Description Set in Calgary in 1982, during the recession that arrived on the heels of Canada's National Energy Program, The Western Alienation Merit Badge follows the Murray family as they struggle with grief and find themselves on the brink of financial ruin.
After the death of her stepmother, Frances Frankie Murray returns to Calgary to help her father, Jimmy, and her sister, Bernadette, pay the mortgage on the family home.
When Robyn, a long-lost friend, becomes their house guest old tensions are reignited and Jimmy, Bernadette and Frances find themselves increasingly alienated from one another.
Part family drama, part queer coming-of-age story, The Western Alienation Merit Badge explores the complex dynamics of a small family falling apart.
About the Author Nancy Jo Cullen is the fourth recipient of the Writers' Trust Dayne Ogilvie Prize for LGBT Emerging Writers.
She holds an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph-Humber and her short story collection, Canary, was the winner of the 2012 Metcalf-Rooke Award.
Her poetry has been shortlisted for the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award, the Writers' Guild of Alberta's Stephan G.
Stephansson Award and the City of Calgary W.
Mitchell Book Prize.
She lived in Calgary for over two decades and still returns regularly to connect with family and friends.
She now lives in Kingston, Canada.
