Janis A. Fairbanks is a member of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa. She is involved in preserving and revitalizing the Ojibwe language and was the first coordinator of the Anishinaabemowin Ojibwe Language Program for Fond Du Lac Reservation. She is on the Editorial Advisory Board for Thunderbird Press (Animikii Mazina'iganan) and mentors a writer's group.