PARTICIPANT BIOS

AUTHORS

TINA ATHAIDE was born in Entebbe. After leaving Uganda she immigrated with her family to Canada from England. She has been a teacher for thirty years. Believing that books can present different experiences to children in an organic, natural way, she started publishing early literacy readers for the educational market before her debut book, Orange For The Sunsets. The MG book is a Junior Library Guild Selection and is nominated for a Silver Birch award by the Forest of Reading program in Canada.

NAFIZA AZAD is the author of The Candle and the Flame and the upcoming The Wild Ones.

BRITTA BADOUR, better known as Britta B., is a Kingston-born, Toronto-based spoken word poet, emcee and artist educator. She has mentored thousands of youth through arts programs initiated by organizations like JAYU (pronounced JAH-YOU), Poetry In Voice, Prologue Performing Arts and The Power Plant. Britta is an alumna of the Toronto Arts Council Leaders Lab and a member of the League of Canadian Poets. Currently, Britta is a Creative Writing MFA candidate at University of Guelph.

SHANE BURCAW is the author of several award-winning books about disability. He is the President of a nonprofit organization called Laughing At My Nightmare, and a renowned public speaker who has performed across the country at places such as Harvard University, The University of Florida, The University of Connecticut, Princeton University, and many more.

An accomplished motivational speaker and author, MICHEL CHIKWANINE grew up in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Much of his childhood was ravaged by a war that claimed the lives of 5.8 million people; his father included, and forced him to be a refugee and child soldier. Now, a United Nations Fellow for People of African Descent and graduate from the University of Toronto, he now inspires people to believe in their ability to fulfil their purpose. DALLAS HUNT is Cree and a member of Wapsewsipi (Swan River First Nation) in Treaty 8 territory in Northern Alberta, Canada. He has had creative and critical work published in the Malahat Review, Arc Poetry, Canadian Literature, and the American Indian Culture and Research Journal. His first children’s book, Awâsis and the World-Famous Bannock, was published through Highwater Press in 2018, and was nominated for the Elizabeth Mrazik-Cleaver Canadian Picture Book Award.

JUNE HUR was born in South Korea, raised in Canada, and studied History and Literature at the University of Toronto. She began writing her debut novel, The Silence of Bones, after obsessing over books about Joseon Korea. She lives in Toronto with her husband and daughter.

MICHAEL HUTCHINSON is a member of the Misipawistik Cree Nation, north of Winnipeg. He currently lives in Ottawa, Ontario where he works at the Assembly of First Nations, which advocates for First Nation families and communities across Canada. Prior to that, he spent 7 years as the host and producer of APTN National News. He wrote this book to instill pride in Indigenous youth and educate others about First Nation communities, beliefs, and opinions.

ADAM GARNET JONES is a Cree/Metis author, filmmaker and beadworker from Edmonton, Alberta. His first book, Fire Song, is based on his award-winning feature film. He currently works as the Lead of Indigenous Initiatives at Telefilm Canada and the Canadian Media Fund.

SOYEON KIM is a Korean-born artist and educator currently living in Toronto, Ontario. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Arts and Bachelor of Education from York University. She has participated in artist residencies at The Hermitage (St. Petersburg, Russia) and Spark Box Studios (Picton, Ontario). As a children’s picture book illustrator, she has participated in TD Book Week 2018 and Adelaide Writers’ Week (Australia) for the Kids’ Weekend in 2017.

Boozhoo, Aniin Keesis Sagay Egette Kwe nindiznikaaz (greetings, my name is First Shining Rays of Sunlight Woman). Dr. JENNIFER LEASON is Anishinaabek and a member of Pine Creek Indian Band, Manitoba and the proud mother of Lucas (age 11) and Lucy (age 9). Dr. Leason is a Canadian Institute of Health Research, Canada Research Chair, Tier II, Indigenous Maternal Child Wellness and an Assistant Professor at the University of Calgary.

