Billy-Ray Belcourt

About the Author

Billy-Ray Belcourt is an award-winning Cree poet, scholar, and activist whose work explores the intersections of Indigenous identity, queer experience, and colonial trauma with unflinching honesty and poetic grace. Raised in the Sucker Creek First Nation in northern Alberta, Belcourt's writing draws from his lived realities as a member of the Cree Nation, weaving personal narratives with broader socio-political critiques to illuminate the wounds of history and the possibilities of healing. His debut collection, This Wound Is a World, garnered critical acclaim, including the prestigious Griffin Poetry Prize, establishing him as a vital voice in contemporary Canadian literature. Through his essays and poetry, Belcourt challenges dominant narratives, advocating for decolonization and self-determination while celebrating the resilience of Indigenous communities.