The son of indigenous rights activist Chief Philip Paul, a co-founder of the Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs and the National Native Brotherhood, Philip Kevin Paul grew up on the Saanich Peninsula as a member of the WSÁ,NEC First Nation. He received a B.A. from the University of Victoria in writing and English. His writing appeared in various anthologies prior to the publication of Taking the Names Down from the Hill (Nightwood, 2003), winner of the Dorothy Livesay Prize for best book of poetry by a B.C. author. He accepted his award at the BC Book Prizes gala on May 1, 2004 at Victoria's Government House, with a speech in both English and his traditional aboriginal language, SENCOTEN. He described his debut collection as an elegy to Saanich and to his parents, while thanking his adopted 'poetry parents' Patrick Lane and Lorna Crozier. It was followed by By the Length of One Life (Nightwood 2007) and Little Hunger.

As an amateur lightweight boxer, he was once ranked fifth in B.C. and 13th in Canada. Paul has worked as an instructor at the Saanich Adult Education Centre and he lives on his native homeland in Brentwood Bay. ILMBC2

Review of the author's work by BC Studies:
Taking the Names Down from the Hill

BOOKS:

Taking the Names Down from the Hill (Nightwood, 2003)
By the Length of One Life (Nightwood, 2007)
Little Hunger (Nightwood, 2008)

[BCBW 2008]