Authors & Speakers

Elamin Abdelmahmoud (he/him) is the host of CBC’s daily arts, entertainment, and ​pop culture show Commotion. He is an award-winning culture writer who ​has written for the New York Times, BuzzFeed News, the Globe and Mail, ​and others. Elamin is the author of the No. 1 best-selling memoir, Son of ​Elsewhere, a New York Times notable book and a Globe and Mail 100 ​book. He is the recipient of the 2025 Max Wyman Award for Critical Writing.

Ryad Assani-Razaki (he/him) was born in 1981 in Cotonou in the West African state of Benin. In 2009, his short story collection Deux cercles was awarded the Trillium Book Award. His debut novel, The Hand of Iman (La main d’Iman), won the Prix Robert-Cliche in 2011 and was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award for French-language fiction in 2012.

Born and raised in Kingston, Ontario, Britta B. (she/her) is an award-winning artist, public speaker, and poet living in Toronto. Her debut poetry collection and audiobook, Wires that Sputter, was a Trillium Book Award Finalist for Poetry and shortlisted for the Pat Lowther Memorial Award and the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award. She’s currently serving as the Poet-in-Residence for Poems in Passage (responsible for the poems millions see on their daily TTC commute), and was a juror for the 2025 CBC Poetry Prize. Britta holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Guelph and teaches at many schools and universities.

Sharon Bala’s (she/her) second novel, Good Guys, was published in January. Publishers Weekly calls it “quietly profound” and a “blackly comic tale.” Her best-selling debut novel, The Boat People, won a Newfoundland & Labrador Book Award and the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction. It was shortlisted for several awards and is in translation in four languages. Sharon is the Creative Non-Fiction editor at Riddle Fence and a member of The Port Authority, a St. John’s writing group.

Billy-Ray Belcourt (he/him) is from the Driftpile Cree Nation in northwest Alberta, Treaty 8 territory. He holds a Ph.D. in English from the University of Alberta. He is the author of This Wound is a World, NDN Coping Mechanisms, A History of My Brief Body, A Minor Chorus, Coexistence, and, most recently, The Idea of an Entire Life. He is an Associate Professor in the School of Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia. He lives in Vancouver.

Chantal Braganza (she/her) is a writer and editor living in Toronto. She is currently a deputy editor at Chatelaine. Her work has appeared in the New York Times Magazine, Hazlitt, The Hairpin, the Globe and Mail, Toronto Life, Fashion Magazine, and Maisonneuve, among others. Story of Your Mother is her first book.

Curtis Campbell (he/him) is an award-winning novelist and playwright. His book, Dragging Mason County, was a White Raven Award winner, an Ontario Library Association Best Bets Top Ten Title, a White Pine Award nominee, and shortlisted for the Jacqueline Woodson Award for LGBTQ+ Young Adult and Children’s Literature. He lives in Toronto.

Marty Chan (he/him) is a playwright, kids author, TV screenwriter, and storyteller. He’s best known for his hit YA thriller Haunted Hospital. His early reader fantasy novel, Dragon on the Loose, won the OWL Award for Elementary Students and received an Honour Book nod from the Forest of Reading. Marty has been a professional writer for over 40 years, but he still feels like a newbie. He loves cats, stage magic, and jelly doughnuts. He works and lives in Edmonton with his wife Michelle and their two cats, Hugo and Minnie.

Leilei Chen 莫译(muo-yee) (she/her) is the author of Re-orienting China: Travel Writing and Cross-cultural Understanding; the Mandarin translator (both simplified and traditional Chinese) of Nationalism: A Very Short Introduction and MA Hui’s contemporary Chinese poetry, I Have Forsaken Heaven and Earth, but Never Forsaken You. Her translations of Chinese women’s fiction and ecological writings are anthologized in Virginia’s Sisters: An Anthology of Women’s Writing and Environmental Futures: An International Literary Anthology. She recently published her poetry chapbook, i give birth to my body. Her Mandarin version of Margaret Laurence’s A Bird in the House is forthcoming in 2026.

