Longlisted for the ReLit award Extending the tradition of Aboriginal storytelling, Richard Van Camp's new collection is eloquently and humorously optimistic. The stories in The Moon of Letting Go celebrate healing through modern day rituals that honour his Dogrib ancestry. Van Camp speaks in a range of powerful voices: a violent First Nations gangster has an astonishing spiritual experience, a single mother is protected from her ex by a dangerous medicine man, and a group of young men pay tribute to a friend by streaking through their northern town. The stories are set in First Nations communities in the Northwest Territories, Vancouver and rural British columbia. They have been broadcast on the CBC, and appeared in anthologies, the Walrus, Prairie Fire, and other journals.

Richard Van Camp is a proud member of the Dogrib (Tlicho) Nation from Fort Smith, NWT.He is a graduate of the En'owkin International School of Writing, the University of Victoria's Creative Writing BFA Program, and the Master's Degree in Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia. He is an internationally renowned storyteller and best-selling author. His novel, The Lesser Blessed, is now a movie with First Generation Films and premiered in September of 2012 at the Toronto International Film Festival. He is the author of four collections of short stories, Angel Wing Splash Pattern, The Moon of Letting Go, Godless but Loyal to Heaven and Night Moves, as well as two children's books with Cree artist, George Littlechild: A Man Called Raven and What's the Most Beautiful Thing You Know About Horses?His first baby book, Welcome Song for Baby: A Lullaby for Newborns, was the official selection of the Books for BC Babies program and was given to every newborn baby in British Columbia in 2008. Richard followed this up with another board book: Nighty-Night: A Bedtime Song for Babies. His third book for babies, Little You, is now out with Orca Book Publishers. The amazing Julie Flett is the artist. Little You is published in Bush Cree, Dene and South Slavey, courtesy of the South Slave Divisional Board of Education. His new book for babies with Julie Flett is called "We Sang You Home" and it is gorgeous!All of Richard Van Camp's children's books are available in Braille for free, anywhere in the world, courtesy of the Provincial Resource Centre for the Visually Impaired (PRCVI) and Accessible Resource Centre-British Columbia (ARC-BC)Richard has six graphic novels and comic books out: his first comic book on deterring youth away from gangs, Path of the Warrior, is published with Cree artist, Steve Sanderson, through the Healthy Aboriginal Network. His second comic book on sexual health is Kiss Me Deadly, with Haida artist Chris Auchter. His four graphic novels are Three Feathers (published in Bush Cree, Dene, South Slavey and English, illustrated by Krystal Mateus, on restorative justice; The Eisner Award Nominated A Blanket of Butterflies, on the theme of peace making, illustrated by Scott Henderson, The Blue Raven, illustrated by Steve Sanderson on mental health, and Spirit, a suicide prevention comic book illustrated by Emily Brown (which is also published in Bush Cree, Dene, and South Slavey and English).

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"Van Camp, a Dogrib from Fort Smith, NWT, which hides superficially in his town Fort Simmer, gives us a vision of the North which in its own way is as distinct and rich as Flannery O'Connor's South." - Winnipeg Free Press

"Again drawing on his Dogrib Nation background [Van Camp] seamlessly blends the beauty, violence, and pride of Aboriginal life with brutally disarming prose."- Quill and Quire

"Richard Van Camp is a magical storyteller in the old-school sense, fully capable of holding an audience enthralled with his voice alone. . . These are important stories, recounted with deep compassion and an unflinching eye." - The Georgia Straight

"Vancouver-based Richard Van Camp is arguably one of the leading short story writers in Canada. Van Camp. . . has so clearly listened to how people talk, the music and spirit of their language becoming his." - The Coast

"Van Camp is a masterful storyteller who knows how to reach even the most cynical of hearts. The collection is compelling. It is both an homage to hopefulness and a departure from it." -Vancouver Review

"Van Camp's stories are a box of fine chocolates, some sweet, some bittersweet. All of them delicious."-Thomas King, author of Green Grass, Running Water

"Van Camp's stories are about the sheer exuberance of storytelling. . . " - Canadian Literature