An Indigenous author from St. Mary’s recently won the First Nation Communities READ's 2022-2023 PMC Indigenous Literature Award.

S.P. Joseph Lyons said he used his own experience in the foster care system to inspire his book, Little Bear in Foster Care. Lyons, a survivor of the Sixties Scoop, wrote the book as a letter to his younger self as a child in the foster care system.

The book is published through Goodminds, located in Brantford.

David Anderson, who works at Goodminds as an educational consultant, says they are thrilled with the books success and proud of the 500+ authored books carried by Goodminds.

The First Nation Communities READ (FNCR) is a Ontario First Nation Public Library Community’s initiative that aims to the reading movement. It was launched in 2003, with support from the Ontario Library Service, to promote a community-based approach to reading.

The 2022-2023 awards were announced on Oct. 7 during First Nation Public Library Week.

Periodical Marketers of Canada sponsors the award and each of the selected authors received $5,000.

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