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While seeking shelter, Richard followed a group of people into a building, where he found a quiet, warm haven brimming with books. The library in St. Catharines provided him with endless information he didn't possess as a 16-year-old high school dropout. Richard would carry around a notebook and jot information he found interesting. Then he would ask the librarians for books on those subjects: astronomy, geometry, and music. Books were his escape from reality, in their pages, he found the motivation to begin a new life, one with goals of accomplishing the seemingly impossible for a native man. Using the knowledge he acquired over the years of what a good sentence was and how a strong paragraph is constructed, he landed his first writing job.

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Richard Wagamese's first job working at New Breed, a First Nations publication, marked his debut as a writer.

He later started his career as a journalist while working for the Calgary Herald; in which he won the National Newspaper Award for writing.

After winning various awards for his unique writing, Richard stopped working as a full-time journalist in 1993.

Keeper 'n Me, his debut novel published in 1994, tied for first for the Alberta Literary Award. This achievement paved his way to publishing 5 other novels.

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Richard Wagamese, a well-known Indigenous novelist and journalist, was born on October 4, 1955.

Richard was born and briefly raised in Minaki, Ontario.

He belonged to the Wabasseemoong First Nation in northwestern, Ontario.

Wagamese passed away due to natural causes on March 10, 2017, at the age of 62.

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Richard Wagamese was born to Marjorie Wagamese and Stanley Raven and had three siblings.

Later in his life, Wagamese fathered two sons, Jason and Joshua, with an unknown woman.

He was believed to be engaged shortly before his death.

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Richard and his three siblings were abandoned as children near Minaki, Ontario by their parents who pursued the trail of alcohol.

They were left to fend for themselves, hungry and cold before a policeman found them and sent them to the Children's Aid Society to be raised in separate foster homes.

Richard was adopted at the age of 9 into a family that mentally and emotionally abused him. Their objective was to strip the Indian from Richard by forcing their religion upon him. He ran away from the strict household at the age of 16.

Left homeless, Richard became an alcoholic and drug user. He rotated between living on the streets or in prison.

The intergenerational trauma and abusive foster home he experienced caused his PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) which affected his way of life and choices.

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Other titles that marked Richard Wagamese's successful career are:

1. Keeper’n Me (1994)

2. The Terrible Summer (1996)

3. A Quality of Light (1997)

4. For Joshua: An Ojibway Father Teaches His Son (2002)

5. Dream Wheels (2006)

6. Ragged Company (2008)

7. One Native Life (2008)

8. One Story, One Song (2011)

9. The Next Sure Thing (2011)

10. Runaway Dreams (2011)

11. Indian Horse (2012)

12. Him Standing (2013)

13. Medicine Walk (2014)

14. Embers: One Ojibway’s Meditations (2016)

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Richard Wagamese has won various awards over the years for both his novels and journaling career. Some of his awards and accomplishments include:

1. National Newspaper Award

2. Native American Press Association Award

3. National Aboriginal Communications Society award

4. Georges Bugnet Award

5. Indspire Award

6. Thomas Henry Pentland Molson Prize

7. Burt Award for First Nations, Métis and Inuit Literature

8. Kouhi Award

9. Matt Cohen Award

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Richard Wagamese 2015 Matt Cohen Award speech

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Richard Wagamese has shared his incredible gift of writing with many audiences throughout the years. His work tells a story of victory over numerous struggles including childhood abuse, post-traumatic stress disorder and intergenerational impacts of residential schools.

Indian Horse was made into a feature film and premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival. This illustrates the impact his books continue to have on future generations in understanding the struggles of the Indigenous community.

Through many of his books, Richard Wagamese illuminated the dark history of residential schools and conveyed the emotional truth of it.

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Richard Wagamese was married and divorced three times, and had two sons, one of whom is believed to be estranged. He was engaged to Yvette Lehman at the time of his death.

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While homeless and seeking escape in the library, Richard struck up a friendship with the librarian. She brought him a muffin and sandwich as a gift; and introduced him to the listening room, where he heard Beethoven for the first time. The librarian even took him to a performance after noticing his interest in the music.

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In 1991, Richard Wagamese became the first Indigenous writer to win a National Magazine Award for column writing. He has also been awarded two Honorary Doctor of Letters degrees.

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Richard Wagamese was arrested and charged with three counts of driving under the influence of alcohol in March 2010. In November 2011, he pleaded guilty and was sentenced to six months of house arrest, 50 hours of community service, and a 10-year driving ban.

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After Richard's separation from his family at a young age, he reunited with them at the age of 23. They helped him reconnect with his culture and find his calling. He told his story to an elder, who gave him a storyteller's name: Mushkotay Beezheekee Anakwat – Buffalo Cloud. The elder believed that Richard's purpose was to be a teller of stories. This boosted his already burning passion for literature and helped guide him.

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A key motivator in Richard Wagamese's journey to becoming an author was Lorna Crozier. Lorna was the writer-in-residence at the library in Regina. In 1984, Richard took a book he had been writing to her.

"I took the novel home and was very moved by it and … I wrote him a page of encouragement," Lorna says.
She encouraged him to keep writing and made an appointment to meet again, but he didn't show up. She eventually received a letter from him: He was in jail and needed books. Lorna mailed him some books from her collection. He never forgot it.

"You told me to keep on going; I needed someone to say that to me in my life," he said.

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Richard Wagamese was an intergenerational victim of residential schools. His family's pent-up trauma from residential schools led them to abuse the drink; and ultimately their kids. Richard not only suffered the abuse of his biological family but his adoptive one as well. His traumatic childhood encouraged him to make a difference. His books acted as an outlet to spread awareness of the injustice the Indigenous community faces. Richard also conveyed the after-effects of the residential schools and how the trauma was carried on throughout the generations. He brought a sense of peace to those who suffered through the same journey and assured them that they are not alone. Richard's writing conveys the impact of residential schools on the Indigenous community.

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After winning various awards for his writing, Richard was encouraged to broaden his writing style. He worked with different genres such as poetry and non-fiction. His style varied from journalistic to narrative, and he even dabbled in scriptwriting. Throughout his life, Richard was renowned for his extraordinary writing style in which he conveyed the importance of Indigenous culture.

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Please view.

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While hitchhiking across Canada in 1979, Richard Wagamese came across a job posting in Regina which caught his eye. A native writer was wanted for a First Nations publication, New Breed. Richard applied for the job regardless of the fact that he was unqualified. During the interview, he told the editor that he had training, but no transcripts since they were destroyed in a fire. This was a lie. After testing his skills, he got the job.