Elena Bentley is a multi-genre writer, editor, and proud MeĢtis auntie. Her poetry chapbook, taliped, was published by 845 Press in 2023, and she's the author of the children's picture books The Pickle in Grandma's Fridge (YNWP, 2022) and the forthcoming I Love My Aunty Because (GDI Press, 2026). She was longlisted for the 2024 CBC Poetry Prize, and her poems can be found in Arc Poetry, The Malahat Review, Poetry Pause, PRISM international, and Room, among others. Elena is the Editor for Grain magazine.
tonia laird is a Michif writer from Treaty 6 territory. Her work is included in multiple publications, including literary magazines, fantasy and comic book anthologies, video games, Dragon Age 2 and Dragon Age: Inquisition, mobile game, Everlove: Rose, and the interactive novel, Poster Girl. Her first novel, Seventhblade, was released in 2025 by ECW Press, and she is currently working on the young adult supernatural climate-dystopian trilogy, Black Dog, to be released starting fall 2026 by Simon & Schuster Canada. Tonia’s most recent stint in video games was as a Lorekeeper and Worldbuilder at Thought Pennies Entertainment.
Waubgeshig Rice grew up in Wasauksing First Nation on the shores of Georgian Bay, in the southeast of Robinson-Huron Treaty territory. He’s a writer, listener, speaker, language learner, and a martial artist, holding a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. He is the author of the short story collection Midnight Sweatlodge and the novels Legacy, Moon of the Crusted Snow, and Moon of the Turning Leaves. He appreciates loud music and the four seasons. He lives in N’Swakamok - also known as Sudbury, Ontario - with his wife and three sons.
Emily Riddle (she/her) is Nehiyaw and a member of the Alexander First Nation (Kipohtakaw). She is a writer, textile artist, and library worker based in Amisko Waciw Wâskahikan (Edmonton, Canada). In 2022, she released her first full length poetry collection, The Big Melt which won the Griffin Poetry Prize Canadian first book award. Her writing has been published in The Malahat Review, Canadian Art, The Washington Post, The Globe and Mail, among others. Emily Riddle is a dedicated Treaty 6 descendant and a semi-dedicated Edmonton Oilers fan.
