Gwendolyn Toynton (real name Gwendolyn Taunton) was the recipient of the Ashton Wylie Award for Literary Excellence in 2009 for her first book, 'Primordial Traditions Compendium', which featured a collection of articles from the periodical Primordial Traditions which ran from 2005-2010. Northern Traditions is her second book. Her poetry is also featured in the 'New Zealand Collection of Poetry and Prose 2002'. She has written for numerous periodicals, including 'New Dawn Magazine'. Gwendolyn has recently also returned to fictional work with her latest short story published in 'Mythos: The Myths and Tales of H. P. Lovecraft & Robert E. Howard'. She also has an article in 'Occult Traditions' (ed. Damon Zacharias Lycourinos, Numen Books, 2012). Her most recent work is 'Mimir - Journal of North European Traditions'. Gwendolyn's first major work, The 'Tantrik Tradition' is also scheduled for publication in 2013. Gwendolyn Toynton also holds a BA (Hons) in Religious Studies and has a strong interest in all spiritual matters and philosophy. Gwendolyn also has a interest in the arts and the humanities. Gwendolyn Toynton is devoted to restoring the cultural values which should be at the core of our civilization and upholds the right for all indigenous peoples to preserve their cultural heritage. She is also firmly committed to the preservation of the natural environment and animal welfare.