Naomi Fontain

Naomi Fontaine is a Canadian novelist, a teacher and a member of the Innu Nation from Uashat, Quebec. Thanks to Ms. Fontaine’s work, the past and present, joys and pains of the Innu people have touched thousands of readers and cinephiles well beyond the borders of Quebec and Canada. She has contributed significantly Canada’s culture and collective memory, and plays an important role in teaching the adults of tomorrow. She is also recognized for her efforts in the areas of dialogue between peoples and reconciliation.

Ms. Fontaine studied at Université Laval and is noted as one of the most prominent First Nations writers in contemporary francophone Canadian literature. She wrote her debut novel Kuessipan (2011) in French when she was twenty-three years old. The poetry novel revolutionized Indigenous literature as she was the first Innu writer to tell a contemporary story.

Ms. Fontaine’s second novel, Manikanetish (2017), tells the story of a young teacher who returns to her remote Innu community and transforms the lives of her students. Her latest book, Shuni (2019), is also about her community. It invites readers to open their minds as the writer goes beyond statistics to tell the stories of the individuals of Uashat.

Ms. Fontaine has been nominated many awards, including the Prix des 5 continents de la Francophonie (2011) and the Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction in French (2018). Her debut novel was successfully adapted to the screen in 2019, and the film was nominated for the Prix Iris for Best Screenplay at the 22A Quebec Cinema Awards in 2020.