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Portage & Main Press

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Winnipeg, MB
Portage & Main Press

Independent, Canadian, and woman-owned since 1967.

Visit our website for innovative and practical educational resources, award-winning stories by Indigenous writers, as well as books and teacher guides for K–12.

07/10/2025

📚✨ Summer Reading Challenge: Indigenous Lit Edition! ✨📚
Looking for meaningful reads this summer? Our Indigenous Literature BINGO card is here!

From time-traveling fiction to stories about resilience, language, family, and the land — each square highlights a unique way to engage with Indigenous voices and perspectives. Perfect for students, educators, book clubs, and anyone looking to read deeper.

🧡 Tag us when you hit a BINGO — or better yet, fill the whole card!

06/12/2025

Surviving the City Series and Teacher Guide are available from GoodMinds.com.

Surviving the City Teacher Guide : Exploring Identity, Allyship, and Social Action for Meaningful Change in Grades 7-12. (2025)
The Teacher Guide for Surviving the City is best suited for use with students in grades 7–12 taking English Language Arts; First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Studies; Global Issues; and similar subjects. Author Christine M’Lot is an Anishinaabe educator, curriculum developer, and consultant from Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Visit our online catalogue to order:
https://goodminds.com/products/surviving-the-city-teacher-guide-exploring-identity-allyship-and-social-action-for-meaningful-change-in-grades-7-12

Surviving the City Series Volumes 1-3. By New York Times–bestselling author Tasha Spillett.
Visit our online catalogue to order:
Surviving the City Vol 1: https://goodminds.com/products/9781553797562
Surviving the City Vol 2: https://goodminds.com/products/9781553798989
Surviving the City. Vol.3: We Are the Medicine: https://goodminds.com/products/surviving-the-city-vol-3-we-are-the-medicine

06/05/2025

🌍📚 World Environment Day 2025 📚🌿
This June 5, we honour the Earth and celebrate the deep connections between land, language, learning, and community. 🌱

Our World Environment Day Picks spotlight new and upcoming books that highlight the vital relationships Indigenous communities hold with the land — stories rooted in tradition, care, and seasonal rhythms.

✨ Dad, Is It Time to Gather Mint? by Tyna Legault Taylor
A heartwarming read-aloud that follows Joshua as he learns to read the signs of the land alongside his dad, in the mint-gathering traditions of Animbiigoo Zaagi’igan Anishinaabek.

✨ Kokum, Are These Moose Tracks? by Tyna Legault Taylor
Join Joshua and his Kokum on a quiet, autumn moose-tracking adventure that celebrates intergenerational knowledge, curiosity, and connection to the land.

✨ Herring to Huckleberry by ošil Betty Wilson
Through joyful seasonal memories, ošil and her grandparents invite readers to explore the gifts of the sea and forest, shared in both ʔayʔajuθəm and English.

✨ Renewal: Indigenous Perspectives on Land-Based Education
Edited by Christine M’Lot and Katya Adamov Ferguson
A powerful resource for educators ready to bring land-based learning and Indigenous worldviews into the classroom with care, respect, and intention.

This World Environment Day, we invite you to listen to the land — and to the voices who have cared for it since time immemorial. 🌎🧡

06/03/2025

📖✨ Sneak Peek! ✨📖
We’re so proud to introduce Miya Wears Orange — a tender and beautifully illustrated new children’s book that helps young readers navigate big questions and even bigger feelings.

When Miya learns about the history of residential schools during storytime, she feels scared, confused, and sad. With gentle guidance from her mom, she begins to understand the past — and finds comfort in the truth, healing in her family’s love, and strength in remembrance.

“Miya Wears Orange” is a moving, age-appropriate story that opens the door to conversations about truth, injustice, and resilience — a meaningful addition to every child’s bookshelf. 🧡 Available for pre-order now!

By Wanda John-Kehewin
Illustrated by Erika Rodriguez Medina

06/02/2025

📚✨ National Indigenous History Month is here — a time to honour, learn, and reflect.

Dive into the stories of seven remarkable Indigenous heroes from Canadian history through Tales from Big Spirit — a powerful graphic novel series by David A. Robertson. These engaging, full-colour books bring history to life for Grades 4–6, sparking meaningful conversations and building vital literacy skills in classrooms and book clubs alike.

Educators — looking to bring these stories into your curriculum? The Teacher’s Guide by Katya A. Ferguson is your companion. With detailed lesson plans, Indigenous perspectives, and strategies for diverse learners, it’s the bridge between powerful storytelling and purposeful teaching.

We’re offering 20% off all HighWater Press titles this month! Just use code READ20 at checkout!

This month — and every month — let’s celebrate Indigenous voices, histories, and futures.

05/13/2025

It was an honour to hear David speak at the First Nations School Association of British Columbia about healing and teaching through story, returning to the land and language, and deepening our connection to each other and the environment.

📚 His latest book, The Kodiaks, carries these values forward for young readers, showing the power of pride, perseverance, and belonging.

05/08/2025

🌸 Celebrate All Women This Mother’s Day 🌸

From matriarchs and aunties to knowledge keepers and caregivers, we honour the women who guide, protect, and nurture—just like the animal mothers in The Mothers of Xsan series.

