Wili Liberman

Writer/Producer

Wili Liberman is the founding editor and publisher of TEACH Magazine (www.teachmag.com), and has been in that position since 1993. Prior to that, he worked as a freelance editor and writer on a wide range of publications. Wili is also the producer of the teen travel television series, Get Outta! Town that aired on TVOntario and on educational television stations across Canada as well as the Starz Encore children’s network, Wham!, in the United States. In addition, Wili is the author of the Mr. X series of teen adventure novels based on Get Outta Town! published by McArthur & Co. Five of the novels have been published as part of the series so far. Wili acted as executive producer for the interactive, educational resource, The Shadowed Road (www.theshadowedroad.com) and authored the graphic novel of the same name. He fulfilled the same role in the production of The Ruptured Sky (www.therupturedsky.com), and also authored the graphic novel. Wili found working on The Shadowed Road and The Ruptured Sky both humbling and inspiring.

Christopher Auchter

Illustrator

Christopher Auchter grew up in Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, and currently lives and works in Vancouver. He attended Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, receiving a Bachelor of Media Arts with a major in Animation. He then completed a computer animation certificate from Sheridan College in Oakville, Ontario. His student film won first place for animation in the Electronic Arts Great Canadian Art Competition, initiating his work in the video gaming industry. He then worked in various animation roles, creating short films for both independent work and the National Film Board. Of these, the most notable are Nehiyawetan on APTN and a charcoal film called How People Got Fire for the NFB, which won a number of film festival awards.

Chris’ passion for illustration has led to work in children’s books, graphic novels, and illustrations for television. Some include the children's book, Jenneli's Dance, which was awarded the Canadian Library Association: Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustratorʼs Award. He was also awarded Runner-up for Just A Walk, and an Honourable Mention for Chuck in the City in the Paris Book Festival Competition. He is currently working on a graphic novel based on the war of 1812 and is developing his own graphic novel of a Haida tale called, Noble One.

“My goal as an artist is to create compelling and beautiful work for others to enjoy. I want oneʼs imagination to run wild when my work is experienced.”

Rob King

Programming/Interactive

Steve Ferguson

Video Director

Steve Ferguson is a Toronto based independent filmmaker, graphic artist, and graduate of the Canadian Film Centre's Media Lab. When not freelancing, Steve can usually be found making short and fun videos for various festivals and the web as one half of the creative production team thefergusonbrothers. Most recently, Steve worked with TEACH Magazine creating the video assets for their first Interactive Graphic Novel, The Shadowed Road.

Sandy Scofield

Composer

Sandy Scofield has invested a tremendous spirit, navigating and negotiating through a life dedicated to music, sometimes on her own, and sometimes with collaborators. She studied at Vancouver Community College taking their two-year jazz music program. Most recently, she completed her degree at the Simon Fraser University School for Contemporary Arts, studying composition under the likes of Owen Underhill and electroacoustic music with Barry Truax. Sandy is a multi-award winning composer, musician, and singer. She has studied classical, jazz, African, Indonesian gamelan, and electro-acoustic music. A Métis from the Saulteaux and Cree Nations, she hails from four generations of fiddlers, singers and musicians. Among her four recordings to date, she has won five Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards, a Canadian Folk Music Award, an Indian Summer Music Award (U.S.A.), a Western Canadian Music Award, and three consecutive Juno nominations. Over the years, she has mentored innumerable First Nations singers and songwriters in the way of rudimentary music theory, vocal techniques, songwriting craft, and music industry protocol. She has toured in festivals on four continents, and will be performing at the International Rainforest World Music Festival in Borneo this summer. She has composed for dance, film, television and theatre, with the Aboriginal Welcoming Song for the 2010 Olympic Opening Ceremonies, the highlight to date. Writer Phil Paine asserts, “her music is original, refined, and intelligent.”

Drew Haden Taylor

Video Narrator

An Ojibway from the Curve Lake First Nations in Ontario, Drew Hayden Taylor has worn many hats in his 25-year literary career, from performing stand-up comedy at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., to being Artistic Director of Canada's premiere, Native Earth Performing Arts at the Canadian theatre company. He has been an award-winning playwright (with over 70 productions of work), a journalist/columnist (appearing regularly in several Canadian newspapers and magazines), short-story writer (Me Funny and Me Sexy, published by Douglas & McIntyre), novelist (The Night Wanderer: A Native Gothic Novel published by Annick Press), television scriptwriter, and has worked on over 17 documentaries exploring the Native experience. Most notably, he wrote and directed Redskins, Tricksters, and Puppy Stew, a documentary on Native humour for the National Film Board of Canada.

He has traveled to sixteen countries around the globe, spreading the gospel of Native literature to the world. Through many of his books, most notably the four volume set of the Funny, You Don’t Look Like One series, he has tried to educate and inform the world about issues that reflect, celebrate, and interfere in the lives of Canada's First Nations.

Self described as a contemporary storyteller in whatever form, he co-created and for three years was the head writer for Mixed Blessings, a television comedy series. In 2007, a made-for-tv movie he wrote based on his Governor General's nominated play, In a World Created by a Drunken God, was nominated for three Gemini Awards, including Best Movie. Originally it aired on APTN and opened the American Indian Film Festival in San Francisco, and the Dreamspeakers Film Festival in Edmonton.

