Joseph Kakwinokanasum is a member of the James Smith Cree Nation and grew up in the Peace region of northern B.C. His debut novel, My Indian Summer, is loosely based on his own childhood and was the winner of the 2023-2024 First Nations Communities READ Award and shortlisted for the 2023 ReLit Award for fiction. Other accolades include being named one of The Writers Trust of Canada’s Rising Stars of 2022 and a finalist for CBC’s Nonfiction Prize in 2020.

As storytellers, we honour our ancestors with the legends and tales passed down to us. No matter what culture you come from, storytelling has always been a social tool that builds community and understanding.

I believe that strength and honour are elemental when it comes to storytelling, and that storytelling is a way to gain personal power. I'm looking forward to working with the community to help others discover this power and share their stories.

In his role as the Indigenous Storyteller in Residence, Kakwinokanasum will spend part of his time developing a new writing project – a dark, gritty, horror fantasy that builds upon some of the Indigenous ghost stories he learned as a child. Kakwinokanasum also plans on hosting writing workshops, consults and events to support emerging writers and storytellers in developing their craft.