About Gail & Dianne
Together Gail and Dianne have over 70 years of experience in education. They are co-authors of the award winning book Tyowennatyerénhton: First Words, an introductory Kanyen’kéha picture and vocabulary book with English translations. Together they continue to write, research, and collaborate.
About
Us
Gail Brant-Terry
Dianne Sedore-McCoy
B.A., B. Ed.
Gail Brant-Terry, Kenhtè:ke (Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory) is a mother, nanny, wife, sister, and educator. She has over 34 years of experience in education as a teacher, and administrator at the school, system and provincial level. Gail is a retired system principal of Indigenous Education.
Gail is Co-Founder and Principal Consultant of Ridge Road Training & Consulting, an educational consulting firm specializing in Indigenous curriculum and resource development, community engagement, and facilitation.
Gail was Indspire’s 2020 Guiding the Journey award recipient for Leadership in Indigenous Education.
B.Sc. Hons, B. Ed., Dip. Bus. Admin.
Dianne Sedore McCoy is an educator, with over 25 years experience as a classroom teacher, Curriculum Coordinator in Indigenous education, and a cultural advisor at the board level. She graduated from Queen’s University Mohawk Language and Cultural program in 2020, and is certified in Specialized Expressive Arts Therapy through CiiAT (Canadian International Institute of Art Therapy).
Dianne is an Honourary Lifetime Member of the Elementary Teacher’s Federation of Ontario
Author's Corner
Gail
Dianne
What five words best describe you as a writer?
Connected, conscientious, intentional, reflective, caring
What book do you wish you could read again for the first time?
Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery
What’s a hidden detail or Easter egg you tucked into a book?
There are many Easter Eggs that connect to seasonal sights and smells from my childhood. For example peonies and lilacs come up in both of our books because they grew throughout the village of Point Anne.
Lilacs remind me spring is truly here and peonies signify the end of school. As a child at our house, big bouquets of both would sit in a brown and gold vase on our kitchen table. No matter where I live, I must have lilac trees and peony bushes close by.
Who are the writers or storytellers who shaped you the most?
My dad, Doug Doxtator who after telling a story would throw his head back in laughter and slap his leg.
My children Jordan Rohahiyo Brant and Kiera Brant-Birioukov who are such gifted storytellers and writers.
Other writers and storytellers who have shaped my work include Monqiue Gray Smith, Lucy Maud Montgomery, Dolly Parton and Richard Wagamese.
What’s one ritual you have before (or after) writing?
Before: I do a great deal of thinking about topics before I actually sit down to write to make sure I have clarity in my mind about what matters.
After: I go back over my writing and then close my eyes to see if the words create images in my mind. For me, the mark of a great book is an author who can make their scenes come alive in my imagination.
What’s a question you hope readers ask themselves after finishing your work?
"What does this remind me of?"
What five words best describe you as a writer?
Thoughtful, authentic, empathetic, introspective, informed
What book do you wish you could read again for the first time?
Away by Jane Urquhart
What’s a hidden detail or Easter egg you tucked into a book?
1st book Tyowennatyéronhton: Three Sisters are hidden within the foods page. Three clans of the Mohawk are hidden within the animal pages. Ohenton Karihwatekhwen is depicted throughout the book, honouring the natural world.
Hickory nuts are included because of a childhood connection to the tree that grew in our neighbour’s yard and the fact that as kids these were a common treat. They were also a cooking item included in the birthday cake my grandmother made every year for my Dad.
Lilacs are my favourite flower, they were in my wedding bouquet, they covered the village. My Dad carefully pruned the lilacs in front of our company house in Point Anne each spring, so that it would become a tree loaded with blooms every spring. I have planted lilacs at every place that I have lived since leaving the village.
Who are the writers or storytellers who shaped you the most?
The best storyteller hands down was my Dad... he was well read, had a love of nature and history, he had a story for every occasion, and a sharp mind right into his 90s. When he would visit our home I always made notes to record the stories he would just naturally tell. He was not so much a conversationalist, as he was a storyteller.
Lucy Maud Montgomery: Everything she wrote, beginning with Anne of Green Gables
Jane Urquhart: Away
Robertson Davies: Fifth Business
Margaret Atwood: Handmaid's Tale, The Testaments
Malcolm Gladwell: Outliers
Richard Wagamese: Embers
Stephen King: The Stand, Bag of Bones
What’s one ritual you have before (or after) writing?
Before: clearing my space, making a hot strong cup of tea, facing out the window to see nature and to focus on a visual memory.
After: I never look at what I have just written, I immediately put it away but come back to it much later.
What’s a question you hope readers ask themselves after finishing your work?
“This takes me back", or "This makes me want to document my life"
"How could I share my life stories?"