Anita Chong is the Editorial Director of Fiction at McClelland & Stewart, where she edits literary fiction and memoir, and champions writers from traditionally underrepresented communities. Some of the highly acclaimed books she has edited include Sharon Bala’s The Boat People, Shashi Bhat’s Death by a Thousand Cuts, Michael Christie’s Greenwood, Tsering Yangzom Lama’s We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies, Jen Sookfong Lee’s Superfan: How Pop Culture Broke My Heart, Janika Oza’s A History of Burning, and Souvankham Thammavongsa’s How to Pronounce Knife.

Simone Dalton (she/her) is an award-winning writer born in Trinidad and Tobago and now based in Toronto. Her current work explores memory, grief, inheritance, and the quiet rituals that shape a life. She holds an MFA in Creative Nonfiction from the University of Guelph, and her debut memoir, What Remains, is forthcoming from Scribner Canada.

She is the founder of Island Scribe, where she designs immersive writing retreats and coaching spaces that invite writers into deeper, sustained creative practice. Her facilitation work grows directly from her own commitment to writing as ritual, reflection, and renewal.

Annahid Dashtgard (she/her) is the CEO of Anima Leadership, an award-winning company revolutionizing how equity and racial justice work is advanced in organizations centering compassion and avoiding the traps of shame and blame. A sought-after speaker and advisor, she has inspired, educated, and coached thousands of individuals and hundreds of organizations, guiding them toward deeper, more meaningful cultures of belonging. She is the author of previous books Breaking the Ocean and Bones of Belonging. She lives in Toronto.

Jackie DaSilva (she/her) is Reading Rhythms’ Toronto Chapter Lead, hosting reading parties at hidden gems in the city to bring readers together for quiet reading and intentional connection. Since early 2025, she has hosted over 20 parties and brought together 1300+ readers. The Reading Rhythms reading party is facilitated by a trained host that invites readers to bring any book they’re currently reading, listen to curated playlists, and connect with fellow readers.

Patrick de Belen is a poet, filmmaker, educator and storyteller of many other mediums. His poetry, films and other projects often explore themes of mental illness, the Filipino-Canadian experience, liberation, grief and healing.

When he isn’t onstage, or writing, he is an educator and community builder, partnering with many institutions like addiction centres, mental health focused organizations, libraries, schools, jails and more – advocating for social change and storytelling platforms in as many spaces as possible. Follow his storytelling journey at @patrick_debelen

Sunny Dhillon (he/him) is a former news reporter whose viral essay “Journalism While Brown and When to Walk Away” highlighted the significant challenges that journalists of colour can face. Sunny worked as a print reporter for 10 years. He has also appeared on television and radio and spoken at conferences. He is passionate about racial justice and continues to write on that theme. He holds a Master’s degree in journalism from the University of British Columbia. He and his young family now live in Ottawa, where Sunny attends law school. This is his first book.

Farzana Doctor (she/her) is an author, activist and psychotherapist. She’s written five novels: Stealing Nasreen, Six Metres of Pavement, All Inclusive, Seven, and The Beauty of Us, a poetry collection, You Still Look The Same and a workbook for helpers and activists, 52 Weeks to a Sweeter Life.

In 2023, Farzana received the Freedom To Read Award. In 2020, Seven was chosen as an Amnesty International Reader’s Choice Pick and was shortlisted for the Trillium and Evergreen awards. Six Metres of Pavement won the Lambda and Writers’ Trust Dayne Oglivie prizes and was shortlisted for the Toronto Book Award in 2012.

