shalan joudry is a mother, poet, playwright, oral storyteller, and ecologist. Her poetry collection Waking Ground was shortlisted for the J.M. Abraham Atlantic Poetry Award, the Maxine Tynes Nova Scotia Poetry Award, the Pat Lowther Memorial Award, and the Indigenous Voices Award for Poetry in English. She lives with her family in their community of L’sətkuk (Bear River First Nation, Nova Scotia) where she is currently focusing on reclaiming her Mi’kmaw/L’nu language.