Taaqtumi 2

About the Author

Aviaq Johnston is the author of the bestselling picture book What’s My Superpower?. For older children, teenagers, and grown-ups, she has written the award-winning novel Those Who Run in the Sky and its sequel, Those Who Dwell Below. She has also written the short stories “Tarnikuluk,” winner of the Aboriginal Arts and Stories Award, and “The Haunted Blizzard,” featured in Taaqtumi: An Anthology of Arctic Horror Stories. She grew up in Igloolik, Nunavut, and now lives in Iqaluit, Nunavut, with her dog, Sunny.

Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley was born at the northernmost edge of Baffin Island, in the Canadian Arctic. She grew up learning traditional survival lore from her father. She and her husband Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley were brought together by a love of nature and each other. They write Arctic speculative fiction and nonfiction for various ages.

Sean Qitsualik-Tinsley was born at the southernmost edge of Ontario, learning woodcraft from his father. He and his wife Rachel Qitsualik-Tinsley were brought together by a love of nature and each other. They write Arctic speculative fiction and nonfiction for various ages.

Repo Kempt spent over fifteen years working as a criminal lawyer in the remote communities of the Canadian Arctic. He is a regular columnist for Litreactor.com and a member of the Horror Writers Association. You can find him on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter at @repokempt.

Gayle “Uyagaqi” Kabloona is Ukkusiksalingmiut (from the Back River area north of Baker Lake, Nunavut). Now based in Ottawa, she is interested in blending traditional Inuit storytelling with science fiction and magic realism to create alternate realities. Gayle is an urban planner, emerging writer, and multidisciplinary artist with a focus on fibre arts, ceramics, and printmaking.

An Inuk raised in Denendeh, Jamesie Fournier's work has appeared in Inuit Art Quarterly, Red Rising magazine, Northern Public Affairs, and the anthology Coming Home: Stories from the Northwest Territories. His brother, Zebede Tulugaq Evaluardjuk-Fournier, illustrated his last two projects with Inuit Art Quarterly. Jamesie was guest author at the 2018 & 2020 Northwords Writers Festivals and a runner up for 2018 Sally Manning Award for Indigenous Creative Non-Fiction. He lives in Iqaluit, Nunavut.

Jessie Conrad credits her family Elders for spurring her horror obsession. Without reservation, they would tell her age-old stories about feet-eating owls, the nefarious bushman, and mysteries of mind-bending medicine power that is often used for ill-intentioned purposes. The sunless winter days of the Northwest Territories provided the ideal environment for Jessie’s fears to run amuck.

Malcolm Kempt spent seventeen years living and working in Nunavut. His short fiction was long-listed for The Best Horror of the Year (Volume 16, 2023). His debut Arctic thriller, A Gift Before Dying, is set to be released by Crown Publishing (Penguin Random House) in January 2026. He currently resides on the island of Newfoundland.

Micah Silu Inutiq is an Inuk mother of two, born and raised in Iqaluit, Nunavut. From a young age, she has been fascinated by Inuit stories and all that they have carried through generations of life on the land. When not reading and writing, Silu enjoys spending time on the land with her family, drawing inspiration from her roots. With a lifelong passion for Inuit mythology and artistry, she is thrilled to share her first contribution to the Taaqtumi anthology with readers.

Terrie Kusugak is an artist of multitudes; she performs as a musician and singer, specializing in traditional drum dancing and contemporary music, and she is also a writer and beader. During summer months she spends her time at her parent’s cabin and winter months inside reading and playing cards with friends. Kusugak is also a stand-up comedian who has a lot to say about the North. She currently resides in her hometown of Rankin Inlet, Nunavut.