From Kistahpinânihk to Cambridge: Metis author rooted in legacy and resistance

John Brady McDonald, MBFSA, is a Nehiyawak-Metis writer, artist, historian, musician, playwright, actor, and activist born and raised in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan. He is the author of several books, and has had his written works published and presented around the globe. His book Carrying It Forward: Essays from Kistahpinânihk was published in 2022 by Wolsak and Wynn. John’s artwork and writing have been nominated for several awards, and he is the winner of the 2024 Saskatchewan Book Awards Non-fiction Award and Indigenous People’s Writing Award. He has been honoured with several grants from the Saskatchewan Arts Board. John is also an acclaimed public speaker, who has presented in venues across the globe,

Author John Brady McDonald

John is from the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation and the Mistawasis Nehiyawak. The great-great-great grandson of Chief Mistawasis of the Plains Cree, as well as the grandson of famed Metis leader Jim Brady, John’s writings and artwork have been displayed in various publications, private and permanent collections and galleries around the world, including the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa. John is one of the founding members of the P.A. Lowbrow art movement, and served as Vice President of the Indigenous Peoples Artists Collective for nearly a decade. John also served a term as vice-chair of the Board of Directors for Spark Theatre, and as a Senator with the Indigenous Council Committee of CUPE Saskatchewan. 

​John studied at England’s University of Cambridge, where in July 2000 he made international headlines by symbolically ‘discovering’ and ‘claiming’ England for the First Peoples of the Americas. A noted polymath, John lives in Northern Saskatchewan. This Metis author rooted in legacy and resistance reveals what influenced his writing style, his favourite genres, and his thoughts on artificial intelligence.

Metis author rooted in legacy and resistance

OCW: What life experiences have shaped your writing style? 

JBM: My writing is 100% shaped by my experience as an urban Indigenous youth growing up in poverty, being a Residential School survivor and the child of Residential School survivors, being an addict and growing up in one of the most violent and dangerous cities in Canada. All of this has shaped my writing into the gritty narrative form of poetry I write.

OCW: Can you trace any common themes across your writing?

JBM: My writing all stems from the principle of being completely honest and direct with my words. I write knowing I’m advocating for those whose voices aren’t heard or are no longer here to speak for themselves, and to mince words would be an insult to those stories. 

Affection for Canadian poetry and British mysteries

OCW: Which authors and/or types of books do you like to read? 

JBM: I seek out Canadian poetry, particularly by Indigenous writers. I have a deep affection for cozy British mysteries of only 100 or so pages from the 1930s and 1940s. Being a historian, I also spend most of my time reading nonfiction. I’m a devotee of Stephen King, Hunter S. Thompson, and Caroline Graham.

OCW: What advice/guidance would you give to writers?

JBM: Do not abandon the paper and pen. Never lose the feeling of a good pen gliding over the pages of a notebook. Pick up an old typewriter and revel in the sound of it. Never lose that physical connection between you and your words. 

On the threat of AI

OCW: Do you see generative AI as a threat or benefit to writers?

JBM: I absolutely loathe and despise technology and AI. I call myself a “hypocritical Luddite,” as I only use computers and technology because the world we live in leaves us no other choice. Technology robs writers of the furious fever dream of scribbling your thoughts and words onto paper or clicking away at a typewriter.  To revive a phrase from my Gen X childhood, “technology sucks.” AI is the enemy of the written word, in my opinion.