Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm (she/her/hers) is a writer, publisher, activist, and member of the Saugeen Ojibway Nation, Chippewas of Nawash Unceded First Nation, on the Saugeen Peninsula in Ontario. An Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto, Kateri’s publications encompass poetry, fiction, non-fiction, radio plays, television and film, libretti, graphic novels, and spoken word. Her teaching and creative work is firmly decolonial—a practice of cultural resurgence, affirmation, and survivance. Kateri is also the founder, publisher, and art director for Kegedonce Press, for which she was awarded the 2025 Ivy Award to recognize her substantial contributions to Canadian publishing. Sonny Assu is an interdisciplinary artist whose diverse practice is informed by a deep connection to Kwakwaka’wakw art and culture and melded with western/pop principles of art making. His work has been accepted into the National Gallery of Canada, Seattle Art Museum, Vancouver Art Gallery and into various public and private collections across Canada, the US, and the UK. He currently resides in unceded Ligwiłda’xw territory (Campbell River, BC).Brandon Mitchell, Mi’gmaq from Listuguj First Nation in Quebec, now resides in the unceded Wolastoqiyik Peace and Friendship Treaty territory of Fredericton, New Brunswick, with his wife, Natasha, and sons Brayden and Bryce. He holds a diploma in animation and design from the New Brunswick Community College of Miramichi, as well as a master's degree in education from the University of New Brunswick. With over two decades of expertise in graphic novels, gaming, and animation, Brandon is a seasoned multidisciplinary artist.Of Inuit-Cree ancestry, Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley was born in a tent on northernmost Baffin Island. She learned Inuit survival lore from her father, surviving residential school and attending university. In 2012, she was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for numerous cultural writings. Of Scottish-Mohawk ancestry, Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley was born in southern Ontario, learning woodcraft and stories from his father. Training as an artist, then writer, Sean’s sci-fi work won 2nd place at the California-based Writers of the Future contest, published by Galaxy Press. Rachel and Sean have worked for decades as Arctic researchers and consultants. In writing together, they have published 10 successful books and many shorter works, celebrating the history and uniqueness of Arctic shamanism, cosmology, and cosmogony. Their novel, Skraelings: Clashes in the Old Arctic, was a Governor General Awards Finalist and First Prize Burt Award winner.Of Inuit-Cree ancestry, Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley was born in a tent on northernmost Baffin Island. She learned Inuit survival lore from her father, surviving residential school and attending university. In 2012, she was awarded a Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for numerous cultural writings. Of Scottish-Mohawk ancestry, Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley was born in southern Ontario, learning woodcraft and stories from his father. Training as an artist, then writer, Sean’s sci-fi work won 2nd place at the California-based Writers of the Future contest, published by Galaxy Press. Rachel and Sean have worked for decades as Arctic researchers and consultants. In writing together, they have published 10 successful books and many shorter works, celebrating the history and uniqueness of Arctic shamanism, cosmology, and cosmogony. Their novel, Skraelings: Clashes in the Old Arctic, was a Governor General Awards Finalist and First Prize Burt Award winner.David A. Robertson (he/him/his) is a two-time winner of the Governor General's Literary Award, and recipient of the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award and the Writer's Union of Canada Freedom to Read Award. Among many other accolades for his work as a writer for children and adults, in 2026 David was nominated for the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award. He has also received recognition for podcasting, public speaking, and social advocacy, including being honoured with a Doctor of Letters by the University of Manitoba in 2023 and a Doctor of Laws by the University of Lethbridge in 2025 for his outstanding contributions to the arts and society. David is a member of Norway House Cree Nation and lives in Winnipeg.Niigaan Sinclair is Anishinaabe from Peguis First Nation. He is an award-winning writer, editor and professor of Indigenous Studies at the University of Manitoba who was named by Maclean’s in 2022 as one of the most influential people in Canada. Niigaan is a multiple nominee of Canadian Columnist of the Year (winning in 2018), and his commentary appears weekly on multiple platforms across Canada – from the pages of The Winnipeg Free Press to TV shows on CBC, APTN and on his co-hosted podcast Niigaan and the Lone Ranger. His first book, Wînipêk: Visions of Canada from an Indigenous Centre (McClelland & Stewart, 2024), was a national bestseller that won the 2024 Governor General Award for Non-fiction. He is a former secondary school teacher who won the 2019 Peace Educator of the Year award from the Peace and Justice Studies Association based at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.Jen Storm (she/her/hers) is an Ojibwe writer from Couchiching First Nation in Northwestern Ontario. She lives and raises her family, which includes her son, River, and stepson, Axel, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Jen completed Deadly Loyalties, her first novel, at age fourteen and has continued writing ever since. Richard Van Camp (he/him/his) is a proud member of the Tłı̨chǫ Nation from Fort Smith, Northwest Territories. He is the author of more than 25 books including The Lesser Blessed (also a feature film), the Eisner Award–nominated graphic novel A Blanket of Butterflies (with Scott B. Henderson), and Three Feathers (also a feature film). He is a contributor to the groundbreaking graphic novel anthology