Larry Loyie was born on November 4, 1933 in Slave Lake, Alberta, Canada. He lived a traditional Cree life until he was eight years old. From the age of eight to 14, he attended St. Bernard Mission residential school in Grouard, Alberta. At the age of 14, he entered the work force, fighting fires, working in an oil camp and a mountain sawmill. He turned his life experiences into children's books. His works include The Moon Speaks Cree, Goodbye Buffalo Bay, When the Spirits Dance: A Cree Boy's Search for the Meaning of War, The Gathering Tree, and Residential Schools: With the Words and Images of Survivors. As Long as the Rivers Flow won the Norma Fleck Award for Canadian Children's Non-Fiction and the First Nation Communities Read award. With his partner, writer and editor Constance Brissenden, he launched Living Traditions Writers Group in 1993 to encourage Aboriginal writing. He died on April 18, 2016 at the age of 82.