Jessica Johns, Bachelor of Arts ’14, has had a busy year since the publication of her acclaimed debut novel, Bad Cree. That momentum isn’t slowing down anytime soon – her book is being featured by CBC’s Canada Reads as part of their 2024 great Canadian book debate.

She’s managed to carve out some time in her schedule to return to campus for a reading, Q+A and book signing event on March 22 as part of the novel’s run as MacEwan’s 2023/24 Book of the Year.

Here, she discusses her inspiration for the novel, what being a nehiyaw aunty means to her and what readers should know before exploring her work.

What first inspired you to become a writer?

I've always been surrounded by story. My family are big storytellers. I've also lived a lot of my life in my own head, making up tales. Since I was a young kid, I liked writing, and that really blossomed when I was a little bit older. When I considered having a career in this industry, though, it took me a minute to believe that was something that I could actually do. 

What inspired the story of Bad Cree?

Fittingly, I actually dreamt the premise, which is that the main character Mackenzie can bring things back and forth with her from her dreams. But then what further inspired me to put it down into words was hearing some really bad advice from a professor at the University of British Columbia, who said that you should never write about your dreams. Culturally, dreams are really important for nehiyawak (Cree) people. I wanted to show everybody else that writing about your dreams is a valid form of storytelling and knowledge production.

What did it mean to you to have Bad Cree chosen as MacEwan's book of the year?

That was really exciting. I took my very first creative writing class at MacEwan with Jacqueline Baker. I don't know if I’d have accomplished this without her guidance, or without taking her class and seeing what creative writing could be like. She encouraged me to apply for two master of fine arts programs, and to get serious about my writing career. It feels very full circle to be able to come back and be honoured with having the Book of the Year.

Alberta isn’t typically considered to be a literary hub. How were you able to find community and inspiration here?

My class with Jacqueline helped me to connect with other writers in the Edmonton community, and I'm still friends with some of them to this day. I think that really opened my eyes to the incredibly rich, vibrant writing community here. Prairie writers – writers from the prairies, and those writing about the prairies – are exceptional. The imagination that they have is palpable, and I think that class really invited me to see that.

What do you hope people take from Bad Cree as they read it?

I hope people take the thing that they need from it. There's an exploration of grief in this novel that has really resonated with a lot of people. There are family complexities that have resonated with other people. What I hope more than anything is that readers feel immersed in this world, that they feel transported there. In anything that I read, or media I consume, that's what I'm always looking for. I'm looking for a story that will take me someplace. If Bad Cree can do that, then I’ve succeeded.

Is there anything that you think people should know about your work before they engage with it?

My work comes from a deeply political place. This story is about grief, love and kinship, but it is also a story of resource extraction and displacement of Indigenous peoples. That’s not a secondary story to this work, it's something that is woven throughout all of it. My work and my writing can't be separated from that political aspect. That's something I feel like I am always engaging with in my everyday life and in my work.

What is next for you?

Last year was a really wild ride with literary events, and generously being invited to a lot of really great things. Similarly, this year CBC’s Canada Reads has shone another light on this work. I am really looking forward to slowing down and spending time with my friends and family. I'm working on a short story collection right now – my love for short stories has not waned. But there will certainly be more novels in my future. I'm really interested in exploring different formats for showcasing story, and what that might look like going forward.

You describe yourself as a writer and aunty – why is it important to you to include that part of yourself in your professional work?

Being an aunty is actually the most important thing that I am, before anything else, including being a writer. I take my responsibilities as a little mother and aunty very seriously. I have siblings, and the children of my siblings, cousins and friends are incredibly important to me. Everything I do is for them, directly or indirectly. I think about them when I'm writing, and I think about them in my community work and advocacy. Being an aunty is also a status and a responsibility. That means attempting to move through the world in a good way, and being accountable to the people around you. It's a really important part of who I am.