Winner of Governor General’s Literary Award died following a brief and sudden illness.
Cree author Darrel J. McLeod spoke several languages, had residences in two countries, and straddled the line between musical composition and the written word. But the Sooke-based Governor General’s Literary Award winner, who died Thursday at the age of 67, following a brief and sudden illness, had a singular voice — no matter the artistic pursuit.“He was an extraordinary example of compassion, intelligence, curiosity, resilience, and deep humanity,” Ebere said.
McLeod was due to participate in the upcoming Victoria Festival of Authors, which has events scheduled for Sept. 21-22 and Oct. 16-20. He was scheduled to read from Peyakow and host a two-day workshop, Going Deep: Memoir Writing from Start to Finish. His relationship with the festival went back several years. “Darrel has been with the festival for every one of his books. He was really involved. He was a real champion of emerging Indigenous writers, and often recommended writers we should have on our roster.”She said he was “a very generous person” with a great laugh. “He was so kind and thoughtful. Everybody that met Darrel could really feel his warmth. He was such a vibrant man. And he made time for people.
He participated in a recent jazz workshop at the University of Victoria, and spoke to Carroll, his music teacher, about feeling inspired by the collaboration. He talked about writing and recording a third album of music, Carroll said. “He wasn’t afraid to combine his passions in unconventional ways.”
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