Catherine Hernandez (she/her) is an award-winning author, screenwriter and artist. She is a proud queer woman who is part of the Filipinx diaspora and married into the Navajo Nation. Her first novel, Scarborough was a finalist for several awards including Canada Reads 2022. She wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation of Scarborough, which was nominated for 11 Canadian Screen Awards and won 8 including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. Her other critically acclaimed novels include Crosshairs, The Story of Us, and Behind You, which was longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award. Both Behind You and The Story of Us are being developed into feature films, with Catherine writing the screenplay. She is working on several TV projects, including showrunning CBC Gem/Apartment 11/Avenida Productions’ The Unstoppable Jenny Garcia, which earned her a Canadian Screen Award for Best Writing, Children/Youth.
Most recently, Catherine has become a Grief and Death Doula, using storytelling to document the world’s collective grief from climate change to burnout. This amalgamation of her writing, illustration and Doula work will culminate in the creation of illustrated obituaries, memorializing the dearly departed through an upcoming comics anthology.
SPEAKING TOPICS
TENDING GRIEF WORK THROUGH ART
Catherine Hernandez has used storytelling and artmaking as a tool for transformation for decades, working with communities ranging from youth affected by war to LGBTQ2S folks struggling with their mental health; activists suffering from burnout to educators suffering from creative stagnation. In this time of profound collective grief due to devastating change, Catherine guides participants through writing, play, crafting and movement to tend to heart-wounds and process their loss.
EMBODIED ALLYSHIP
Author Catherine Hernandez will examine embodied allyship as illustrated in her novel Crosshairs and her renowned TEDxToronto Talk. Participants will get the opportunity to create a daily practice training the body towards creating sincere and sustainable change, and discuss the book in an in-depth talkback.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT AND OUTREACH
Catherine’s novel, Scarborough, is required reading for a number of universities from Brock to Queen’s to University of Toronto. Part literary reading, part discussion, students of social work, nursing, early childhood education, teacher’s education, law and more learn to engage and outreach with communities in ways that are responsible, sustainable and mutually beneficial.
DECOLONIZING ARTISTIC PRACTICE
Catherine allows artists of all backgrounds and skill levels to decolonize their practice by doing several exercises that distract the colonized voice within and allow their true voice to emerge . This workshop for artists in the literary, theatre and dance industries has been done for various organizations such as Sherbourne Health Centre, University of Toronto and Kaha:wi Dance Theatre. The focus can be movement or writing depending on the organization’s requests.
GIVE THEM JOY
Resilience and grace in the face of adversity is a common theme in Catherine Hernandez’s work. In this in-depth talk and literary reading, Hernandez discusses the dangers of romanticizing resilience and how she aims to give her characters dignity and hope.
Other subjects include:
- Self-care and body pride.
- Adapting books to film and television.
- Public speaking for authors and artists.
To book Catherine Hernandez, contact Rob Firing at speakers@transatlanticagency.com.
*Photo Credit: Noor Khan