Richard Wagamese (1955–2017), an Ojibway from the Wabaseemoong First Nation in northwestern Ontario, was recognized as one of Canada’s foremost writers. His writing accolades included the George Ryga Award for Social Awareness, the National Aboriginal Achievement Award, a Canada Council for the Arts Molson Prize and the Matt Cohen Award. In total, he authored sixteen books including Indian Horse (Douglas & McIntyre, 2012), the 2013 People’s Choice winner in CBC’s Canada Reads competition and the winner of the 2013 CODE Burt Award; Embers (Douglas & McIntyre, 2016), winner of the Bill Duthie Booksellers’ Choice Award; and One Drum, which was published posthumously in 2019. Drew Hayden Taylor is an award-winning playwright, novelist, scriptwriter and journalist. He was born and raised on the Curve Lake First Nation in Central Ontario. Taylor has authored nearly thirty books, including The Night Wander: A Native Gothic Novel (Annick, 2007) about an Anishinaabe vampire. He also edited Me Funny, Me Sexy and Me Artsy (Douglas & McIntyre, 2006, 2008 and 2015), and has been nominated for two Governor General's Awards. He lives in Toronto.
...an inspiring look into his philosophies on living...This is a collection to be savored slowly, as readers allow what Wagamese shares to sink in under the noise of modern life. -Shelf Awareness Anyone who has had the privilege to read his work will know that he was a gifted storyteller. His writings are always honest, profound, and illuminating. And while his soul has moved on, his spirit remains to help guide us on our journey through life. What Comes From Spirit is one of those books that you will want to read again and again for the comfort of Wagamese's wisdom and inspiration. -Portland Book Review, 5-star review This parting gift is a conversation with the man himself and is suitably simultaneously revealing and enigmatic....this collection is closer in spirit to the offerings of the mystic poets and philosophers like Lao Tzu or Han Shan, the musings of men in love and awe with the natural world...a last story from a master storyteller. -Ormsby Review ...[Wagamese is] a key figure in the contemporary Indigenous literary renaissance. -The Globe and Mail The collection paints a vivid portrait of a man who could not only write beautifully, but who perhaps knew something we didn't....Wagamese had an eye for life. And the ability to put life in words. -The Toronto Star Treasure these words. Honour his thoughts. But don't read it too fast. Soak it in. Enjoy every morsel. Linger on each page because every paragraph has nuggets of understanding. Lines of wisdom. Stories to appreciate. -Drew Hayden Taylor, from the introduction.