Marvin Francis

Marvin Francis (1955–2005) was a Cree poet from Winnipeg, Manitoba best known for his book-length poem City Treaty published by Turnstone Press.

Life

Francis was born on the Heart Lake First Nation drawing on his experience as a poet, playwright, actor, artist and theater director. In 2002 he published his book-length satiric poem "City Treaty," which engages with "globalization, neoliberalism, and narratives of cultural identity" as it deals with the "ongoing links of treaty trickery with the everyday discourses of global capitalism." The long poem has been called "a streetwise anti-globalization manifesto for the indigenous world"

"City Treaty" received the John Hirsch Award for Most Promising Manitoba Writer in 2002.

His poem "Edgewalker" has been called an important work in understanding the "ideological boundaries that often separate the beneficiaries of colonialism from those who are objectified and impoverished by it."

A second volume of his poetry, Bush Camp, was published posthumously in 2008.

Works City Treaty (Turnstone, 2002) Bush Camp (Turnstone, 2008)