📚 To mark the occasion, we’re offering 20% off ALL books—because storytelling is a gift we pass on.
✨ Use code: MOM20 at checkout
🗓️ Valid through May 31, 2025

04/24/2025

📚✨ Our Story ✨📚

We’re Portage & Main Press / HighWater Press—a proudly women-owned, Indigenous-led, independent Canadian publisher based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. And we’ve got a story worth celebrating.

Founded in 1967 as Peguis Publishers, we’re proud to be Manitoba’s longest-standing publishing house, with deep roots in community and a bold vision for the future.From regional history to groundbreaking Indigenous literature, we’ve always believed in the power of Canadian stories told by Canadian voices. Our books uplift Indigenous authors, support educators, and create space for stories that challenge, connect, and inspire.

📖 On Independent Bookstore Day, we celebrate our shared mission with independent booksellers across the country—to make sure authentic, powerful stories find their readers.

💥 Shoutout to for championing Canadian books and bookstores today and every day. David A. Robertson

🧡 Want to learn more about our journey—or the books we’re excited to share next? Drop your questions below—we’d love to chat.

04/17/2025

🌍✨ Caring for Our Planet: Inspiring Reads from Indigenous Storytellers ✨🌍

In honour of Earth Day, we’re celebrating the power of stories that connect us to the land, our communities, and the teachings that have guided environmental stewardship for generations.

📚 While we’re featuring just four beautiful titles here—The Cedar Mother, The Bee Mother, The Eagle Mother, and The Grizzly Mother—this Earth Day offer applies to a whole collection of powerful, Indigenous-authored books that honour the Earth and all who share it. 🌱🐝🦅🐻

💚 Get 25% OFF all featured Earth Day titles with code EARTH25 at checkout!
🗓 Offer valid until April 30, 2025

These stories are more than books—they’re teachings, they’re resistance, they’re love letters to the land. Whether you're sharing them with young readers or exploring them yourself, they’ll leave a lasting impression.

Let’s honour the Earth. Let’s honour Indigenous voices. Let’s read, reflect, and act.

🔗 Link in bio to shop the collection

04/10/2025

🌟 Huge congratulations to our longtime friend and collaborator, David A. Robertson, on the success of his new book All the Little Monsters: How I Learned to Live with Anxiety (HarperCollins Canada)! 🧠💛

With his signature warmth, humour, and honesty, David continues to open up powerful conversations around community and mental health through his personal journey.

At HighWater Press, we’re honoured to have worked alongside David on stories that center Indigenous youth, mental wellness, resilience—and spark meaningful dialogue in classrooms and beyond.

📚 Explore David’s HWP titles:

🔸 7 Generations: A Plains Cree Saga
Epic. Powerful. A graphic novel series tracing one Cree family over 300 years. The 15th anniversary edition drops this September!

🔸 The Reckoner Trilogy + The Reckoner Rises
Suspense, humour, and supernatural mystery—perfect for YA readers who love an edge.

🔸 The Kodiaks: Home Ice Advantage
Middle grade hockey + heart = ✨

🔸 Sugar Falls: A Residential School Story
A must-read graphic novel inspired by the true story of Elder Betty Ross.

🔸 When We Were Alone
Winner of the 2017 Governor General’s Literary Award. A gentle, empowering introduction to residential school history.

🔸 The Evolution of Alice
A layered, moving story of community and identity.
.. and so many more.

🧡 We’re proud to walk alongside David in sharing stories that matter. David A. Robertson davidrobertsonwriter

04/04/2025

📚 Behind the Scenes of ɬagət̓ hiyt t̓oxʷʊm / Herring to Huckleberries

We’re thrilled to give you a behind-the-scenes look at the making of our newest title, ɬagət̓ hiyt t̓oxʷʊm / Herring to Huckleberries by ošil Betty Wilson, with illustrations by Prashant Miranda and editing by Caley Clements.

✍🏽 Author ošil (Betty Wilson) has spent her life in ɬaʔamɩn (Tla’amin), BC, dedicating over 25 years to revitalizing the ʔayʔajuθəm language. A teacher, language warrior, and cedar basket weaver, ošil continues to preserve and pass on knowledge through her words and art.

🎨 Illustrator Prashant Miranda brought this story to life with his vibrant watercolour style. After a recent residency in Lisbon, he’s now continuing his creative journey in China—always sketching, always storytelling.

🖋️ Editor Caley Clements, with 15+ years of experience, shaped this book with care from her home office in Ontario, working across distance and time zones to bring this story into readers’ hands.

📸 Swipe to see photos of Prashant practicing his craft abroad, Caley’s editing space, and more from the creative process.

This book is a beautiful collaboration rooted in land, language, and legacy. We can’t wait to share it with you.

Address

Winnipeg, MB

Opening Hours

Monday	9am - 4pm
Tuesday	9am - 4pm
Wednesday	9am - 4pm
Thursday	9am - 4pm
Friday	9am - 4pm

Telephone

+18006679673

Website

https://www.portageandmainpress.com/

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