Elle Douglas (she/her) is the author of ten small-town romances for Harlequin and Tule Publishing. Between writing love stories and working as a high school guidance counsellor, she works exclusively in helping others find their happily-ever-afters.
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Elle is a graduate of TMU’s Radio and Television Arts program, OISE at the University of Toronto, and the U of T Creative Writing program. She is an instructor in the Creative Writing program at Algonquin College.
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Find her on Instagram at @elledouglaswriter

Antonio Michael Downing (he/him) is the author of the acclaimed memoir Saga Boy and children’s book, Stars in My Crown. Antonio Michael is the current host of the CBC Radio program The Next Chapter where he discusses books with authors and columnists. He spends his time writing books, singing songs, and trying to make his grandma proud. Black Cherokee is his debut novel.

Based in Toronto, Akil Elijah (he/him) is a breath of fresh air for Rap and Hip Hop. His journey as a rapper, poet, and creative director is not only extensive; but extremely well versed. With a focus on perfecting his artistry Akil continues to challenge the peers of his city with an intense combination of flow, musical dynamics, and intricate writing to shine as a recording artist and creative. With this, Akil hopes to connect with every voice in every city while expressing a story that is relatable and easy to listen to.

Calyssa Erb (she/her) is a queer, autistic Canadian writer of books for young readers. Her debut middle grade novel Maya Plays the Part was published by Annick Press in 2024. It was a finalist for the Jean Little First-Novel Award and selected for the 2025 IBBY Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities collection. When not writing, she enjoys a tall mug of tea and hanging out with her Animal Crossing villagers. She currently lives in Toronto, Ontario.

Eufemia Fantetti’s (she/her) fiction collection, A Recipe for Disaster & Other Unlikely Tales of Love, was runner-up for the Danuta Gleed Award and won a Bressani Prize. Her second book, My Father, Fortune-tellers & Me: A Memoir, was a finalist for the 2024 Canadian Book Club Awards. Her nonfiction can be found in various anthologies, including Love Me True, Body & Soul and Back Where I Came From: On Culture, Identity and Home, and one she co-edited, Tongues: On Longing and Belonging through Language. She teaches writing at Humber College and the University of Guelph-Humber.

Lindo Forbes (she/her) is a first gen Canadian which means she speaks enough French to not disgrace herself when she visits Montreal but not enough Spanish to please her abuela. She happily holds grudges against fictional people and celebrities she’s never met, and has fully embraced her role as Indulgent Wine Aunt.

Her contemporary romances featuring layered ladies are a love letter to her hometown of Toronto.

Alyssa Gray-Tyghter (she/her) is an educator, writer, and storyteller whose work explores the intersections of equity, identity, memory, and transformative learning. Her research and creative practice are grounded in Afro-Indigenous histories, counterstorytelling, and the power of narrative to reshape how we understand belonging. She is known for bringing together critical insight, thoughtful facilitation, and a deep commitment to community in ways that are both grounded and engaging. Across her work, Alyssa examines how story can function as method, resistance, and reimagination, offering audiences new ways to think about education, culture, leadership, and the narratives that shape our lives.

Tyler Hellard (he/him) lives in Calgary with his wife and kids. His writing has appeared in Avenue Magazine, Canadian Geographic, Create Calgary, THIS Magazine, The Walrus, and on CBC Radio. His debut novel, “Searching For Terry Punchout,” was shortlisted for the 2019 Amazon First Novel Award, the 2019 Kobo Emerging Writers’ Prize and Canada Reads 2026.

Sahira Javaid (she/her) is a poetess and author from Ottawa. She writes fantasy steeped in adventure and fantastical worlds. When she’s not writing she can be found watching YouTube, daydreaming about her next story and making others smile and laugh every chance she gets.

Jackie Khalilieh (she/her) is a Palestinian Canadian writer with a penchant for Samoyeds, to-do lists and staying up too late. She is passionate about positive representation within her writing. Something More, her debut YA novel, was shortlisted for the Ruth & Sylvia Schwartz Award, as well as the Snow Willow Award, and was selected for several Best Books of 2023 lists, including the New York Public Library and Audible Canada among others. Her second novel, You Started It, was a JLG Gold Star Selection. She resides just outside Toronto, Canada, with her husband and two daughters, and Samoyed Pearl.

