Gerry William is a member of the Splatsin Indian band in Enderby, B.C. and has spent his life working with various native organizations within British Columbia. He graduated from the University of Victoria in 1975 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Literature. He then obtained his PdD at the Union Institute and Univerity in 2004 in First Nations Studies. He is currently the Director of Aboriginal Programs for School District 22 (Vernon, BC). At the time of the printing of the greatly expanded 'The Black Ship', Gerry has completed the first drafts of the conclusion of the science fiction series, for which he has been working on since 1991. As an avid "trekkie" and and sci-fi reader himself, Gerry believes that although science fiction is a field rarely explored by First Nations writers, it provides many of the techniques and structures needed if the future is to be explored in a meaningful way. Gerry has also written and had published a historical fiction novel about first contact between the Okanagan peoples and the first settlers. Gerry has written the sequel to this novel, and is currently seeking a publisher.