Helen Knott of Fort St. John is of Dane Zaa, Nehiyaw and mixed-Euro descent from Prophet River First Nations. In 2016, she was one of sixteen women featured globally by the Nobel Women's Initiative for her commitment to ending gender-based violence and activism. In 2017, she received a REVEAL Indigenous Art Award. With a bachelor's degree in social work, while pursuing a Masters in FN Studies at UNBC, she produced her first book, In My Own Moccasins: A Memoir of Struggle and Resilience (University of Regina Press 2019). In 2019, she was also writing an indigenous female manifesto, Taking Back the Bones, described as personal narrative "interwoven with humour, academic research and critical reflection." She has published short stories and poetry in the Malahat Review, Red Rising Magazine and the Surviving Canada Anthology. On her blog called Warrior, she describes herself as "six years sober and clean on her journey, passionate about healing, a mother to one, a mediocre beader and a skilled berry picker." In a powerful CBC Short Doc called Peace River Rising, she says, "I'm grateful to have reclaimed my voice and my power so that I can do what I can, when I can."

BOOKS:

In My Own Moccasins: A Memoir of Struggle and Resilience (University of Regina Press 2019) $24.95 9780889776449

Becoming a Matriarch (Penguin Random House, 2023) $32 9780385697774

[BCBW 2024] ILMBC2