Jen Ferguson (she/her) is Métis (on her father’s side) and Canadian settler (on her mother’s side), an activist, a feminist, an auntie, and an accomplice armed with a PhD. She believes writing, teaching and beading are political acts. Her debut YA novel, THE SUMMER OF BITTER AND SWEET, is forthcoming from Heartdrum / HarperCollins in Summer 2022, with a second YA novel, currently untitled, to follow. Her first book for adults, Border Markers, a collection of interrelated flash fiction stories, is out now with NeWest Press. Her essay “Off Balance” was selected for the Best Canadian Essays 2020. Learn more about her short stories, essays, and poems. She lives on Gabrielino Tongva territory and teaches fiction writing at Loyola Marymount University. You can reach her on twitter at @jennyleeSD or through her contact page.