Sandra Laronde, at left, talked with students Tessa-Lee Polson, foreground, and Emmy Kearney after an on-stage conversation at Timiskaming District Secondary about her novel, She Holds Up the Stars. The novel is a first for Laronde, a member of the Teme-Augama Anishinaabe who graduated from high school in the Tri-Towns. She’s the founder of Red Sky Performance, a multidisciplinary Indigenous company whose productions have toured around the world. (Staff photo by Diane Johnston)