With a Name Like Chief: Reflections on Recovery and Identity Through the Seven Sacred Teachings

Community leader and former Manitoba MLA, Kevin Chief shares his story of strength, resilience, recovery, and identity.

In With a Name Like Chief, Kevin frankly and honestly recounts growing up in poverty in Winnipeg's North End, navigating the challenges of growing up in a single-parent home with his alcoholic father, becoming an MVP basketball star and captain of his university team, overcoming his own alcohol addiction to find recovery, and being elected to the Manitoba legislature twice.

Along the way, Kevin shares how many educators and mentors helped him succeed, as well as insights into how the Seven Teachings of the Anishinaabe have guided his addiction recovery and helped him gain a sense of his identity.

This memoir will resonate with readers interested in stories about personal growth and the transformative power of community. Foreword provided by Phil Fontaine, OC, OM.

Stu Slayen is a Winnipeg-based writer, editor, story-telling coach, and communications consultant. He works with non-profit organizations and businesses to discover and share the stories most likely to inspire donors, investors, and other stakeholders to act and engage. Prior to launching his independent practice in 2009, Stu served as editor and publishing manager at the International Institute for Sustainable Development, and as a magazine editor working on publications for youth, teachers, and agricultural producers. Stu is a graduate of the University of Manitoba and holds a journalism degree from Toronto Metropolitan University. www.stuslayen.com

Leticia Spence (they/them) is a Two-Spirit Ininew (Cree) graphic designer and illustrator from Pimicikamak, Manitoba, currently living in Winnipeg. A graduate of Red River College's Graphic Design program, Leticia is an AuDHD creative whose work centres on authentic and well-researched cultural design across print, editorial, and digital media. Leticia's illustrations of the living creatures that symbolize the Seven Sacred Teachings are proudly displayed throughout With A Name Like Chief.