Erica Commanda (Algonquin/Ojibwe) was born in Toronto and grew up in the community of Pikwakanagan. From there she moved across Canada living in Ottawa, Vancouver and Toronto again, working in the bar/hospitality industry, mastering the art of listening to stories from her regulars while slinging and spilling drinks (at them or to them). Through a series of random decisions and events, she went on a journey to master her own knack for storytelling as an arts reporter for MUSKRAT Magazine, interning with Coach House Books for the Indigenous Toronto anthology and studying broadcasting at Seneca College.