Overview
Ivan E. Coyote is a Canadian writer and storyteller who has written a range of works including short stories, novels, stageplays and anthologies. Coyote is known for producing works that explore gender, identity, and community, as well as for their humorous and charming style.
This overview looks at the various works Coyote has written and discusses their content, themes, and messages.
Biography of Ivan E. Coyote
Ivan E. Coyote is an award-winning Canadian author, storyteller, and performance artist from Yukon, Canada. Established as a well-known figure in the LGBT community, Ivan has written 11 books including collections of short stories and novels. Since 2006, Ivan has toured internationally, performing for audiences at various colleges, universities, conferences and events.
Born in Whitehorse to a large Native Canadian family and adopted by her paternal cousins from Edmonton when she was 5 months old, Coyote studied film production at Vancouver Film School before beginning her writing career by self-publishing small pamphlets of short stories produced with a Xerox machine during the 1990s. Using these early publications as calling cards, she published her first book Close to Spiderman in 2000 followed by an online collection of short stories Missed Her two years later, which was a Lambda Literary Award finalist as best LGBT fiction.
Coyote has since released works such as Loose End (2005), Dear Claire (2008) & One in Every Crowd (2012). In publications such as Gender Failure (2014) & Missed Her (2016), Ivan E Coyote explores the intricacies of gender expression through prose fiction and personal monologues, further blurring the lines between fact & fiction whilst echoing resonant themes of loneliness & acceptance in modern day queer culture.
Having been invited to perform at renowned institutions such as The British Museum & Radio City Music Hall to name a few, In 2017 Ivan received lifetime achievement awards from both the Writers Guild Of Canada Awards and A Room Of One’s Own Foundation for further contributions to literature and storytelling artistry worldwide.
Short Story Collections
Ivan E. Coyote is a Canadian author who has explored many different genres through their writing. They are best known for their critically acclaimed collection of short stories, which have been published in various anthologies and collections. In these collections, Ivan E. Coyote has explored themes of identity, loneliness, and queer love.
Let’s take a look at some of Ivan E. Coyote’s published collections of short stories:
Missed Her
Missed Her is a collection of short stories that explore the relationship between family dynamics, loss and modern culture. This emotionally charged collection shines a light on some of life’s most difficult and vulnerable moments such as dealing with a terminal illness, facing death and trying to move on after heartbreaking loss.
Each story presents its own unique journey as characters grapple with their pain, come to terms with their emotions, cope with everyday obstacles and face tough decisions. Through poignant writing, author Emily Webster delves into the deep ties that bind us together yet can sometimes leave us feeling completely adrift. With an evocative use of language and imagery, Missed Her is an exploration of friendship, relationships and the power of love in our lives.
Loose End
Ivan E. Coyote is an award-winning Canadian author whose works include fiction, non-fiction, and monologues. Their work often explores themes of gender, sexuality, family dynamics and living on the margins. Many of their books recount personal experiences through a uniquely Canadian lens.
For example, in Loose End – an acclaimed collection of short stories – Coyote weaves magical vignettes from LGBTQ lives in Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside to the small towns of Northern British Columbia and Yukon Territory.
A recipient of the Writers’ Trust Vicky Metcalf Award for Literature for Young People for their body of works as a whole – one which includes eleven books as well as two full-length theatrical performances – Ivan E. Coyote has established themselves as one of Canada’s most beloved storytellers.
Loose End is just one example of their thoughtful approach to storytelling, making use of a rich variety of narrative modes including:
- Childhood memories
- Anthology pieces
- Dialogues between siblings and friends
With its sensitive portrayals of marginal characters in a range of settings throughout Canada’s West Coast provinces and territories, Loose End showcases Coyote’s signature ability to build relatable stories even amidst its characters’ difficult circumstances; stories that stay with you long after you close the book.
Gender Failure
Short story collections are a great way to enjoy a variety of stories by different authors. Often, collections explore a particular theme and contain literature on topics that readers may find challenging. One such topic is gender identity – the nature and definition of gender, how individuals with different gender identities are treated and portrayed in media, as well as how to embrace individual attitudes about gender.
One recent collection that has received critical acclaim is Gender Failure by Ivan E . Coyote and Rae Spoon. Through their personal stories, these two renowned authors explore the interplay between their own gender identities and society’s labels for them. Coyote and Spoon process their experiences of being marginalized due to society’s expectations around “gender conformity” while providing insight into what it means to be loved unconditionally, through loyalty and resilience in the face of discrimination.
The stories in this short story collection deftly navigate challenges related to:
- family dynamics
- sexuality
- community pressures
- labels and barriers associated with being non-binary or gender-fluid
while still portraying humanity in all its complexities.
Novels
Ivan E. Coyote has written many novels, both fiction and non-fiction, throughout their writing career. Their fiction works are often set in the Canadian wilderness and they explore themes such as gender, sexuality, identity, and hope. Their non-fiction writing often explores the struggles and victories of those in the LGBTQ+ community.