JOSHNA MAHARAJ is a chef, a twotime TEDx speaker, & activist who wants to help everyone have a better relationship with their food. Recently, Joshna has been working with hospitals & universities in Toronto to build new models for institutional food service. Her first book entitled Take Back the Tray (May 2020), captures the lessons and experience from her work. Joshna is a regular guest on CBC Radio and she cohosts a food podcast called HotPlate.

YOLANDA T. MARSHALL is a Guyanese-born Canadian Author. Her storybooks such as, A Piece of Black Cake for Santa, Miles Away In The Caribbean, and My Soca Birthday Party: with Jollof Rice and Steel Pans, represent Canadian children of Caribbean and African heritage. A world traveller, a jazz lover and a devoted Mother, she embodies Art and takes her readers on adventurous, cultured journeys.

DANIELLE MURRELL COX is a minimalistic graphic designer from Canada. She graduated from the Graphic Design Program at Dawson College in 2011. In addition to her work as a graphic designer, she is an illustrator and the toy designer of the plush toys “Zuri & Dre”. Danielle is best known for her self-published coloring books Black Queens and Black Kings, which went viral on social media and gave her the opportunity to have a segment on NowThis, HER, amongst many other platforms.

DEBBIE RIDPATH OHI is the author-illustrator of Where Are My Books? and Sam & Eva (Simon & Schuster). Her illustrations also appear in books by Judy Blume, Michael Ian Black, Aaron Reynolds, among others. Newest book: Gurple and Preen: A Broken Crayon Cosmic Adventure, written by Linda Sue Park and illustrated by Debbie. Blog for kidlit creators: Inkygirl.com. For more info, see DebbieOhi.com.

ANURADHA RAO is a conservation biologist, writer and facilitator born and raised in the traditional territories of the Anishinabewaki, Attiwonderonk and Haudenosaunee Nations and currently based in unceded Coast Salish Territories. She has worked on research, conservation and restoration projects with communities and organizations in Canada and internationally. Her worldview and approach to science are heavily influenced by teachings from her Hindu culture and from Indigenous knowledge holders.

DAVID A. ROBERTSON is the author of numerous books for young readers including When We Were Alone, which won the 2017 Governor General’s Literary Award and was nominated for the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award. Strangers, the first book in his Reckoner trilogy, a young adult supernatural mystery, won the 2018 Michael Van Rooy Award for Genre Fiction (Manitoba Book Awards). A sought-after speaker and educator, he is a member of the Norway House Cree Nation and currently lives in Winnipeg.

BUFFY SAINTE-MARIE has made her voice heard worldwide through her music, art, and activism, establishing herself among the ranks of music greats. Her long career has seen her rise to stardom on the festival and performing arts circuit, with forays into country, rock, folk, soundtracks, acting, activism, and children’s television. In 2020, she added children’s picture-book author to her incredible list of accomplishments with the release of “Hey Little Rockabye – A Lullaby for Pet Adoption”.

JILLIAN TAMAKI is a cartoonist and illustrator raised in Calgary. She currently lives in Toronto.

A proud Tlicho Dene from Fort Smith, NWT, RICHARD VAN CAMP is the author of 24 books out these past 24 years. He lives in Edmonton with his family.

MODERATORS/INTERVIEWERS

AINARA ALLEYNE is an 11-year-old from Hamilton Ontario with a passion for reading, cosplay and acting. She started Ainaras Bookshelf, a bookstagram highlighting BIPOC characters and books for young readers. She believes that through reading kids of all backgrounds can share in the humanity and experiences of diverse cultures. She hopes to someday add her own book to these adventures.

TONI DUVAL is a teacher in the Peel District School Board and a member of the FOLD Kids Planning Team.

UZMA JALALUDDIN is the author of Ayesha At Last, and Hana Khan Carries On, published by HarperCollins. She writes a parenting column for The Toronto Star, and has written for The Atlantic. Uzma lives in Markham, Ontario, with her husband and two sons, where she also teaches high school.

