A Cree writer standing in her truth
Wanda John-Kehewin is a Cree writer from Kehewin Cree Nation, Alberta. She writes about the near decimation of Indigenous culture, language, and tradition as a way to process history and trauma — and to help others do the same.
She arrived in Vancouver on a Greyhound bus at nineteen, pregnant, carrying a bag of chips, thirty dollars, and a bit of hope. In the years since, she's travelled the healing path — mostly stumbling, by her own account — and now writes to share what that journey has taught her. Wanda is the mother of five children, one dog, two cats, one angelfish, and one very spoiled grand-dog, and calls Coquitlam, BC home.
Path to the page
Criminology, sociology, and creative writing
Wanda studied criminology at Douglas College and sociology and Aboriginal studies at Langara College, before completing The Writer's Studio at Simon Fraser University in 2011 and earning her Master of Fine Arts at the University of British Columbia.
Writing as a therapeutic medium
Wanda previously worked with the BC Ministry of Children and Family Development — an experience that shapes how directly she writes about children navigating care, trauma, and family separation. She's been published in Quills, Canadian Poetry Magazine, and the Aboriginal Writers Collective West Coast anthology Salish Seas, and has read for the Writers' Union of Canada and on Vancouver Co-op Radio.
Poet, novelist, and workshop facilitator
Wanda's published work now spans poetry, a graphic novel series, a young adult novel, and a picture book for young readers — with recognition including the 2024 Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize and a place on the USBBY Outstanding International Books List. She continues to lead creative writing workshops for learners of all ages, using writing as a medium for reflection and healing.
I write for all children who are trying to make sense of colonial history and to find a way to stand in their truth to heal. I write to give my ancestors a voice.Wanda John-Kehewin