Conor Kerr

Conor Kerr is an Assistant Professor in the Department of English and Film Studies at the University of Alberta's Faculty of Arts. He holds an MFA and BA, with research interests focused on Indigenous literatures, Métis narratives, and environmental storytelling. His creative works explore relationships between Indigenous communities and landscapes, blending genres across poetry and fiction.

Notable publications include Avenue of Champions (2021), shortlisted for the Giller Prize; Old Gods (2023), a Governor General’s Award finalist; and Prairie Edge (2024), which earned Giller Prize and Atwood Gibson Award nominations. His forthcoming Beaver Hills Forever (2025) examines Indigenous futurities through environmental themes.

Awards include the 2022 ReLIT Award, CBC’s 2022 Writers to Watch designation, and poetry prizes from The Fiddlehead and The Malahat Review. Kerr’s teaching includes courses on Indigenous literature, creative writing, and advanced fiction workshops.

His heritage includes Métis Nation of Alberta membership and Ukrainian settler ancestry in Treaty 4/6 territories. His writing appears in journals like Grain and Prairie Fire, with works anthologized in Best Canadian Poetry and Best Canadian Stories.