W. O. Mitchell

Born in Weyburn, Saskatchewan, Mitchell studied at the University of Manitoba and University of Alberta, teaching school on the prairies while writing radio plays. Between 1950 and 1956, his CBC radio series Jake and the Kid captivated Canadian families across the country.

His debut novel, Who Has Seen the Wind (1947), told through the eyes of young Brian O'Connal, sold nearly a million copies, capturing the spiritual awe, windblown wheat fields, and prairie sky with poetic brilliance. He mentored hundreds of young writers at the Banff Centre for the Arts.