Aliens, tomatoes and the North: Jamesie Fournier takes the Proust Questionnaire

Jamesie Fournier became prominent as an award-winning Inuk author in 2023 for mixing modern horror with Inuit storytelling in his debut novel The Other Ones.

Since then, he has published three more books including Elements, a collection of his poetry, All about Sanikiluaq, and Lemming’s First Christmas, a kids’ book that prompted him to tattoo a little big-nosed cartoon of a lemming on his arm.

His most recent book about Inuit perspective on climate change is called Lucy’s Lesson, and should be currently going into print, he said.

Fournier, 41, who is currently in between Nunavut, Ontario and N.W.T., recently took time to answer the Proust Questionnaire.

What is your idea of perfect happiness?

My idea of a perfect happiness is being able to sit in a moment without distractions, appreciating the moment despite anxiety or sadness that might be affecting me.

What is your greatest fear?

Aliens.

Growing up as a kid, those grey aliens with their big eyes and everything — they freaked the hell out of me in the ’90s, when they were all over TV.

What’s your current state of mind?

It’s nice and happy. And caffeinated.

What do you most dislike about your appearance?

Usually, it’s my hair. It doesn’t make sense. Every day I’m like, “What the hell am I doing?”

But I’ve realized that’s just how it is — I’ve got a weird-looking head, and just got to accept it.

Where would I like to live?

I like living in the North. I seem to feel most at home here, whether it’s in Nunavut or the N.W.T.

When I go down south, I feel very much transplanted. I enjoy it and it’s nice, but at the same time a part of me is like, “I kind of don’t belong here.”

And that feels lesser the more northern I get.

Which talent would you most like to have that you don’t already have?

Probably musical talent. I love music.

But that little inkling of patience for sitting down and practising to become a musician — I have never had that. Despite wanting it.

Maybe it’s me being bratty.

It’s almost like gardening. I know a lot of people who are really into gardening, and I just can’t make myself get into it and maybe I’m just not there yet.

Maybe one day when I’m older, I will, you know, suddenly get really into tomatoes or something.

What is your greatest achievement?

I think being published has been really great. Having my horror stories and my poetry out there.

Poetry was a big one, because I never really thought there would be an audience for that.

If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I think being able to do the hard work of emotional labour and relationship maintenance. I’m resistant to that to a fault, and I realized that it’s been a determining factor in a lot of my relationships.

I’m still not at the point where it doesn’t feel like nails on a chalkboard, but I guess being aware of that is a good first step.

But it’s like that thing like gardening, right?

What is your greatest regret?

The time, at a young age, when I first started drinking and partying.

If I had not done that, how much more I would have been able to achieve?

And I know, I’m still quite immature — I think I am 10 or 20 years behind most folks in emotional maturity.

Nunatsiaq News is borrowing the old Proust Questionnaire parlour game to get to know people who are in the news. If you know someone in your community who our readers should get to know by taking this questionnaire, let us know by email: editors@nunatsiaq.com.