Smokii Sumac


Smokii Sumac is a Ktunaxa poet whose first book of poetry, you are enough: love poems for the end of the world was published in 2018 by Kegedonce Press. In addition to writing, Sumac dedicates much of his work to Indigenous and LGBTQ communities. He identifies as a two-spirit, trans masculine, "as an uncle and an auntie". He currently lives in both Peterborough, Ontario and Ithaca, New York with his family and their dog.
Sumac grew up in Invermere, British Columbia. He attended the David Thompson Secondary School. He has talked openly about his recovery from alcoholism and addiction. He credits the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word in 2017 with inspiring him to begin writing poetry.
His work has been published in Write Magazine, Electric City Magazine and Canadian Literature. you are enough has been favorably reviewed in publications including Muskrat Magazine and Transmotion. In 2017 the Indigenous Voices Award was presented to Sumac for his unpublished poetry including his #haikuaday, which he posted on social media. He has performed at various events and venues including the Queer Arts Festival in 2018 and PoetryNOW: 11th Annual Battle of the Bards in 2019. Currently, Smokii Sumac is a PhD Candidate in Indigenous Studies at Trent University, where he is researching "coming home" stories from a Ktunaxa adoptee and two-spirit perspective.

Publications