Joshua Whitehead is an Oji-Cree/nehiyaw, Two-Spirit/Indigiqueer member of Peguis First Nation (Treaty 1). He is the author of the novel Jonny Appleseed (Arsenal Pulp Press), which was longlisted for the Scotiabank Giller Prize and shortlisted for a Governor General’s Literary Award in Fiction, and the poetry collection full-metal indigiqueer (Talonbooks), which was shortlisted for the inaugural Indigenous Voices Award for Most Significant Work of Poetry in English and the Stephan G. Stephansson Award for Poetry. Currently, he is working on a PhD in Indigenous Literatures and Cultures at the University of Calgary’s English department (Treaty 7).
Janelle “ecoaborijanelle” Pewapsconias is a multidimensional nehīyaw spoken word artist based in Little Pine First Nation of the Treaty 6 Prairies. Her dedication to honour the Earth inspires her to read, perform and design to speak to Indigenous ways of being, knowing and thriving, despite ongoing settler colonialism in Canada. Influenced by the poetry slam and Cree oral storytelling customs, ecoaborijanelle has done a TEDx Talk, competed nationally twice and published in the American Indian Culture Research Journal. Janelle lives in her home community with her son and dog, surrounded by the endless living skies and rolling prairies.