I have been writing for sixty years and had my first series of publications in 1967 in a youth journal in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. I wrote my first book in 1977 called Sakitawak: A Bicentennial History of Ile-a-la-Crosse, a book that has become a school text for those studying about the Metis in western Canada. I have had several chapters included in various published books and journals that deal with teaching using computer-mediated communication, the field of study for my Master's program. I have published editorials in various western newspapers as well.

Once I retired, I turned to writing as a full-time activity. I have several non-fiction titles, three books of poetry, one middle-grades novel, one young-adult novel, four contemporary novels, and three novellas. My titles can be found on Amazon and at my author website: https://rglongpre.ca

In the mid-nineties, I added the role of counsellor [psychotherapist] to my role in the community in which I lived. My training was predominantly in Jungian and Cognitve Therapy areas, with a bit of Gestalt strategies added to my skill set. And yes, even now at the ripe age of 70+, I still offer life-coaching and counselling services on a very limited basis.

I am a retired educator with more than 30 years in public education on the Canadian prairies, including 10 years as a school principal. Post retirement I taught Education classes in a Chinese University near Shanghai along with my wife. I have been married 51 years with three children and eight grandchildren.

My wife and I have spent time in almost thirty countries. Typically we wander through these countries with our backpacks, staying at hostels and bed-and-breakfast lodgings. My camera records our journeys which often turn out to be more about pilgrimages than being tourists. We have walked the Camino in Spain, as well as the European Peace Walk that took us from Hungary to Italy following the infamous Iron Curtain.

If you are wondering about my indigenous background, I have Anishnaabe and Haudenasaune heritage. In our family, we joke about being OjiHawks. I speak some Cree and understand some Michif. I grew up a displaced gypsy as my family roamed the expanse of Canada. I went to school in five provinces and more than twenty schools by the time I finished high school. When I finally made it to university, I majored in First Nations Studies at the University of Saskatchewan. Our first two children were born in Northern Saskatchewan where I began my teaching career. I am not Metis though I was counted as such when I was a director of a Metis Society Local. I am simply a man with a heritage that includes two different First Nations. I am also French, English, Scottish, and a hodgepodge of other ethnicities, your typical Canadian.

Now, about the photo above, I love walking. When I am alone, I like to take walks on the prairie landscape. Walking unencombered by clothing allows me to feel connected to the prairies in ways one could never imagine. Walking clothing-free is therapy that is visceral, reaching the depths on one's being. It is all about being honest.