Jessica Outram is an author, poet, and educator whose writing explores family, identity, history, and our connections to place. She is the author of The Shining Waters series (Second Story Press), including Bernice and the Georgian Bay Gold and Bernice and the Wild Waters, as well as the poetry collection The Thing with Feathers. She is a citizen of the Métis Nation of Ontario. Her work is inspired by her ancestors, the waters of Georgian Bay, and the stories that connect generations. A recipient of the Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Young People, Jessica lives in Peterborough, Ontario, where she continues to write, teach, and explore the intersections of creativity, story, and learning.