Marit Alette Utsi
Marit Alette Utsi grew up in a reindeer herding Sami family and lives in Karasjok. She is a teacher trained with additional education and has worked as a teacher in primary school, kindergarten and at language centers. She has written teaching aids since 1998 for language courses, educational materials for kindergartens and teaching aids for basic education. In addition, she has translated some children’s books into Northern Sami and made her debut as a children’s book author in 2021 with Geaidnostállu. A picture book about a troll who lives under the road. She has worked at Davvi Girji, a Sami publishing house, since 2008 as publishing editor and deputy head. She is chair of the board of Sálas— Sami newspaper and publishers association and sits on the board of the Norwegian Publishers Association, a position that gives her a central position in the Norwegian book industry. She has been a driving force for Sami literature and has been responsible for facilitating Sami literature’s place in Norway amongst others as guest of honour at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 2019.
Marit Alette Utsi participates in the Guest of Honor program under the auspices of the Norwegian Institute for Children’s Books (NBI) – NORLA’s partner in the Guest of Honor project.