Canadian writer
Alexandra Shimo is a Canadian writer.
Early life and education.
Born in Toronto, Canada, Shimo grew up in London, United Kingdom. She graduated Oxford University with an BA in Philosophy, politics and economics followed by a Masters from Columbia University in journalism.
Writing career.
In 2016, Shimo published "Invisible North: The Search for Answers on a Troubled Reserve". Based on first person reportage of the four months Shimo lived in Kashechewan First Nation reserve in northern Ontario, the book describes how inhuman conditions had decimated the local community and the legal, economic and political circumstances that trap many northern indigenous communities in poverty. The book was longlisted for the RBC Taylor Prize, and a finalist for the BC Award for Canadian Non-Fiction. It was one of the Globe and Mail's best books of the year.
Shimo was a shortlisted nominee for the Governor General's Award for English-language non-fiction at the 2014 Governor General's Awards as cowriter of Edmund Metatawabin's memoir "Up Ghost River: A Chief's Journey Through the Turbulent Waters of Native History". The book describes Metatawabin's life during and after St. Anne's, a residential school in Fort Albany, northern Ontario. The book became a national bestseller and was named one of the best books of 2014 by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, "The Hill Times" and "Quill and Quire". In February 2015, it was named one of the winners of the CBC's Bookie Awards.
A former editor at "Maclean's", Shimo is a freelance journalist who has contributed to "The Guardian", the "Toronto Star", the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, "Maclean's", the "National Post", "The Globe and Mail" and "Toronto Life", she is also the author of "The Environment Equation: 100 Factors That Can Add to or Subtract From Your Total Carbon Footprint".
Teaching.
She teaches creative nonfiction part-time at University of Toronto Continuing Studies.
References.
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