![](https://portal.writersunion.ca/sites/default/files/styles/public_profile_small_prevei/public/2021-12/Peyakow%20Finalist%20Writers%27%20Trust.jpg?h=1b01f5aa&itok=GN56pyJc)
Darrel J. McLeod is Nehiyaw (Cree). Darrel’s memoir, Mamaskatch: A Cree Coming of Age (Douglas & McIntyre), won the 2018 Governor General’s Literary Award and was a finalist for the RBC Charles Taylor Prize. The sequel, Peyakow: Reclaiming Cree Dignity, was released in March 2021 and is a finalist for the Writers’ Trust Hilary Weston Non-fiction Prize. Darrel holds degrees in French literature and education from UBC. Darrel has been a teacher, School Principal in Yekooche First Nation, Director of a provincial curriculum center, Executive Director of Education and International Affairs at the Assembly of First Nations, and Chief Negotiator for the Government of Canada. Darrel is also a jazz singer. He lives in Sooke, BC and spends winters in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico.