I’m writer, speaker and activist Tay Aly Jade (she/they). Passionate about people and the planet, my work explores themes of identity, wellbeing, and social and climate justice. I am of mixed Anishinaabe-European heritage and currently live in Treaty 1 territory.

My writing and speaking span international and national organisations, including the United Nations, Oxfam, and the Canadian Women’s Foundation. In 2023, my essay “The Monarch and the Matriarch” was longlisted for the CBC National Nonfiction Prize, an honour awarded to 38 writers from a pool of 2000+ applicants. I made the longlist a second time in 2024 for my essay “Mitigoog Call Me Home”. I joined the Audible Indigenous Writers Circle in 2025, and in 2026, I hope to publish my debut book, Brave Thing.

Brave Thing is a two-part memoir about finding the tenacity it takes to stand true to oneself amidst trauma and betrayal. The first section, Zoongide'e (She is Brave), details my coming-of-age journey from age eighteen to twenty-two. Part personal story, part cultural critique, Zoongide'e takes an unflinching look at the sexual assault investigation I fought—and won—while in university, and the ways I coped when justice was not freely given to me. The second part, Okitcitakwe (Warrior Woman), traces the heartbreak and grief of my mid-twenties relational and educational experiences—as well as the healing, growth, and self-love I found on the other side.

Brave Thing is ultimately a story of ambition and culture, loneliness and longing, betrayal and forgiveness—and above all, coming home to myself after having my innocence stolen from me. If you are an agent or editor looking to bring Brave Thing to life, I would be thrilled to have you contact me here.

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