Five women are behind a new publishing house that aims to share stories from across the NWT.
Northern Quill Publishing started with a phone call in 2023.
Judith Drinnan, Lana de Bastiani, Amber Henry, Myranda Bolstad and Rachel Vander Veen connected over their passion for written stories and the North.
“All of us had contemplated this as a potential thing to do, but we just didn’t know that we all wanted to do it,” Henry said.
“Publishing just seems to be the next logical step, that we are able to publish our own stories and have a focus on the northern voice.”
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The small team formally launched the company with a website earlier this month.
Henry said trying to get published in the south can be really competitive. She hopes a publishing company in the North, that focuses on northern voices, will give NWT authors a greater chance of having their stories shared.
Northern Quill plans to release its first published work next month: Dechı̨ta Náı́dı́, a children’s story by Cathy Modeste-Short.
Beyond traditional publishing, the company aims to offer educational materials, reprint, sales and distribution, project management, and coaching and mentorship among other services.
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Northern Quill is looking to hear from artists, illustrators, graphic designers, knowledge keepers, researchers, editors and others with publishing-related skills who are interested in being involved.
Henry said the company will open for submissions from northern authors in 2025.
“We’re looking forward to celebrating northern stories and seeing where this can take us,” she said.
