In Search of April Raintree

Born in St. Boniface, Manitoba, Beatrice Mosionier is a Métis writer best known for her novel In Search of April Raintree, first published in 1983. A school edition, April Raintree, followed in 1984. The youngest of four children, Beatrice was three years old when the Children’s Aid Society of Winnipeg took her from her family. Losing both of her sisters to suicide—Vivian in 1964 and Katherine in 1980—compelled Beatrice to use her experiences growing up in foster homes to write In Search of April Raintree. Since then, it has become a beloved classic, read by generations of Canadians. Most recently, she wrote the foreword for Overcome, Stories of Women Who Grew Up in the Child Welfare System, by Anne Mahon. She has written several other books, including a play and a short film, and she is the former publisher of Pemmican Publications. She now lives in Enderby, British Columbia.

Dr. Raven Sinclair (Ôtiskewâpit) is Cree/Assiniboine/Saulteaux from Gordon’s First Nation. She is a survivor and expert on the Sixties Scoop, and has published extensively on the topic. Her work has been cited in publications such as the Canadian Encyclopedia and she has appeared as an expert on CBC's The National. She is an outspoken critic of the treatment of Indigenous people in the current child welfare system in Canada. She is a professor, filmmaker, author, and facilitator. Dr. Sinclair is currently a full professor in the Faculty of Social Work at the University of Regina.