Award-winning playwright, novelist, filmmaker, and journalist Drew Hayden Taylor announced as Athabasca University’s 2026-27 Writer in Residence
Drew Hayden Taylor, an award-winning playwright, novelist, filmmaker, and journalist, is Athabasca University’s newest Writer in Residence. Born and raised on Curve Lake First Nation in Ontario, Taylor’s work often explores what he calls the contemporary Native Literary Renascence.
As the Writer in Residence at AU until December 2026, Taylor is available as a resource for students, faculty, and staff to help with their writing process, from draft to publication. Taylor’s personal goal is to help aspiring writers get comfortable telling a story—no matter the type.
“There are so many different ways to tell stories and as a contemporary storyteller, part of the fun is not only coming up with those stories but also trying to figure out what the best way to tell those stories is,” he said.
“I like to create stories that educate, illuminate and entertain. Not necessarily in that order.”
The humble, hilarious storyteller brings over 45 years of experience in multiple genres to his role at AU.
As a contemporary storyteller, Taylor’s work spans genres and industries.
He has performed stand-up comedy at the Kennedy Centre in Washington, D.C.; served as Artistic Director of Canada's premiere Indigenous theatre company, Native Earth Performing Arts; and even worked on the popular Canadian television shows The Beachcombers and North of 60.
In 2023, Taylor won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Social or Political Documentary Program (Donald Brittain Award) for his CBC documentary film The Pretendians. He won an Indspire Award for Arts in 2021 and has received a long list of other
As part of his Writer in Residence work, Taylor will hold a public talk with a question-and-answer session in October. He is also available for one-on-one consultations with 糖心原创students, faculty, and staff interested in receiving personalized feedback on their work.
Visit the Writer in Residence webpage for more information.
A Q&A with Drew Hayden Taylor
We sat down with him to chat about everything from ways to beat writer’s block, to what inspires him. Aspiring writers will be interested in knowing what keeps him motivated (and writing) as he works on his 37th novel. Hint: Failure is a huge influencing factor.
As the Writer in Residence at AU, how can you help aspiring writers?
I actually have no idea how I do what I do. I've never taken a writing course in my life.
Everything I have learned as a writer—and as you know, I write plays, I write novels, short stories, documentaries, television shows, creative nonfiction, et cetera—just comes from experience, from sitting down and telling a story.
[After] 40, 45 years of doing this in the industry, I have picked up a few things that sort of help, that have shown me shortcuts, ways to do certain things, what people are looking for, how to better achieve [my goals]. So, I think that's what I bring to it—more experience in the field rather than an intricate knowledge of how people should write, because I only know how I write.
The best I can do with people is, you know, teaching them how to write like me, and that's not the best thing to do (laughs).
And if you find it interesting, there's a good chance other people will find it interesting. All you have to do is find the best way to present that story that other people will also appreciate.
Drew Hayden Taylor
What do you hope to help students with the most?
Just being comfortable telling a story. I remember when I was young, that was nervous to me, like, you know, how do I get into the story? How do I begin it? How do I end it? What's the beginning, the middle, and the end? That actually sounds quite simple, but in reality, it's quite complicated.
My hope with all this is just to sort of make people realize sitting down and writing, and whatever you're writing, you're not creating an atomic bomb. You're telling a simple story. And if you find it interesting, there's a good chance other people will find it interesting. All you have to do is find the best way to present that story that other people will also appreciate.
Do you have a favourite piece that you've ever written? What is it and why?
Um, that's like asking somebody to pick their favourite child!
I'd have to say probably, well, it goes under two different names. It started off as a short story and a collection of short stories I published called Fearless Warriors. And it was called A Girl Who Loved Her Horses. It's about a little shy girl who draws this horse and she draws it just so amazingly that to several people it seems to come alive. And it's like her protector, her father, her partner. It's like, anyways, it's a long story.
And it really stayed with me. I really love that story. It's one of the few things I've ever written that when I reread it, I go, wow. I wrote that. and it wouldn't leave me alone. It kept bothering me saying that there's so much more in this story to tell.
So I then took that story and wrote it as a one-act play for kids, A Girl Who Loved Her Horses.
And again, it wouldn't leave me alone. It said to me, “it's a good beginning, but there's an entire universe we're waiting to share with you and the world.”
