# Alexandra Shimo

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**Alexandra Shimo** is a [Canadian](/source/Canadians) writer.

## Early life and education

Born in Toronto, Canada, Shimo grew up in [London](/source/London), [United Kingdom](/source/United_Kingdom). She graduated [Oxford University](/source/Oxford_University) with an BA in Philosophy, politics and economics followed by a Masters from [Columbia University](/source/Columbia_University) in journalism.[1]

## Writing career

In 2016, Shimo published *Invisible North: The Search for Answers on a Troubled Reserve*. Based on first person reportage of the four months Shimo lived in Kashechewan First Nation reserve in northern Ontario, the book describes how inhuman conditions had decimated the local community and the legal, economic and political circumstances that trap many northern indigenous communities in poverty. The book was longlisted for the [RBC Taylor Prize](/source/RBC_Taylor_Prize), and a finalist for the BC Award for Canadian Non-Fiction.[2] It was one of the Globe and Mail's best books of the year.[3]

Shimo was a shortlisted nominee for the [Governor General's Award for English-language non-fiction](/source/Governor_General's_Award_for_English-language_non-fiction) at the [2014 Governor General's Awards](/source/2014_Governor_General's_Awards) as cowriter of [Edmund Metatawabin](/source/Edmund_Metatawabin)'s memoir *Up Ghost River: A Chief's Journey Through the Turbulent Waters of Native History*.[4] The book describes Metatawabin's life during and after St. Anne's, a residential school in Fort Albany, northern Ontario. The book became a national bestseller and was named one of the best books of 2014 by the [Canadian Broadcasting Corporation](/source/Canadian_Broadcasting_Corporation),[5] *[The Hill Times](/source/The_Hill_Times)* and *[Quill and Quire](/source/Quill_and_Quire)*.[6] In February 2015, it was named one of the winners of the CBC's Bookie Awards.[7]

A former editor at *[Maclean's](/source/Maclean's)*, Shimo is a freelance journalist who has contributed to *[The Guardian](/source/The_Guardian)*, the *[Toronto Star](/source/Toronto_Star)*, the [Canadian Broadcasting Corporation](/source/Canadian_Broadcasting_Corporation), *[Maclean's](/source/Maclean's)*, the *[National Post](/source/National_Post)*, *[The Globe and Mail](/source/The_Globe_and_Mail)* and *[Toronto Life](/source/Toronto_Life)*, she is also the author of *The Environment Equation: 100 Factors That Can Add to or Subtract From Your Total Carbon Footprint*.[8]

## Teaching

She teaches creative nonfiction part-time at University of Toronto Continuing Studies.[9]

## Awards

- Finalist 2017 – BC Achievement Award for Non Fiction [10]
- Winner 2016 - Speaker's Book Award [11]
- Winner 2015 – [CBC Books](/source/CBC_Books) Bookie Award for Non-Fiction [12]
- Winner 2015 – [Ontario Historical Society](/source/Ontario_Historical_Society)'s Donald Grant Creighton Award[13]
- Finalist 2014 – Governor General's Literary Award for Non-Fiction
- Finalist 2015–2016 – [Trillium Book Award](/source/Trillium_Book_Award)[14]
- Finalist 2015–2016 – First Nation Communities Read[15]

## Works

- *The Environment Equation: 100 Factors That Can Add to or Subtract From Your Total Carbon Footprint* (2008)
- *Up Ghost River: A Chief's Journey Through the Turbulent Waters of Native History* (2014)
- *Invisible North: The Search for Answers on a Troubled Reserve* (2016)

## References

1. ["Alexandra Shimo"](https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/authors/220967/alexandra-shimo). Penguin Random House Canada. Retrieved 31 March 2024.

1. ["B.C. national book award goes to Sandra Martin"](https://vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/b-c-national-book-award-goes-to-sandra-martin). *[Vancouver Sun](/source/Vancouver_Sun)*, January 26, 2017.

1. ["The Globe 100: These are the best books of 2016"](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/the-globe-100-books-reading-these-are-the-best-books-of-2016/article33132356/). Retrieved 2019-07-01.

1. ["Governor-General Literary Awards finalists unveiled"](https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/governor-general-finalists-unveiled/article20959928/). *[The Globe and Mail](/source/The_Globe_and_Mail)*, October 7, 2014.

1. ["CBC Books' roundup of our favourite Canadian books of the year"](http://www.cbc.ca/books/bestbooks2014/index.html). *[CBC Books](/source/CBC_Books)*

1. ["Q&Q's picks for books of the year 2014"](http://www.quillandquire.com/books-year/2014/12/01/books-of-the-year-2014/3/). *[Quill and Quire](/source/Quill_and_Quire)*. December 1, 2014.

1. ["2015 CBC Bookie Awards"](http://www.cbc.ca/books/bookies2015/index.html). *[CBC Books](/source/CBC_Books)*

1. ["How To Calculate Your Carbon Footprint"](https://www.forbes.com/2008/04/15/green-carbon-living-forbeslife-cx_ls_0415carbon.html). *[Forbes](/source/Forbes_(magazine))*, April 15, 2008.

1. ["Alexandra Shimo"](https://learn.utoronto.ca/why-continuing-studies/about-our-instructors/instructors/alexandra-shimo). *School of Continuing Studies - University of Toronto*. Retrieved 2019-07-01.

1. ["BC National Book Award Goes to Sandra Martin"](https://vancouversun.com/entertainment/books/b-c-national-book-award-goes-to-sandra-martin). *Vancouver Sun*. Retrieved 15 February 2017.

1. ["Edmund Metatawabin and Alexandra Shimo win Speaker's Book Award"](http://www.quillandquire.com/awards/2016/03/08/edmund-metatawabin-and-alexandra-shimo-win-speakers-book-award/). Quill and Quire. 8 March 2016.

1. ["2015 CBC Bookie Awards"](http://www.cbc.ca/books/bookies2015/index.html). *[CBC Books](/source/CBC_Books)*

1. ["2014-15 Honours and Awards Recipients Announced"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160610055150/https://www.ontariohistoricalsociety.ca/index.php/2014-03-04-21-07-46/news-archives/406-2014-15-honours-and-awards-recipients-announced). Ontario Historical Society. Archived from [the original](https://www.ontariohistoricalsociety.ca/index.php/2014-03-04-21-07-46/news-archives/406-2014-15-honours-and-awards-recipients-announced) on 2016-06-10. Retrieved 29 March 2016.

1. ["Finalists for 2015 Trillium Book Award Announced"](https://web.archive.org/web/20160410035706/http://www.omdc.on.ca/news_publications/News_Releases/Finalists_for_2015_Trillium_Book_Award_Announced_s1_p1784.htm). *OMDC*. Archived from [the original](http://www.omdc.on.ca/news_publications/News_Releases/Finalists_for_2015_Trillium_Book_Award_Announced_s1_p1784.htm) on 10 April 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2016.

1. ["First Nation Communities Read announces 2015-2016 shortlist of books for young adults and adults"](http://www.thebpc.ca/member-news/first-nation-communities-read-announces-2015-2016-shortlist-of-books-for-young-adults-and-adults/). *thebpc.ca*. Book and Periodical Council. Retrieved 29 March 2016.

## External links

- [Alexandra Shimo](http://alexandrashimo.com/)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Alexandra Shimo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandra_Shimo) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexandra_Shimo?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.