ABOUT THE AUTHORS AND ILLUSTRATOR 
Larry Loyie was born in Slave Lake, Alberta,where he spent his early years living a traditional Cree life. At the age of ten he was placed in St. Bernard's Mission residential school in Grouard, Alberta. He is the author of Ora Pro Nobis (a play about HIV/AIDS), short stories, and children's stories dealing with native traditions, residential school, HIV/AIDS and other issues. Larry received the 2001 Canada Post Literacy Award for Individual Achievement (British Columbia). His first children’s book, As Long as the Rivers Flow (Groundwood, 2002), won the 2003 Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children’s Non-Fiction. His children’s book, The Gathering Tree (Theytus Books, 2005) is the gently told story of a First Nations family facing the issue of HIV. Future publications include When the Spirits Dance from Theytus Books (Fall, 2006), based on Larry's childhood experiences during the Second World War.
Constance Brissenden (B.A., U of Guelph; M.A., U of Alberta) is a freelance writer and editor. A theatre graduate, she directed Larry Loyie’s plays Ora Pro Nobis (Pray for Us) and No Way to Say Goodbye (about HIV/AIDS) in the 1990s. Constance and Larry work together to research and develop children’s books including As Long as the Rivers Flow and The Gathering Tree. She is also the author of 14 books of travel and history. In 1993, Constance and Larry formed Living Traditions Writers Group to encourage First Nations people to write about their traditions and experiences. Larry and Constance live in Vancouver, British Columbia.
Heather D. Holmlund's roots are in the northern town of Fort Frances, Ontario, where she grew up. The spiritual essence of the Canadian landscape and its people have always been the source of her artistic vision. Heather attended York University in the visual arts program, before making her home in Pickering, Ontario. A freelance artist, she is the award-winning illustrator of her first children’s book As Long as the Rivers Flow (Groundwood Books). Heather created 20 sensitive acrylic paintings for her second children’s book The Gathering Tree (Theytus Book), written by Larry Loyie with Constance Brissenden. http://www.hdholmlundarts.com/