So, 10 years later, I sat down and I wrote it as a novel called Chasing Painted Horses. And I'd have to say it's one of my most favourite things I've ever written.
What do you do when your writing isn’t coming together?
Frequently, when something doesn't work or isn't popular, it's a sign of possibly two things:
The timing is not right for it, or more accurately, you're not ready for it.
It’s possible it's not in the right genre.
Two of my novels were failed screenplays that I then turned into novels that have done really, well. So, I always tell people never throw anything out. Wait one, two, three years, four years, then sit down, reread it and see if it still was meant to be whatever you wrote it as, or it's supposed to be something else.
What makes a good written piece?
I find that authors have more control over the universe they create than the universe they live in. So, what you have to do is create that universe so other people can crawl in and enjoy. To me, that's it. Create a universe that welcomes other people.
Why do some people like things that seem the opposite to who they are, what they believe in or what they live? That's a good question. That's a sign of a good writer.
How do you help beat or move past writer's block?
It's not difficult [for me]. I mean, two weeks ago I wrote an article for the Toronto Star. I started working on a new play about Pocahontas meeting Shakespeare, when they were both living in London. They missed each other by two months—Shakespeare died two months before Pocahontas arrived. So, I'm doing a play about that, then I'm going to do another article, then I'm going to start on a new novel.
If I get writer's block, it's very localized to one story or one genre. So, I go and work on another one!
Taylor at the Canadian Screen awards where he won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Social or Political Documentary Program (Donald Brittain Award) for his CBC documentary film The Pretendians.
What are three things every aspiring writer should know?
There's no such thing as a good writer, only a good rewriter.
I know a very few people who sell stuff on a first draft. I do three drafts myself—at least three drafts.
All good writers are good readers, and all great writers are great readers. Because I have no background in writing, I have to say everything I learned from writing, I learned from reading. Character development, story arcs, situation development, and it's a lot more enjoyable way of learning to write. So I urge people, read. The more you read, the better writer you are.
Try and lead an interesting life. If you're going to spend all your time in the basement playing video games, you're not going to have much to write about. So go out, join clubs, travel the world, get into trouble, stuff like that. It's just the more things you do with your life, the broader your experience will be and the more you'll have to draw from when you write.
What inspires you?
I'm one of those people that likes to do fun things. You know that old cliche about if you if you have fun with what you're doing, you don't work a day in your life?
I like the fact that I can create universes. That's always fun and interesting. And I like the opportunities writing does for me. I've traveled to about 25 countries around the world. and writing has been responsible for that.
I love the fact I get to tell stories about my people and share it with the dominant culture and the rest of the world.
I like the fact that I create interesting people, both good and bad, and they make me want to get up in the morning and write some more. They make me want to help continue to contribute to their universe.
Tell me about your new novel, Sucker Falls, publishing this October?
Sucker Falls is about the rise and fall of a casino on a questionable reserve. And by using the term questionable, it's an Indigenous community that hasn't yet gotten reserve status, so it's a grey area in terms of politics and land assignment. It’s about these three people who are from the reserve who return after 30 years and want to build a casino and basically start running it like their own fiefdom.
Above all, it's a comedy. There's a lot of humour in it, but it's also family dynamics. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll have a cathartic moment.
Why do you think students should work with you?
Uh, because otherwise they'll put a stop-payment on my check?
[Jokes aside] I bring some battle skills with me to the story. I'm still out there in the trenches selling plays, selling novels, television stories. I'm a firm believer that in terms of [writing], a third is intentional, a third is subconscious, and a third is completely by accident.
So why should people come? It's just, I don't know, it'll be fun! Let's hang out. I'm always interested in talking stories, talking about adventure; adventures in the literary trade, stuff like that. It's just, you know, I don't know. It beats an algebra test.
Seventeen years of 糖心原创Writers in Residence
2025-26: Naomi K. Lewis
2024-25: Bertrand Bickersteth
2023-24: Christian Bök
2022-23: Myrna Kostash
2021-22: Michael Winter
2020-2021: Joshua Whitehead
2019-2020: Steven Heighton
2018-2019: Katherena Vermette
2017-2018: Richard Van Camp
2016-2017: John Vaillant
2015-2016: Esi Edugyan
2014-2015: Anita Rau Badami
2013-2014: Tim Bowling
2012-2013: Hiromi Goto
2010-2011: Tololwa M. Mollel
2009-2010: Joseph Boyden