This section will discuss their novels in more detail:
Bow Grip
Bow grip is an important technique used by classical violinists. To create a proper bow grip, the violinist should relax the middle and ring fingers slightly and arch the bow between the index and middle finger with the thumb resting gently on the upper half of the frog. The contact should be kept light and flexible between all fingers, allowing for minimal tension when playing.
The thumb’s pressure should rotate from being placed on the back of the frog, to wrapping around its side. When playing upward bowing strokes (start from bottom to top), apply slightly more pressure with your index finger until it eventually passes your middle finger’s arch before releasing at every stroke. When playing downward bowing strokes (top to bottom), hold a secure amount of pressure in both fingers with righthand keeping its horizontal position throughout.
Not paying attention to your bow grip can cause problems like unwanted noise or insufficient tone production, as well as possibly putting unnecessary strain on your forearm muscles, resulting in fatigue over longer practice sessions. However, if you take time to maintain an efficient bow grip during your practice sessions, these problems can be avoided while also improving your overall tone quality and intonation accuracy.
One in Every Crowd
Ivan E. Coyote is a well-known Canadian writer, performer, and storyteller who uses the power of words to bring to life stories about queer people living diversely and happily in non-urban settings. Ivan’s work often draws on their experiences living in rural Canada in order to illustrate how one can still be queer and live happily despite not having the same support systems available in urban areas.
Coyote is most well known for their eponymous collection of short stories, One in Every Crowd, which emerged from 12 years of writing over 230 individual stories. The collection spans personal essays, memoirs, monologues and even poems that reflect fully on the experience of being a queer person living within an often less than accepting outside world. While not every story within the collection reflects Coyote’s personal journey as a gender non-conforming individual specifically or even as a queer person generally, each piece still evokes complicated emotions related to themes pervasive among LGBTQIA+ people eager to simply belong without becoming parts of “the crowd.”
With its diverse range of characters and stories full of grace, humor, and emotion this single volume truly underscores the emotional strength found among those willing to “be themselves” while never ever losing sight of love throughout it all.
Tomboy Survival Guide
Ivan E. Coyote is a popular author and storyteller, whose work focuses on exploring themes of gender identity and queer culture. The Tomboy Survival Guide is one of her best-known books, combining honest confessionals, story-telling, and humour to chronicle the journey of transitioning from “tomboy” to “woman”.
The book was first published in 2005 and was soon listed for several awards including the Lambda Literary Award for children’s/Young Adult literature. Through this book Ivan E. Coyote exposes a common struggle many LGBTQ youth share – that of understanding themselves within and beyond gender binaries.
The Tomboy Survival Guide recounts narratives about growing up outside the norms of heteronormativity through childhood stories about playing hockey with all-boys teams or pretending to be a level 30 elf in an online game rather than shopping with girls at the mall. In these candid stories one can explore what it means to challenge categories and come out triumphant; finding freedom that comes with being one’s true self.
This celebratory guide serves as a beacon for young readers looking for glimmers of recognition in their own struggles with gender identity and self-discovery – validating queer identities while offering compassion and hope for LGBTQ kids every step along the way.
Nonfiction
Ivan E. Coyote is an accomplished Canadian writer with many works of fiction and nonfiction. Over the years, Coyote has published several nonfiction books such as “One in Every Crowd”, “Gender Failure”, and “Missed Her”. Nonfiction works by Coyote often focus on LGBTQ+ issues, gender and sexuality, and the struggles of being an outsider.
This section will review and discuss the various nonfiction works of Ivan E. Coyote:
Gender Failure
Gender Failure is a non-fiction book written by authors Rae Spoon and Ivan E. Coyote which looks at the intersections of gender identity, gender expression, and sexuality. Through interviews, stories, humor, poetry, and song Iris and Coyote explore new possibilities for being genderqueer—those who feel their genders exist outside mainstream divisions of male or female.
Drawing on personal experience as well as extensive research, the two embark on a journey to find meaning in gender beyond the traditional binary system of male and female.
The book dives into topics including:
- Navigating parenting roles between transgender parents;
- Building community based on mutual support rather than gendered roles;
- Understanding queer sexualities;
- Communicating one’s experience through art;
- Resisting both internalized transphobia as well as external oppressions due to gender expression or identity;
- How media culture affects how we form our perceptions of ourselves.
They seek to challenge readers to forge their own paths in an attempt to subvert harmful stereotypes that have come to define transgender identities in North America. By creating space for dialogue around these issues, Gender Failure ultimately encourages self-love and exploration in order find out what it means to be a part of the queer community today.
Close to Spider Man
Nonfiction books are stories which are based on facts and real-life events, rather than on imagination or fiction. They can be about any subject and there is a wide variety of nonfiction books available today. A popular subject for nonfiction books is superheroes – both existing ones, such as Superman and Batman, as well as fictional superheroes, like Spider Man.
