Nadia Sammurtok is an Inuit writer and educator originally from Rankin Inlet, Nunavut. Nadia is passionate about preserving the traditional Inuit lifestyle and Inuktitut language so that they may be enjoyed by future generations. Nadia currently lives in Iqaluit, Nunavut, with her family.
Simji Park is from South Korea, and is now based in London, England, and Rotterdam, Netherlands. After she finished her study at the Royal College of Art, she started her professional illustration career in 2017. She was awarded first prize in children's illustration at the 2019 Faber Adlyn Prize. Simji creates illustrations with pencils and watercolour for children's books alongside digital animation. She loves drinking tea and wandering in the park. When not doing that, she produces illustrations and animations.
Shawna Thomson grew up in southern Ontario but has called Nunavut home since 2011 when she moved to Taloyoak. She currently works as an educator in Iqaluit, where she lives with her husband and their two dogs. Since moving to Nunavut, she has always been fascinated by stories of the giants and the little people. When she is not writing or teaching, she enjoys running, yoga, going hiking with her dogs, or reading historical fiction.
Valentina Jaskina always wanted to be an artist. As a child, she painted on the walls of her parents' house. She dreamed of illustrating books or drawing cartoons. In her school years, she studied at a children's art school and then studied classical drawing, painting, and graphic design at the Novosibirsk Art College. She lives in Siberia with her husband, two daughters, and their funny dog Waffle. The world of children and their vivid emotions and unbridled imaginations are an endless source of inspiration for her work.