The last few years has seen him proudly serve as the Writer-In-Residence at the University of Michigan, the University of Western Ontario, and the University of Luneburg (Germany), as well as a host of Canadian theatre companies i.e. Cahoots Theatre, Blyth Theatre, etc. His most recent publications include Motorcycles & Sweetgrass, a novel which was nominated for the Governor General’s Award for fiction; News: Postcards From the Four Directions, a collection a articles and essays exploring Native existence as he sees it; and a play called Dead White Writer on the Floor. Randomhouse proudly proclaimed him “One of the new faces of fiction for 2010.”

More importantly, he is still desperately trying to find the time to do his laundry.

Tanya Leary

Curriculum Writer

Tanya Leary, co-author of The Ruptured Sky curriculum, was born and raised in Ontario while her Sealteaux roots and family come from Roseau River, Manitoba. As a primary teacher, author, and mother, Tanya spends most of her time lost in a picture book. She has received several awards including a National Golden Leaf Publishing Award and two Prime Minister’s Awards for Excellence in Teaching.

Tanya writes for various curricula teams across Canada, and sidelines as a contributing editor for ETFO-VOICE Magazine. She is also a member of the Aboriginal Education Standing Committee for the Elementary Teacher’s Federation of Ontario. Her studies at Harvard University have fueled her passion for Aboriginal Education, Environmental Sustainability, Globalization, and Brain Based Learning.

Tanya’s favorite thing in life is the serenity of nature, and frequents this solitude with her kayak, paddles, and family in tow.

Donna Magee

Curriculum Writer

Donna Magee has experience as a principal, teacher, curriculum writer and reviewer, presenter of various issues, such as Aboriginal perspectives, and educational consultation.

Donna has acted as the Project Manager/Leader on several projects relating to Native Studies that support Aboriginal perspectives, experiences, and histories at the secondary level in English, Business Studies, The Arts, Career Education, History, Law, and the primary level in Social Studies, History, and Geography. Of these is the notable Aboriginal Voices in the Curriculum: A Guide to Teaching Aboriginal Studies. She also worked as a Project Point Person for Goodminds.com on the development of two Native Studies textbooks for Grades 10 and 11 in Ontario schools.

As a descendent of Major William Read, a Loyalist who also fought in the War of 1812 in the Leeds County militia, Donna was very keen to be part of The Ruptured Sky curriculum team that developed the lesson plans and activities.

Michael Galban

Subject Matter Expert

Michael Galban is currently the public historian at Ganondagan State Historic Site in Victor, New York. Ganondagan is a late 17th century Seneca town site and nationally regarded as a center for Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) history and cultural preservation. His knowledge of the woodlands people and colonial history is vast and he has lectured extensively on the subject.

Michael has expert knowledge of Native American material culture, and has held many lectures specializing in eastern woodland cultures, and has been actively working with the Haudenosaunee communities to revive interest in ancient material culture traditions.

Most recently, he has traveled to Europe to study collections of Native material at the British Museum in London, the Pitt Rivers Museum in Oxford, and the Musée de Quai Branley in Paris.

Rick Hill

Subject Matter Expert

Rick Hill is a First Nations author, educator and historian from Six Nations Brantford.

Caroline King

Subject Matter Expert

Caroline King is the former chief of the Mississauga New Credit First Nation.

David Plain

Subject Matter Expert

David Plain is an Aboriginal historian and author. His books have received critical acclaim with one winning a prestigious publisher's award. A member of Aamjiwnaang First Nation, David has fully researched his nation's history. Always a lover of history, he has devoted much time and effort to his family's genealogy and how it has affected the history of the Ahnishenahbek of Aamjiwnaang. David has also been privy to the tutelage of the elders of the community. David’s published titles include, 1300 Moons, released in October 2011; The Plains of Aamjiwnaang, a non-fiction history; and Ways of Our Grandfathers a non-fiction on Ojibway cullture. 

Lisa Tran

Project Manager/Editor

Lisa Tran is the Associate Editor of TEACH Magazine. Over the past three years, she has used her passion for technology to manage and edit several digital literacy initiatives such as, The Shadowed Road and The Canadian Northern Project. She is dedicated to introducing educators to new and innovative resources and as such, was very excited to be a part of The Ruptured Sky team.

Christie Belfiore

Project Administrator

Christie Belfiore, editorial assistant of TEACH Magazine, graduated from the University of Toronto with a major in English, and went on to receive certification in the Book and Magazine Publishing program at Centennial College. She has published work for both online and print magazines, and enjoys writing about fitness and outdoor activities. Christie has a passion for adventure and travel, and in her spare time, enjoys hiking with her dogs.

Stace Laforme

Poet

Stace LaForme is a poet and storyteller from the Mississauga New Credit First Nation.

Michaela Hunter

Wampum Belt Animator

Michaela Hunter is a freelance video editor and motion graphic artist working in broadcast television, education, commercial and corporate video. She is also the media specialist for an online psychology lecture series. Her diverse background of psychology, education, creative arts, and post-production, gives Michaela the creativity and intuition essential for good story telling. Also, she is an expert party piñata maker.

Katryna Kozbiel

Graphic Novel Designer

Kat Kozbiel is a Toronto-based freelance graphic designer who graduated from Sheridan College in Oakville. With over 10 years experience in the industry, her work consists of print and web projects for a roster of clients including TEACH Magazine. When not working she can be found enjoying the great outdoors, designing a garden, or volunteering for LEAF Toronto.