About the Author

Tomson Highway is a writer from northern Manitoba. His best-known works are the plays The Rez Sisters, Dry Lips Oughta Move to Kapuskasing, Rose, Ernestine Shuswap Gets Her Trout, and The (Post) Mistress, as well as the best-selling novel Kiss of the Fur Queen. He writes in three languages: Cree (his mother tongue), French, and English. As a classically trained pianist (who also writes music), he has studied with some of the finest teachers in Canada, most notably William Aide and Anton Kuerti.

Reviews

“A rich compilation of Indigenous literature that will be a gift for Canadian school curriculums, also well suited for those Canadians in search of understanding and reconciliation. More importantly this book is what Indigenous people need because, like me, they will discover their lives in the many stories. If I had this as a teenager, I would have understood that I was not alone in the darkness I lived. I would have seen that others found a way out. Bravo, Tomson Highway!”
―Bev Sellars, author of They Called Me Number One: Secrets and Survival at an Indian Residential School and Price Paid: The Fight for First Nations Survival

“We gratefully acknowledge the work of those artists who have come before, and those that continue, building bridges across our cultures through their authentic words. Tomson Highway’s readings each demonstrate that within our stories, we pass along our teachings and we build upon the strength inside each one of us. We are arriving. Back to our lands, back to our stories, back to our truths, unwrapping old words and sharing wisdom. We, are coming home.”
—Terri Mack, Strong Nations

"Intended as a reference work, and not a strictly academic one, this book is a gateway and a guide to an exponentially growing literary tradition that we find already in 2010 was more than adequate for a life’s work of study."
―Abu-Isa Webb, Goodreads.com

"Even as a long-time fan of the brilliant work of Tomson Highway, I was surprised to be so impressed with the scope of this excellent introduction to so many wonderful Canadian Indigenous authors, largely neglected by the mainstream media. It is a beautifully detailed catalogue of 176 summaries comprising an Indigenous tradition of published works, established by a brave and inspired group of exceptional individuals, bookended by a thoughtful prologue and epilogue."
—Derek McPhail, Goodreads.com