Lily Kwok (she/her) is the Advocacy & Research Officer at the Ontario Library Association (OLA), where she leads strategic initiatives that amplify the voices of library professionals and advance sector-wide priorities. In addition to her advocacy and research portfolios, she serves as the staff lead on OLA’s equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) priority and acts as liaison to the OLA Indigenous Advisory Council and the Cultural Diversity and Inclusion Committee, among others. Lily is passionate about driving change and creating meaningful impact through data, storytelling, and strategy.

Lavanya (she/her) was born in New Delhi, India and grew up in Beijing, Shanghai, and Hong Kong before coming to the US for her undergrad. She has a master’s degree from NYU and lived in New York for nine years. Lavanya has worked in the publishing industry for thirteen years and is on the board of directors for the Festival of Literary Diversity. Her debut novel, LEAVE AND COME BACK, will be published in June 2026 by Doubleday Books in Canada, PRH in the US, and HarperFiction in the UK. Both she and her perpetually cold feet currently reside in Toronto.

Amanda Leduc is a Canadian writer and disability rights advocate. She is the author of DISFIGURED: ON FAIRY TALES, DISABILITY, AND MAKING SPACE, which was shortlisted for the 2020 Governor General’s Award in Nonfiction. She is also the author of the novels THE CENTAUR’S WIFE and THE MIRACLES OF ORDINARY MEN. Her newest novel, WILD LIFE, was published by Random House Canada in spring 2025.

Jen Sookfong Lee (she/her) acquires and edits for ECW Press. She was born and raised in Vancouver’s East Side, and now lives with her son in North Burnaby. Her books include The Hunger We Pass Down, longlisted for Canada Reads and named a Best Book of 2025 by both the Toronto Star and Winnipeg Free Press; The Conjoined, nominated for International Dublin Literary Award and a finalist for the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize; The Better Mother, a finalist for the City of Vancouver Book Award, The End of East; The Shadow List; and Finding Home.

Joe Lee (he/him) is the publishing manager at McClelland & Stewart, a division of Penguin Random House Canada. A publishing professional of ten years, he acquires and edits fiction and non-fiction.

Some of his acquisitions include the Booker Prize-winning novel Flesh by David Szalay, If I Survive You by Jonathan Escoffery, Small Ceremonies by Kyle Edwards, Cold by Drew Hayden Taylor, and Blackness Is a Gift I Can Give Her by R. Renee Hess.

Born in Shanghai, Yiming Ma (he/him) spent a decade in tech and finance before writing the dystopian novel These Memories Do Not Belong to Us, named a Spotify Editors’ Pick, longlisted for the Goodreads Choice Award, and featured on Best Books of 2025 lists by Electric Literature, Debutiful, PEN America and elsewhere.

Yiming lives in Toronto. He attended Stanford for his MBA, and Warren Wilson for his MFA. His stories and essays appear in the New York Times, The Guardian, The Globe and Mail, Florida Review, and elsewhere. His story “Swimmer of Yangtze” won the 2018 Guardian 4th Estate Story Prize.

Desiree Mckenzie (she/her) is an award-winning poet, arts educator, & national poetry slam champion living in Toronto. Her poetry and voice have been featured in works for CBC’s Poetic License series, When Sisters Speak, Clearco Financial, Button Poetry, Kids Help Phone and Home Depot. She facilitates a range of community poetry programs for organizations such as JAYU, VIBE Arts, Unity Charity, and Poetry in Voice. She is currently an MFA candidate in the University of Guelph Creative Writing program and working on her first book of poetry.

