Smokii Sumac: Difference between revisions

'''Smokii Sumac''' is a [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ktunaxa_Nation Ktunaxa] poet whose first book of poetry, ''you are enough: love poems for the end of the world'' was published in 2018 by Kegedonce Press.<ref name=PersonalSite>{{Cite web|url=http://smokiisumac.com/about/|title=About – Smokii Sumac|language=en|access-date=2019-04-16}}</ref> In addition to writing, Sumac dedicates much of his work to Indigenous and [[LGBTQ]] communities.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Chazan |first1=May |last2=Baldwin |first2=Melissa |last3=Evans |first3=Patricia |title=Unsettling Activisms: Critical Interventions on Aging, Gender, and Social Change |date=2018 |publisher=Canadian Scholars' Press |page=16}}</ref>  He identifies as [[two-spirit]], [[transmasculine]], "an uncle" and "an auntie", and has said "I didn’t fit in that check box of male / female".<ref name=CVP>{{Cite web|url=https://www.columbiavalleypioneer.com/community/poet-finds-their-new-voice/|last=Ditson|first=Dauna|title=Poet finds their new voice|date=2019-01-02|website=The Columbia Valley Pioneer|language=en-US|access-date=2019-04-16}}</ref> He currently lives in both Peterborough, Ontario and Ithaca, New York with his family and their dog.<ref name=PersonalSite/> Smokii uses he/him and they/them [[pronouns]].<ref>https://www.instagram.com/smokiisumac/</ref>

Sumac grew up in Invermere, British Columbia. He attended the David Thompson Secondary School. He has talked openly about his recovery from alcoholism and addiction.<ref name=CVP/> He credits the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word in 2017 with inspiring him to begin writing poetry.<ref name=OP>{{cite journal |title=Smokii Sumac on Being Seen in Poetry, Why Endings Matter, and a New Spin on Love Letters |journal=Open Book |date=February 21, 2019 |url=http://open-book.ca/News/Smokii-Sumac-on-Being-Seen-in-Poetry-Why-Endings-Matter-and-a-New-Spin-on-Love-Letters}}</ref>

Their work has been published in ''Write Magazine'', ''Electric City Magazine'' and ''Canadian Literature.'' ''you are enough'' has been favorably reviewed in publications including ''Muskrat Magazine''<ref name=Muskrat>{{cite journal |last1=Cole |first1=Jenn |title=You Are Enough: Love Poems for the End of the World by Smokii Sumac (Ktunaxa) |journal=Muskrat Magazine |date=May 3, 2019 |url=http://muskratmagazine.com/you-are-enough-love-poems-for-the-end-of-the-world-by-smokii-sumac-ktunaxa/}}</ref> and ''Transmotion.''<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Morford |first1=Ashley Caranto |title="(big)/little" moments of world-building revolution: a review of Smokii Sumac's you are enough: love poems for the end of the world. |journal=Transmotion |date=2019 |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=336–339 |accessdate=30 September 2019|url=https://journals.kent.ac.uk/index.php/transmotion/article/view/748}}</ref> In 2017 the Indigenous Voices Award was presented to Sumac for his unpublished poetry including his #haikuaday, which he posted on social media.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.universityaffairs.ca/news/news-article/how-a-scholarly-association-is-helping-indigenous-writers-to-thrive/|title=How a scholarly association is helping Indigenous writers to thrive|website=University Affairs|language=en-US|access-date=2019-04-16}}</ref>  They have performed at various events and venues including the Queer Arts Festival in 2018 and PoetryNOW: 11th Annual Battle of the Bards in 2019. Currently, Smokii Sumac is a PhD Candidate in Indigenous Studies at Trent University, where he is researching "coming home" stories from a Ktunaxa adoptee and two-spirit perspective.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://kegedonce.com/authors/item/119-smokii-sumac.html|title=SMOKII SUMAC|last=Patricia|website=kegedonce.com|language=en-gb|access-date=2019-04-16}}</ref>