arts and Design
- 2010 - Shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award in Fiction, Motorcycles and Sweetgrass
- 2009 - Victoria Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award for Outstanding Artistic Achievement in Theatre
- 2009 - Nominations for Gemini Awards in several categories, including Best Picture, Best Editing and Best Actor for a MOW for In A World Created By A Drunken God