Samira Mohyeddin (she/her) is an award winning journalist and documentary filmmaker. She has a Master of Arts in Modern Middle Eastern History from the University of Toronto and is a graduate of Genocide Studies from the Zoryan Institute. For nearly a decade, she was a producer and host at Canada’s national public broadcaster, CBC Radio and CBC Podcasts. She resigned from the CBC in November 2023 and is now the founder and managing editor of On The Line Media, focusing on critical and contextual journalism.

Omar Mouallem (he/him) is an author, filmmaker, educator, and the former editor-in-chief of Edify magazine. His book, How Muslims Shaped the Americas, was named one of The Globe and Mail’s 100 best books of 2021, and his documentary, The Lebanese Burger Mafia, which documents the unlikely link between fast-food and Lebanon’s civil war, was nominated for a James Beard Media Award honouring the world’s best food-related storytelling. Omar is also the founder of PanU School of Writing, a virtual school he founded in support of writers affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mahtab Narsimhan (she/her) is an award-winning author of twenty-five critically acclaimed books in the fantasy, horror, mystery, and contemporary genres, and is published internationally. Mahtab writes for all ages, from picture books to young adult novels. Many have been shortlisted for the Silver Birch, Red Maple, SYRCA, MYRCA, Best Books for Teen and YA, and the CLA Book of the Year, Children’s Awards. Her debut novel, The Third Eye, won the Silver Birch Fiction Award in 2009. Two recent books are recipients of the Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Award. She is committed to representation and inclusivity in her work.

ROZA NOZARI is a writer, artist and therapist based in Tkaronto (“Toronto”) and known as YallaRoza on social media. Her work weaves together writing and visual art to share stories of wounding, healing and community. It invites radical reimaginings of our world, towards one more invested in cross-generational, collective healing and liberation. She is the illustrator of three children’s books: Little People, Big Dreams’ Mindy Kaling (2021), Fluffy and the Stars (2023) and The Anti-Racist Kitchen (2023). Her illustrations have been featured locally and internationally—from university campuses to sports arenas and pride festivals.

Ugoma Brainer Nwabeke (she/her) is a queer, Nigerian-born, multidisciplinary artist. Brainer dedicates her creative journey to the art of instruments and the divine feels of soft poetry. Outside of instrumental arts and creative writing, Brainer often dabbles in other art forms like the photography video editing and recording arts.

Michael Nyby (he/him) is a cataloguing and metadata librarian at the Hamilton Public Library and former chair of the CFLA Intellectual Freedom Committee. His research and analysis of library censorship in Canada has appeared in national and international journals and has been widely cited by researchers and journalistic outlets. His 2023 study “A Demography of Censorship” was the first nation-wide quantitative review of library censorship in Canada in over 30 years. Michael frequently appears as a guest speaker and panelist at events focusing on intellectual freedom and libraries.

Jinwoo Park (he/him) is a Korean-Canadian writer based in Montreal. Born and raised in Seoul, he has lived in various parts of North America and the UK since the age of 11. He obtained his master’s in creative writing at the University of Oxford in 2015. In 2021 he won the Jim Wong-Chu Emerging Writers’ Award from the Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop. He has also been actively working as a literary translator after winning the Emerging Translator Award from the Literature Translation Institute of Korea in late 2023. Oxford Soju Club, published by Dundurn Press, is his first novel.

Loghan Paylor (they/them) is a queer, trans writer whose first novel, The Cure for Drowning, was shortlisted for Canada Reads 2026, longlisted for the Giller Prize, named a Globe and Mail Best Book, and a finalist for the Jim Deva Prize for Writing That Provokes. Their work has also appeared in Room, Prairiefire, and on the longlist for the CBC Nonfiction Prize. A graduate of The Writer’s Studio at Simon Fraser University, they have an MFA in creative writing from the University of British Columbia and divide their time between teaching, writing, and co-owning a game company.

