Guides: ENG 222 & 322: Canadian Literature: A Guide to Indigenous Canadian Literature: Drew Hayden Taylor, 1962 -

Drew Hayden Taylor

Works by the Author
Works About the Author

Crees in the Caribbean: a Native comedy drama by Michel Tremblay; Sheila Fischman (Translator); Drew Hayden Taylor
Publication Date: 2017-06-06
A heartwarming comedy about two middle-aged First Nations seniors, Evie and Cecil, on their very first trip out of the country. Evie and Cecil reminisce and bicker as they review a lifetime together. Evie and Cecil are celebrating their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary. As a gift, their grown children send them on a second honeymoon - to a fabulous resort on the Caribbean coast of Mexico. The only problem is that neither have ever been out of the country, let alone off their Cree reservation. Each reacts to their new experiences differently, and something ominous seems to be bothering Cecil.
Take Us to Your Chief and other stories by Drew Hayden Taylor
Publication Date: 2017-04-11
A forgotten Haudenosaunee social song beams into the cosmos like a homing beacon for interstellar visitors. A computer learns to feel sadness and grief from the history of atrocities committed against First Nations. A young Native man discovers the secret to time travel in ancient petroglyphs. The nine stories in this collection span all traditional topics of science fiction--from peaceful aliens to hostile invaders; from space travel to time travel; from government conspiracies to connections across generations.
Cerulean Blue : a comedy in two acts by Drew Hayden Taylor
Publication Date: 2015-12-15
Cerulean Blue is a comedic play about a struggling blues band invited to participate in a benefit concert for a First Nation community in conflict with governmental authorities. Upon arriving, the band discovers the entire lineup of musical acts has cancelled and they're left trapped behind barricades. Complicating the matter, there is conflict within the band and the sudden appearance of an old girlfriend makes the event even more perilous. This play is an homage to fast-moving farces while also addressing Aboriginal issues.
Me Artsy by Drew Hayden Taylor (Editor)
Publication Date: 2015-09-22
There are a few questions that professional artists get asked regularly: Where do you get your ideas? How did you get started? And be honest—are you really in it for the money? Following the highly successful Me Funny and Me Sexy anthologies, Me Artsy answers these eternal questions and more. With essays from fourteen First Nations artists from a variety of disciplines, the collection provides insight into the paths that led each artist to pursue and develop his or her craft.
The best of Funny, you don't look like one by Drew Hayden Taylor
ISBN: 9781926886336
Publication Date: 2015
"Welcome to 'Drew's world' where theatre, humour, First Nations philosophy, literature and identity all walk hand in hand. Drew Hayden Taylor has worked and explored all of these worlds and a few more in his columns. In this 'Best Of' compilation, everything you need to know about the past and present (and possibly some future events too) of one of Canada's leading Native playwrights and humourists can be found."
God and the Indian: a play by Drew Hayden Taylor
Publication Date: 2014-06-03
While panhandling outside a coffee shop, Johnny, a Cree woman who lives on the streets, is shocked to recognize a face from her childhood, which was spent in a residential school. Desperate to hear the man acknowledge the terrible abuse he inflicted on her and other children at the school, Johnny follows Anglican bishop George King to his office to confront him. Inside King’s office, Johnny’s memories are fluid, shifting, and her voice cracks with raw emotion. Is the bishop actually guilty of what she claims, or has her ability to recollect been altered by poverty, abuse, and starvation experienced on the streets? Can her memories be trusted?
Boy in the Treehouse - Girl Who Loved Her Horses by Drew Hayden Taylor
Publication Date: 2000-09-15
In "The Boy in the Treehouse," Simon, the son of an Ojibway mother and a British father, climbs into his half-finished tree house on the vision-quest his books say is necessary for him to reclaim his mother's culture. "Girl Who Loved Her Horses" is the Native name for the strange and quiet Danielle from the non-status community across the tracks, imbued with the mysterious power to draw the horse "every human being on the planet wanted but could never have."
Someday : a play by Drew Hayden Taylor
Publication Date: 1993-03-15
Anne Wabung's daughter was taken away by children's aid workers when the girl was only a toddler. It is Christmastime 35 years later, and Anne's yearning to see her now-grown daughter is stronger than ever. When the family is finally reunited, however, the dreams of neither women are fulfilled. The setting for the play is a fictional Ojibway community, but could be any reserve in Canada, where thousands of Native children were removed from their families in what is known among Native people as the "scoop-up" of the 1950s and 1960s. Someday is an entertaining, humorous, and spirited play that packs an intense emotional wallop.
The bootlegger blues : a play by Drew Hayden Taylor
Publication Date: 1991
Set on a reserve, this comedy follows the plight of Martha, a church-going, teetotaling woman who finds herself stuck with 143 cases of beer after a church fundraiser fails. She decides to bootleg the beer, to the horror of her son Andrew, nicknamed Blue, who is a special constable on the reserve. Meanwhile, Andrew has fallen for a young woman he thinks is his cousin, and his sister Marianne is bored with her "Indian Yuppie" husband and finds herself attracted to a handsome dancer at the powwow. The pace is fast and vigorous in this romantic situation comedy.
Toronto at Dreamer's Rock and Education Is Our Right : two one act plays by Drew Hayden Taylor
Publication Date: 1990-01-01
In these two plays, Drew Taylor delves into the past and speculates about the future as he examines the dilemmas facing young Native Canadians today. Toronto at Dreamer's Rock is a moving portrayal of a teenage boy who is torn between the traditions of his people, which he only vaguely understands, and the lure of modern life. His magical encounters with two members of his tribe make him aware of how little he has thought about what it means to be an Indian. In Education is Our Right, the spirits of Education Past, Present and Future attempt to show the Minister of Indian Affairs the error of his ways.

Drew Hayden Taylor by Robert Nunn (Editor)
Publication Date: 2007-11-01
Drew Hayden Taylor is one of Canada's leading Native playwrights and humorists. He was born on the Curve Lake First Nation, near Peterborough, Ontario. Since 1982 he has lived in Toronto. The product of an Ojibway mother and a white father whom he has never known, he addresses vexed issues of identity, and the many facets of the relation between Native people and whites, with sharp insight and a frequently unsettling sense of humour. He has written for radio, television and, especially, the stage, has directed videos, and has published short stories and four collections of journalistic writings under the running title, "Funny, You Don't Look Like One".