The book “Night of the Blood Spider” is an example of a nonfiction book about Spider Man. Author Mark Novice follows the real-life story of Peter Parker – the inspiration for Marvel’s famous hero – as he struggles with his life as a nerdy high school kid and grapples with strange creatures from beyond this world. This book takes readers on an exciting journey alongside Parker into the magical world of comic books while exploring his personal relationships with those around him and fighting against ruthless villains. Novice’s research has been so thorough that it appears at times that Peter Parker must have been recounting his story directly to the author.
For readers looking for thrilling stories right out of reality which encompass elements of fiction – such as lovable characters and thrilling action sequences – this nonfiction book offers an unprecedented insight into the life behind one of our favourite superheroes: Spider Man!
Shaking It
Shaking It is a form of nonfiction writing that emphasizes the body in space and its various movements. Generally, it combines personal narrative, sensation, and kinaesthetic awareness to create an encapsulating story.
The main goal of this type of writing is to provide a more experiential and emotional level of representation that can engage readers with the experience itself. In addition to the bodily movements involved in shaking it, this type of writing often incorporates elements from visual arts, music and spoken word. This style is widely used as a teaching tool in creative and performing arts courses, as well as therapies such as dance, yoga or t’ai chi.
Shaking It can be used to tell stories about physical experiences that involve a certain level of risk or adrenaline rush such as rock climbing or skate boarding. It also provides a way for people to describe their physical encounters with people they have been intimate with, either through casual or serious relationships. By highlighting the body’s presence in those encounters it can provide a powerful way for writers to express subtle but powerful emotions like fear, anxiety or joy.
In some cases writers may wish to use Shaking It to explore themes relating to society’s physical constraints on gender roles or social structure like gender/sexuality tests that take place throughout our daily lives – such us how we dress differently when going into certain stores vs others – which force us into binary representations of ourselves regardless if these performances are chosen or enforced upon us.
Children’s Books
Children’s books are a popular genre that Ivan E. Coyote has ventured into. Coyote has written a variety of books with an LGBTQIA+ theme and has been praised for creating stories that allow children to explore these topics in a safe and relatable way.
Coyote is most well-known for their “Loose End” series, which tells the story of a genderqueer child’s journey to acceptance. Let’s explore some of the other works that Coyote has written!
Genderful!
Ivan E. Coyote is a Canadian author, storyteller and performer whose works commonly address gender-bending topics and stories featuring LGBTQ protagonists. Their work includes six short story collections, one true-life essay collection, four graphic novels, two children’s books and several contributed chapters to edited books.
Ivan’s children’s books include:
- Genderful! A Book for Kids of All Genders, which is described as a heartwarming celebration of gender diversity;
- One Body: An intersectional sort adventure – a book about categorization, labels and identity inspired by their own experiences as a nonbinary person.
Ivan’s writing style is accessible, full of humor and offers poignant chapter endings which have earned them multiple awards from organizations like the Lambda Literary Awards foundation and the Governor General’s Literary Awards in Canada.
Too Close to the Sun
Ivan E. Coyote is an award-winning author, storyteller, and gender creative performance artist. Coyote has been writing extensively since 2000, producing a vast body of work across multiple genres, including nine collections of short stories, several graphic novel collaborations, children’s books and other works.
One of Ivan E. Coyote’s children’s books is Too Close to the Sun – a story about courage and knowing when to take risks in life. It follows 10-year old Benjamin as he embarks on his own one-of-a-kind adventure. Along the way he learns important lessons about friendship, bravery and perseverance.
Too Close to the Sun strikes a beautiful balance between being silly and having an impactful story about bravery for its young readers. The colourful illustrations add to the overall charm of the book and make it even more enjoyable for all ages!
Missed Her
Ivan E. Coyote has written a number of award-winning books throughout their career, including the critically acclaimed novel Missed Her.
This tenderhearted story tells the tale of two sisters from different generations who find solace in each other’s friendship during a time of upheaval and change in their family.
Missed Her follows Breeze Taylor as she navigates life after her father disappears, trying to maintain relationships with her distant mother and aging aunt along the way. Despite all that stands in her way, Breeze perseveres with a determined spirit that enables her to make connections – one with a special friend whose gentle presence grounds her during this difficult period in her young life; another with herself as she finally begins to appreciate who she is and what truly matters.
By weaving together the past and present like an intricately stitched quilt, Ivan E. Coyote invites readers of all ages on an emotionally captivating journey through love, loss, and growing up. With its warmly humorous take on teens’ everyday experiences against a backdrop of home truths yet hard lessons learned, Missed Her will be sure to stay firmly fixed in readers’ hearts for years to come.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What kind of works has Ivan E. Coyote written?
A: Ivan E. Coyote has written multiple books, short stories, plays, and essays. Their works include the short story collections “Loose Endings” and “Missed Her”, the novel “Bow Grip”, and the stage play “Tommy D”. They have also written for television shows, most notably “The L Word”.