Joss Richard (she/her), international bestselling author of It’s Different This Time, is an editorial & social director who’s worked at companies such as Hello Sunshine and Reese’s Book Club, The Walt Disney Company, The Ellen DeGeneres Show, Netflix, and Paramount. She’s also the creator and host of Three’s Company, Too: A Rewatch Podcast and has been formally recognized with a Daytime Emmy Award. Born in Toronto, Ontario, to Filipino immigrant parents, Richard currently lives and works in Los Angeles, California.

David A. Robertson (he/him) is a two-time Governor General’s Literary Award winner and recipient of the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award and the Writers’ Union of Canada Freedom to Read Award. He has earned wide recognition for his work as a writer for children and adults, as well as a podcaster, public speaker, and social advocate. He was honoured with an honorary Doctor of Letters from the University of Manitoba in 2023 and a Doctor of Laws from the University of Lethbridge in 2025. A member of Norway House Cree Nation, he lives in Winnipeg and works nationally and internationally today.

Ahmad Saber (he/him) grew up on an all-girls college campus next to a massive fort in Pakistan before his family moved to Canada when he was in high school. While the move totally sucked at the time, it’s one of the best things that’s ever happened to him. He’s now a medical doctor specializing in rheumatology by day but his passion truly burns at night when he sits down to tell stories with heart. Ahmad loves Broadway (favorite show = Phantom) and travel (favorite place = tie between Paris and Melbourne). His debut novel is based in part on his lived experience.

Ameema Saeed (she/her) is a writer, a book reviewer, a Sensitivity Reader, a book buyer at Indigo Books & Music, and the Books Editor for She Does the City, where she writes and curates bookish content, and book recommendations. When she’s not reading books, she likes to talk about books (especially diverse books, and books by diverse authors) on her bookstagram: @ReadWithMeemz

Nour Sallam is a literary agent at The Caldwell Agency representing adult fiction and nonfiction. She has a BA in English Literature and Political Science from UBC and studied publishing at TMU. As an Arab woman and an immigrant, she loves books that amplify joy and connection, or feature complex and nuanced narratives. She is drawn to compelling and accessible stories that give her what she calls “brain butterflies.” Nour is a member of the Association of American Literary Agents (AALA) and sits on the advisory committee of BIPOC of Publishing in Canada.

Ardra Shephard (she/her) is the author of Fallosophy: My Trip Through Life with MS (Douglas & McIntyre, 2025), nominated for the 2026 Forest of Reading® Evergreen Award™. She is the blogger and podcaster behind the award-winning Tripping On Air, and the host and creator of television’s Fashion Dis (AMI+). A columnist with Healthline’s BezzyMS (“Ask Ardra Anything”), Ardra is a sought-after writer, consultant, and speaker. Named one of The Kit’s Changemakers, she is a leading voice in the disability rights movement, serving on multiple advisory boards advancing accessibility and inclusion in Canada and beyond.

Kim Spencer (she/her) is an award-winning, bestselling author. Her debut novel, Weird Rules to Follow, won multiple awards, including a 2024 Pacific Northwest Book Award, a 2023 TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award, and a 2023 Jean Little First-Novel Award. Named to both the USBBY Outstanding International Books list and the IBBY Honour List, the book also received a Kirkus starred review and was a 2023 Governor General’s Literary Award finalist. Kim is a proud member of the Gitxaala Nation and resides in Northern British Columbia.

With a Bachelor of Kinesiology and Bachelor of Education, Jonelle St Aubyn (she/her) has had an unconventional path to becoming the teacher librarian at Louise Arbour Secondary School in Brampton. She began her teaching career with the Peel District School Board as a Health and Physical Education and Family Studies teacher. Knee surgeries led her to transition to the School Library Learning Commons in 2015. She is the recent recipient of the OSSTF District 19 Inspiring Moments Campaign, the Teachers Life Exceptional Educator Award, The OSSTF Excellence in Education Award, the Network of Black Studies Educators Award and the Angela Thacker Memorial Award.

