Warren Cariou has devoted much of his career to studying the storytelling traditions and the environmental politics of Indigenous communities in Canada, especially in Métis, Cree and Anishinaabe territories. He was inspired to study Indigenous stories by his late father, Ray Cariou, a gifted Métis storyteller.  He has published works of fiction and memoir as well as critical writing about Indigenous storytelling, literature and environmental philosophy. He is a Professor and Director of the Centre for Creative Writing and Oral Culture at the University of Manitoba.