Taaqtumi

Aviaq Johnston is a young Inuk author from Igloolik, Nunavut. Her debut novel Those Who Run in the Sky was released in the spring of 2017. In 2014, she won first place in the Aboriginal Arts and Stories competition for her short story “Tarnikuluk,” which also earned her a Governor General’s History Award. Aviaq is a graduate of Nunavut Sivuniksavut, and she has a diploma in Social Service Work from Canadore College. Aviaq loves to travel and has lived in Australia and Vietnam. She spends most of her time reading, writing, studying, and procrastinating. She lives in Iqaluit, Nunavut.

Richard Van Camp is an internationally renowned storyteller and bestselling author. He was born in Fort Smith, Northwest Territories, and is a proud member of the Dogrib (Tłı̨chǫ) Dene Nation. He is the author of The Lesser Blessed (Douglas & McIntyre, 1996), a Canadian classic that has been adapted into a feature film with First Generation Films. He lives in Edmonton, AB, with his family.

Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley was born at the northernmost edge of Baffin Island, in the Canadian Arctic. She grew up learning traditional survival lore from her father. She and her husband Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley were brought together by a love of nature and each other. They write Arctic speculative fiction and nonfiction for various ages.

Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley was born at the southernmost edge of Ontario, learning woodcraft from his father. He and his wife Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley were brought together by a love of nature and each other. They write Arctic speculative fiction and nonfiction for various ages.

Thomas Anguti Johnston grew up moving around the Baffin region of Nunavut and northern Quebec (Nunavik). He now lives in Iqaluit, Nunavut, with his two daughters, Amy and Leah. Anguti has been involved in the Inuit political realm, mostly with the National Inuit Youth Council and Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami. He decided to pursue his passion of filmmaking and writing full-time in 2014 and hasn’t looked back. Anguti has received Nunavut Commissioner's award for youth development and the Diamond Jubilee award for media arts. Anguti is a producer, writer, and lead actor, playing Inuk Qablunaaq on the popular Inuktitut television program Qanurli? on APTN.

Repo Kempt spent over fifteen years working as a criminal lawyer in the remote communities of the Canadian Arctic. He is a regular columnist for Litreactor.com and a member of the Horror Writers Association. You can find him on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @repokempt.

Jay Bulckaert grew up in farm-town Ontario, then moved up North in 2001, where he has carved out a career as a filmmaker with his company Artless Collective and founded the mayhem that is the Dead North Film Festival. He lives, hunts, and creates in Yellowknife with his lady and their two cats.

K.C. Carthew is an award-winning filmmaker from Yellowknife, Northwest Territories. Her work across genres tends to feature the landscape as a character and speaks to the ways in which one’s relationship with the environment impacts one’s well-being.

Gayle “Uyagaqi” Kabloona is Ukkusiksalingmiut (from the Back River area north of Baker Lake, Nunavut). Now based in Ottawa, she is interested in blending traditional Inuit storytelling with science fiction and magic realism to create alternate realities. Gayle is an urban planner, emerging writer, and multidisciplinary artist with a focus on fibre arts, ceramics, and printmaking.

Cara Bryant holds a degree in English and Cinema Studies from the University of Toronto. She is a based in Yellowknife, Northwest Territories, where she lives with her husband, two kids, and dog, Jenni.

Elizabeth Ryan is an elementary school teacher in Iqaluit, Nunavut. She has two wonderful daughters, Emmeline and Maiya. Elizabeth loves spending time with her daughters and her partner, Joseph. Elizabeth’s favourite thing to do with the family is to go to the cabin in the spring and summer. In her spare time, she enjoys beading, crocheting, and sewing.