Noah Steele (they/them) is a self-publishing queer romance author from Toronto, Canada. Raised roaming the library, playing Final Fantasy, and writing fan fiction, Noah’s work puts escapism, entertainment, and queer joy at the heart of every project. With a deep love of exploring other worlds and a gift for writing relationships that leave a mark, Noah is leaving contemporary queer romance behind to embark on a journey into writing queer romantasy in 2026 and beyond. Between writing projects, Noah can be found gaming, casting spells, and hiking Ontario’s parks and forests for fun and inspiration.

Maureen Tai (she/her) has a multi-faceted literary career as an award-winning published children’s author, adult fiction and non-fiction writer, accidental poet and book reviewer. Her works have appeared in Cha, the Asian American Writers’ Workshop, the Baltimore Review, Kyoto Journal, Voice & Verse Poetry Magazine, Ricepaper Magazine, and the Hooghly Review, among others. She is also a speaker, moderator and visual storyteller, having managed the Hong Kong International Literary Festival in 2023, and moderated talks with authors such as Pico Iyer, Emily St John Mandel and Asako Yuzuki. Maureen’s work can be found at www.maureentai.com.

Souvankham Thammavongsa (she/her) is the author of four poetry books and the short story collection How to Pronounce Knife, winner of the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Trillium Book Award, and a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. Her stories have won an O. Henry Prize and appeared in The New Yorker, The Paris Review, Harper’s Magazine, The Atlantic and Granta. Pick a Colour is her first novel.

Photo credit: Steph Martyniuk.

Julie Thompson (she/her) is an award-winning author who creates stories that celebrate the diverse lived experiences of children. Inspired by Black Boy Joy, she hopes her books spark meaningful dialogue within families and communities. Her debut picture book, When Isaac Hears the Rain, was named a 2025 Charlotte Huck Recommended Bookreflective of stories that inspire wonder and imagination in readers. Her middle-grade novel Just Kickin’ It was also named a CBC 2025 YA Spring Recommended Read. Julie is the author of several children’s books, with her board book, releasing in April 2026 and another middle-grade novel in 2027.

Naziha Ullah (she/her) is an educator and emerging writer and spoken word artist based in Toronto. She holds a Master’s in Child Study and Education from the University of Toronto and works as a teacher with the Toronto District School Board. Her writing often explores language, identity, familial dynamics, among other societal topics drawing on poetry and spoken word as tools for reflection and resistance. Naziha’s work is rooted in the belief that storytelling can build relationships, challenge injustice, and honor the many ways people come to know themselves and the world.

Léonicka Valcius (she/her) is a Literary Agent at Transatlantic Agency who specializes in commercial and genre fiction for children and adults.

As a lawyer licensed in Ontario, Léonicka also offers detailed consulting and legal services to protect the creative labour and intellectual property rights of writers who do not have or want literary agents. Léonicka draws on over 15 years of sales and marketing experience and her work at multinational publishers to help her clients build sustainable and intentional careers.

Alexandra C. Yeboah (she/her) is a Brampton-based writer, storyteller and creative facilitator whose work often drifts between the heartfelt and the hilariously human. A quiet observer with a mischievous curiosity, she writes stories exploring identity, discovery, belonging, and life’s awkward corners. Her nonfiction and poetry appear in Back Where I Came From, UpRising, and The Art of Solidarity anthologies. Alexandra is a second-generation Canadian with Jamaican and Ghanaian ancestry who is passionate about people, history, and culture. When not writing or facilitating, Alexandra can be found pretending her life is musical, daydreaming, or writing somewhere outdoorsy or by the light.

Liann Zhang (she/her) is a second-generation Chinese Canadian who splits her time between Vancouver, British Columbia and Toronto, Ontario. After a short stint as a skincare content creator, she graduated from the University of Toronto with a degree in psychology and criminology. Her debut novel, Julie Chan Is Dead, was an instant bestseller. She lives with her two cats, Juice and Bean.