Published on Thursday, 20 December 2012 19:21 | | 
At the age of nine Larry Loyie was forced to leave his home in Alberta, Canada, and the traditional Cree way of life, to attend a boarding school where the goal of teaching was to wipe out his native language and traditions.
In his 50s he started to practise Nichiren Buddhism, and this became a turning point in fulfilling his dream of becoming a writer.
He writes: ‘My first surprise was how similar the philosophy of Buddhism was to the teachings of my grandfather.’
The practice gave him the courage to write about his childhood experiences, and he has had two books published.