Pale as Real Ladies

In powerful language that reflects the conflicts between the primitive and the sophisticated, Joan Crate redreams the passions which animated and tormented her famous predecessor. Part white, part Mohawk princess, Pauline Johnson /Tekahionwake would perform her poems first in buckskin, then, after the intermission, in silk.

AUTHOR

Joan Crate

Born in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, Joan Crate was raised to have pride in her Indigenous heritage. Her first book of poetry, Pale as Real Ladies: Poems for Pauline Johnson, has become a classic. Her first novel, Breathing Water, was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Book Award (Canada) and the Books in Canada First Novel Award. She is a recipient of the Bliss Carman Award for poetry; her collection subUrban Legends was awarded Book of the Year by the Book Publishers Association of Alberta. Her novel Black Apple won the City of Calgary W.O. Mitchell Book Prize. She taught literature and creative writing at Red Deer College, in Alberta, for over 20 years. She lives with her family in Calgary.

Reviews

“Crate’s gift is the way she can bring difficult or painful history to light without diminishing the dignity of her subject … “–Tanis MacDonald, Prairie Fire Review of Books

” … A first rate collection of poems … It’s difficult to describe the intense feeling of loneliness that permeates this book, the nearest comparison I could draw is to Marilynne Robinson’s Housekeeping…”–Norm Sacuta, Edmonton Journal

” … Reminiscent of Margaret Atwood’s foray into pioneer Susanna Moodie’s psyche and circumstance … perfectly capture [Pauline Johnson]’s situation and the stimulus of her art.”–Lee Briscoe Thompson, Canadian Literature