Writers
arrel J. McLeod is Cree from Treaty 8 Territory in Northern Alberta. He holds degrees in French literature and Education from the University of British Columbia. Before deciding to pursue writing in his retirement, he was a chief negotiator of land claims for the federal government and executive director of education and international affairs with the Assembly of First Nations. McLeod’s memoir, Mamaskatch: A Cree Coming of Age (Douglas & McIntyre), is a no-holds-barred—and ultimately uplifting—account of overcoming personal and societal obstacles in a complex childhood and adolescence. He was recently in the Banff Writing Studio working on his first book of fiction. McLeod resides in Sooke BC.