Avenue of Champions

Daniel is a young Mtis man searching for a way to exist in a world of lateral violence, intergenerational trauma and systemic racism. Facing obstacles of his own at every turn, he observes and learns from the lived realities of his family members, friends, teachers and lovers. He finds hope in the inherent connection of Indigenous Peoples to the land, and the permanence of culture, language and ceremony in the face of displacement.

Set in Edmonton, this story considers Indigenous youth in relation to the urban constructs and colonial spaces in which they survive from violence, whitewashing, trauma and racism to language revitalization, relationships with Elders, restaking land claims and ultimately, triumph. Based on Papaschase and Mtis oral histories and lived experience, Conor Kerr's debut novel will not soon be forgotten. (From Nightwood Editions)

Avenue of Championsis a finalist for the 2022 Amazon Canada First Novel Award.

Conor Kerr is a Mtis and Ukrainian educator, writer and harvester. He is a member of the Mtis Nation of Alberta and is descended from the Gladue, Ginther and Quinn families from the Lac Ste. Anne and Fort Des Prairies Mtis communities and the Papaschase Cree Nation. Kerr is a harvesterand labrador retriever enthusiast.His poemPrairie Ritual was on the2021 CBC PoetryPrize longlist.

Avenue of Championsis on the 2022 Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist.

• 14 Canadian authors longlisted for $100K Scotiabank Giller Prize

Interviews with Conor Kerr