Speakers

Tom Ryan is the award-winning author of six books for children and teens. He currently lives in Halifax with his husband Andrew and their awesome dog. For more information visit www.tomryanauthor.com.

Stella Partheniou Grasso is the author of Take Me Out to the Ice Rink, There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Puck, Over at the Rink: A Hockey Counting Book, Five Busy Beavers, and 101 Creepy Canadian Jokes. Stella and her family live in Ajax, Ontario. For more information visit www.stellapartheniougrasso.com.

Shira Nayman is the author of Awake in the Dark, The Listener, and A Mind of Winter. Her work has appeared in magazines and journals, including The Atlantic Monthly. Born in South Africa and raised in Australia, Shira lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Suri Rosen writes feature articles and short stories for various magazines and newspapers and has worked as a professional artist, filmmaker, journalist, and TV producer. Her first novel, Playing with Matches, won the Canadian Jewish Literary Award for Youth Literature. She lives in Toronto, Ontario. For more information visit www.surirosen.com.

Sky Curtis has authored over a dozen books and is passionate about social justice issues and the environment. The first and second novel in the Robin MacFarland Mystery series, Flush and Plots, were published by Inanna Publications in 2017 and 2018. For more information visit www.skycurtis.ca.

Terry Lynn Johnson, author of Ice Dogs, Sled Dog School, and the Survivor Diaries series, lives in Whitefish Falls, Ontario where for 10 years she owned a team of eighteen Alaskan Huskies. For more information visit www.terrylynnjohnson.com.

Vanessa Brown has lived her entire life in London, Ontario. Her previous books include The Grand Old Lady: A History of Hotel London and London: 150 Cultural Moments. She is married to Canadian poet Jason Dickson, and together they own Brown & Dickson Booksellers. For more information visit ecwpress.com/products/forest-city-killer.

Wanda Lauren Taylor is an author, filmmaker, editor, and educator. With a background in social work and advocacy, Wanda lectures on social justice and human rights issues, and has worked for organizations helping marginalized populations.

Rachel Salt is head writer, researcher, and producer of weekly videos on AsapSCIENCE, a YouTube channel dedicated to science education with over 8 million subscribers. She has a Master’s Degree in Environmental Biology from the University of Guelph.

Richard Scrimger has written more than 20 books for children and adults, which have received major awards and been published around the world. Some of his recent books are Zomboy, Viminy Crowe’s Comic Book, Lucky Jonah, and Downside Up. Richard is also a contributor to the popular Seven series. For more information visit www.scrimger.ca.

Rolf Harvey worked as an Art Director and Production Designer for film and television for over 25 years, working on such acclaimed projects as David Cronenberg’s The Fly (1986) and received a Directors Guild of Canada Award in 2002.

Paul Gilligan is the creator of the syndicated comic strip Pooch Café and has won awards for both illustration and design for such publications as Entertainment Weekly, the Wall Street Journal, and MAD magazine. He lives in Toronto, Canada, with his family. For more information visit read.macmillan.com/mcpg/king-of-the-mole-people.

Phyllis Webstad(Jack) is Northern Secwepemc (Shuswap) from the Stswecem’c Xgat’tem First Nation (Canoe Creek Indian Band). Phyllis has inspired thousands of people to honour residential school survivors and their families and share the call on Sept. 30th – Orange Shirt Day – that “Every Child Matters”. For more information visit www.orangeshirtday.org/orange-shirt-society.html.

Rebecca Thomas is an award-winning Mi’kmaw poet. She is Halifax’s former Poet Laureate (2016-2018) and has been published in multiple journals and magazines.

Rob Shapiro is a novelist and TV writer who has dabbled in film, theatre, and copywriting. Rob lives in Toronto. For more information visit www.robshapiro.ca.

Sebastien de Castell is the author of the acclaimed swashbuckling fantasy series, The Greatcoats and the Carnegie Medal-nominated Spellslinger. His debut novel, Traitor’s Blade, was shortlisted for both the Goodreads Choice Award for Best Fantasy and the Gemmell Morningstar Award. For more information visit www.decastell.com.

Rachel Seigel is the author of Hurricane Readiness.

Ruth Panofsky is a professor in the Department of English at Ryerson University.

A veteran storyteller, educator, speaker, and award-winning author, Sheree Fitch is “a woman of faith,” who has long followed the practice of Centering Prayer and labyrinth meditation. She runs Mabel Murple’s Bookshoppe and Dreamery in River John, NS.

Michael Melgaard is a writer and editor based in Toronto. His fiction has appeared in Grain, the Puritan, and the Antigonish Review. He was a regular contributor to the National Post’s book section, and he has written articles and criticism for the Millions, the Torontoist, and others. For more information visit www.michaelmelgaard.com.

Melissa Hardy has published five novels and two collections of stories, including Broken Road, The Uncharted Heart, and A Cry of Bees. She has won the Journey Prize and been published in numerous journals including The Atlantic and Descant, and been anthologized in Best American Short Short Stories. For more information visit www.melissahardy.com.

Award-winning author Natasha Deen spent the first part of her life in Guyana, then her family moved to Calgary, Alberta, which she found terribly exciting until her first -40º winter day. She currently lives in Edmonton, Alberta with her husband, dogs, and cats. For more information visit www.natashadeen.com.

Myriad Augustine is a queer, non-binary, intersectional feminist. They founded and co-run the Wheelhouse, a nonprofit designed to be a supporting resource for people facing barriers of accessibility. This is their first teen novel. Myriad lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Markus Harwood-Jones is a writer, visual artist, and documentary filmmaker. He has self-published the short story collections Confessions of a Teenage Transsexual Whore and Everything & All at Once.

Mireille Messier is an award-winning children’s writer with a background in broadcasting and theater. She has published over 20 books in French and English, for children of all ages. The Branch was nominated for Shining Willow, Blue Spruce, and Governor General’s Awards.