This Place: 150 Years Retold. Richard is also the author of five collections of short stories, including Night Moves, and six baby books, including the award-winning Little You (with Julie Flett).katherena vermette (she/her/hers) is a Red River Métis (Michif) writer from Treaty 1 territory, the heart of the Métis Nation, Winnipeg, Manitoba. In 2013, her first book, North End Love Songs (The Muses’ Company) won the Governor General’s Literary Award for Poetry. Since then, her work has garnered awards and critical accolades across genres. Her novels The Break (House of Anansi) and The Strangers (Hamish Hamilton) were both national best sellers and won multiple literary awards. She is the author of numerous other bestselling titles, including the A Girl Called Echo series (HighWater Press) and the Seven Teachings Stories series (HighWater Press). Chelsea Vowel is Métis from manitow-sâkahikan (Lac Ste. Anne) Alberta, residing in amiskwacîwâskahikan (Edmonton). Parent to six children, wiya has a BEd, LLB, and MA.Chelsea is a queer, disabled, nêhiyawêwin (Cree) language instructor, public intellectual, author, and activist educator whose work intersects language, gender, Métis self-determination, and resurgence.Tara Audibert is a Wolatoqiyik artist, film maker, and illustrator with 20 years’ experience in animation, comics, and fine art. Tara aspires to combine traditional First Nations art and storytelling with contemporary design and digital mediums. She runs Moxy Fox Studio and her first independent animated film The Importance of Dreaming, was released in 2017. She is a founder of the Ni’gweg Collective and the app “NITAP: Legends of the First Nations.”@MoxyFoxStudioKyle Charles is a writer/illustrator living in Edmonton, Alberta. He has drawn for several series including Roche Limit: Clandestiny and Her Infernal Descent. He has also written and illustrated short stories for publishers like Heavy Metal and OnSpec Magazine. When not busy at the drawing table, Kyle spends much of his time teaching comics to local students. He is a member of Whitefish Lake First Nation.GMB Chomichuk is an award-winning writer and illustrator whose work has appeared in film, television, books, comics and graphic novels. His most recent work with HighWater Press, Will I See?, was a collaboration with writer David A. Robertson and singer/songwriter Iskwē. He writes and/or illustrates occult suspense stories like Midnight City, science fiction works like Red Earth, or inspirational all-ages adventure stories like Cassie and Tonk. He is the host of Super Pulp Science a podcast about how genre gets made. His newest full length graphic novel Apocrypha: The Legend of Babymetal was featured on The Hollywood Reporter, The Nerdist, and Billboard Magazine.Natasha Donovan (she/her/hers) is a Métis illustrator originally from Vancouver, British Columbia. Her sequential work has been published in This Place: 150 Years Retold and Wonderful Women of History. She is the illustrator of the award-winning Surviving the City graphic novel series and Mothers of Xsan children's book series, as well as Classified: The Secret Career of Mary Golda Ross, Cherokee Aerospace Engineer and the forthcoming A Good Hide by Karina Iceberg. She lives on an island in British Columbia with her family. @natashamdonovanScott B. Henderson (he/him) is a freelance illustrator, whose reputation for cultural sensitivity and an openness to listen and learn has garnered a large body of work in collaboration with Indigenous and LGBTQIA+ communities. His work spans several critically acclaimed graphic novels, including 7 Generations: A Plains Cree Saga (Indigenous history & Residential Schools); A Girl Called Echo series (Métis history); A Blanket of Butterflies (2016 Eisner Nomination); a short story in Marvel Voices: Pride #1 (2022); and the post-apocalypse graphic novel, Last Breeds (fall 2024). Scott is a member of the LGBTQIA+ community. He resides in Winnipeg with his partner. Andrew Lodwick (he/him/his) is the illustrator of The Rebel: Gabriel Dumont and the story "Warrior Nation" in This Place: 150 Years Retold. A lifelong resident of Winnipeg, he has a BFA (Hons) from the University of Manitoba School of Art. Andrew has worked for many years at Martha Street Studio as technician, custom screen printer, and Studio Manager. He also maintains a personal art practice including printmaking and design work, as well as the Riso print collective, Parameter Press (parameter-press.com), which he co-founded in 2014.Scott A. Ford is an award-winning comic creator, illustrator, and designer from Winnipeg, Manitoba. His comic projects include Romulus + Remus, Giants’ Well, and Ark Land. His work has been featured in galleries and publications, on beer cans and book covers. He has also spoken about his artistic practice at numerous public presentations about art and design. Check out all of Scott’s art and comic projects at scottafordart.com.Since 1998, Donovan Yaciuk (he/him/his) has coloured books published by Marvel, DC, Dark Horse comics, and HighWater Press including the A Girl Called Echo and The Reckoner Rises series, as well as select stories in This Place: 150 Years Retold. Donovan holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts (Honours) from the University of Manitoba and began his career as a part of the legendary, now-defunct Digital Chameleon colouring studio. He lives in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, with his wife and two daughters.Ryan Howe (he/him/his) is a Canadian cartoonist who fell in love with comics’ unique storytelling language at some point earlier than he can remember, and has been hooked ever since. He’s been collaborating with other comics creators since 2003, providing art for various projects and genres on both the web and in print. Jen Storm (she/her/hers) is an Ojibwe writer from Couchiching First Nation in Northwestern Ontario. She lives and raises her family, which includes her son, River, and stepson, Axel, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Jen completed Deadly Loyalties, her first novel, at age fourteen and has continued writing ever since.
