Jen Ferguson

Jen Ferguson
EducationUniversity of South Dakota
OccupationsNovelist, professor
Writing career
LanguageEnglish
Years active2021–present
GenreYoung adult
Notable workThe Summer of Bitter and Sweet
Notable awardsGovernor General's Award for English-language children's literature, Cybils Award
Websitejenfergusonwrites.com

Jen Ferguson is a Michif/Métis Canadian activist and writer of young adult fiction. She is best known for her debut novel The Summer of Bitter and Sweet, which won a Governor General's Award and was nominated for the William C. Morris Award.

Life

Ferguson is of Michif/Métis and Canadian settler heritage and is queer.

She has described herself as an army brat and grew up moving around Canada, spending a few years in Calgary, and then moving to Lloydminster, which she says was the first place where she witnessed anti-Indigenous violence.

Ferguson has a PhD in English and creative writing from the University of South Dakota. She teaches fiction writing at Coe College.

Writing career

The Summer of Bitter and Sweet

Her debut novel, The Summer of Bitter and Sweet, was published by Heartdrum in 2022.

The Summer of Bitter and Sweet won the Governor General's Award for English-language children's literature and received starred reviews from Booklist, BookPage, Kirkus Reviews, and School Library Journal. It was also a finalist for the 2023 William C. Morris Award as well as a Stonewall Book Award Honor Book in Children's and Young Adult Literature in 2023, and won the 2022 Cybils Award for Young Adult Fiction.

Those Pink Mountain Nights

Her second novel, Those Pink Mountain Nights, is a sequel to her debut and was published by Heartdrum in 2023. It is about an Indigenous teen working her first job at an Alberta pizza shop and coming of age. It explores the topic of missing and murdered Indigenous women, mental health, and sexuality.

It was inspired by her experience working in a pizza shop in the Canadian Prairies when she was 16, a screenplay about a pizza shop she wrote in her early 20s, and the "ongoing human rights crisis happening in Canada, the U.S., and Mexico."

A Constellation of Minor Bears

Her third book, A Constellation of Minor Bears, was published in 2024.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "The Summer of Bitter and Sweet". Kirkus Reviews. March 2, 2022. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  2. 1 2 McKee, Susan (November 22, 2022). "Creative writing alumna wins Governor General's Literary Award". University of Windsor. Retrieved October 6, 2025.
  3. 1 2 "2023 Morris Award". Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA). 2023-01-30. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  4. 1 2 Bardwell, Neely (2023-07-24). "Q&A with Michif/Métis writer, Jen Ferguson, on her soon to be released young adult novel". Native News Online. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  5. 1 2 "Why writing fiction for young people inspires Jen Ferguson to keep hope alive". CBC. December 22, 2023. Retrieved January 5, 2024.
  6. ↑ "Faculty". Coe College. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  7. ↑ Smith, Cynthia Leitich (2023-09-13). "Author Interview: Jen Ferguson on Sophomore Books & Shaping Characters". Cynsations. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  8. ↑ Jeanne, Fredriksen (May 1, 2022). "The Summer of Bitter and Sweet". Booklist. Archived from the original on February 19, 2023. Retrieved 2023-02-19.
  9. 1 2 Dumpleton, Elise (2023-09-11). "Q&A: Jen Ferguson, Author of 'Those Pink Mountain Nights'". The Nerd Daily. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  10. ↑ Saarinen, Tamara (September 1, 2022). "The Summer of Bitter and Sweet". School Library Journal.
  11. ↑ "Stonewall Book Awards List". Round Tables. 2009-09-09. Retrieved 2024-01-05.
  12. ↑ "2022 Cybils Winners". www.cybils.com. Retrieved 2026-06-14.
  13. ↑ "Jen Ferguson's upcoming YA novel reflects on teen body image and friendship dynamics — read an excerpt now". CBC Books. April 17, 2024.