Bodies of Art, Bodies of Labour

by Kate Beaton

Overview

Bodies of Art, Bodies of Labour by Kate Beaton, award-winning author of Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands, explores connections between class, literature, and art from Cape Breton Island. She addresses the fact that people from poor or working-class backgrounds face significant barriers entering the Canadian arts scene and shows that if they do not write themselves into stories, others will, often with damaging results. Beaton thoughtfully examines personal and working-class legacies, celebrating the authenticity and power of truly seeing ourselves and each other in the art that we create.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781772128000
Publisher:	University of Alberta Press
Publication date:	02/04/2025
Series:	CLC Kreisel Lecture Series
Pages:	68
Product dimensions:	5.25(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.25(d)

About the Author

Kate Beaton is a cartoonist and graphic novelist from Nova Scotia. While studying history at Mount Allison University in New Brunswick, Beaton began writing comics for the student newspaper. Her comics, which combined literature, history, and off-beat humour, became immensely popular online, leading to the publication of two acclaimed comic volumes: Hark! A Vagrant and Step Aside, Pops!, as well as children’s picture books The Princess and the Pony and King Baby. Beaton’s first graphic memoir, Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands, received wide acclaim. In addition to being the first graphic narrative to win Canada Reads, Ducks received the 2024 Jan Michalski Prize for Literature and the Eisner Award for Best Graphic Memoir, as well as praise from Quill and Quire, Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, and President Barack Obama. Beaton currently resides in Nova Scotia / Mi'kma'ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi'kmaq People, with her husband and two children.

Editorial Reviews

"A beautiful, hilarious, and revelatory look at working-class culture in Nova Scotia. From the music, to the humour, to the heartache, to the myths, Beaton celebrates the community from which her imagination springs. She shows us the value of art coming from far-flung and idiosyncratic corners and communities of Canada. As with anything she touches, Beaton's honesty and candour makes this an unforgettable and illuminating read." Heather O'Neill, author of Wisdom in Nonsense

"[Bodies of Art, Bodies of Labour] is is a poignant and funny exploration of class and art." Alberta Views, July/August 2025

# 4 on Edmonton Non-fiction Bestseller list, March 16, 2025

"Part of the book’s charm is that it doubles as a short survey of Cape Breton’s literary canon: there’s Rita Joe, the Mi’kmaw poet; internationally acclaimed short story writer Alistair MacLeod; Lynne Coady, the 'gritty' author from Port Hawkesbury. But her book is really about the working class and its relation to art. Beaton’s background helps her navigate this tricky subject: she’s from Cape Breton, a region with a distinct culture and a working-class background that often acknowledges itself as such." Adam McPhee, The Temz Review, June 2025 [Full review at https://www.thetemzreview.com/mcphee-31.html]

From the Publisher