MICHELLE KADARUSMAN grew up in Melbourne, Australia, and has also lived in Indonesia. Her 2019 middle-grade novel Girl of the Southern Sea was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award, a USBBY Outstanding International Books List selection and a NCTA Freeman Award honor book. Her previous novel, The Theory of Hummingbirds, was a finalist for the Forest of Reading Silver Birch Award. Her latest middle-grade novel, Music for Tigers, was released in April 2020 and was chosen for the Washington Post’s KidsPost summer book club. Michelle lives in Toronto.

KHARY MATHURIN is a bookseller and education support manager at Another Story Bookshop. Born and raised in Scarborough, Ontario, he studied literature at the University of Toronto and got his start selling books at the gone-but-not-forgotten World’s Biggest Bookstore. At Another Story Bookshop, Khary promotes the store’s values of equity and social justice by helping teachers and teacher-librarians update their bookshelves with more diverse titles. And when he’s not immersed in the world of books, he can be found spinning tracks behind the decks as DJ K. ARDO OMER has written for online platforms as a reviewer and critic for almost a decade. She’s been a judge for a few kids comics awards and is an advisor at the Canadian Comics Open Library. Omer lives in Toronto, Ontario, where she serves as the Kids Coordinator for the Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD).

WAUBGESHIG RICE is an author and journalist from Wasauksing First Nation on Georgian Bay. He has written three fiction titles, and his short stories and essays have been published in numerous anthologies. His most recent novel, Moon of the Crusted Snow, was published in 2018 and became a national bestseller. He lives in Sudbury, Ontario with his wife and two sons.

RALLY FOR THE PLANET

KENDI BORONA is a firm believer in the application of Indigenous Knowledge in the furtherance of just conservation regimes. Over the course of her career, she has worked towards the integration of natural and cultural heritage into a concrete whole, and to locate communities firmly in their landscapes. Her teaching philosophy is anchored on the belief that education should be transformational, and that it should help us create a just society for all beings.

DOMINIQUE EDWARDS is a Black Womxn from the United States who is a Food Justice Activist fighting for a community controlled food system in Northwest Indiana. She is an expert in local and regional food systems, urban homesteader, and 2016 graduate of DePaul University.

NANA FIRMAN previously worked with the World Wildlife Fund in Indonesia, directing the Green Recovery efforts in the wake of earthquake and tsunami, and also engaged to create climate resiliency plans. She organized Islamic Declaration on Global Climate Change and later co-founded the Global Muslim Climate Network, which calls to all Muslim nations to transition from fossil-fuel to clean-energy based development. She was named as the White House Champion of Change by the US President Obama.

NITYA CHARI HARRIS lives adjacent to the Sooke Hills Wilderness Area and has a deep relationship with this land. Seeing increasing conflict between people, bears, cougars and wolves in the Capital Regional District of Victoria, BC, she founded the Coexisting with Carnivores Alliance to help address human-wildlife interactions and enhance tolerance toward carnivores. Nitya is a retired engineer and presently a member farmer and Director of the Lohbrunner Community Farm Cooperative in Langford, B.C.

SAMEER MULDEEN has been a vegan activist for over 13 years. He has led many campaigns in Quebec with the Montreal Vegetarian Association, the Vegan Festival of Montreal, the Green Party of Canada and Radio Centre-Ville. Today Sameer is a full time executive for a student union and a part-time DJ and dance instructor.

BRANDON NGUYEN is an environmental advocate from Toronto currently studying Political Science and Environmental Policy at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania. He is particularly interested in environmental education, climate finance and urban sustainability.

WILLI NOLAN CAMPBELL is a Faithful Daughter of Creation.

An ecologist and an environmentalist who has been studying aquatic systems and marine mega fauna since 1999 in India. DIPANI SUTARIA is also a re-wilder and native species gardner; and likes to spend time in nature, sensitising children to all the world has to offer in diversity and plurality. She also advises graduate and post graduate students. At home she lives with a cat and 8 dogs.

KIM SANDER WRIGHT is the ICCA Consortium’s Advisor for Coastal, Marine and Island Environments—Areas conserved by indigenous peoples and local communities. “Territories of Life” can still conserve biodiversity, culture, livelihoods and food sovereignty as they have done for millennia. As a Punjabi Canadian of mixed cultural origins she brings her personal experiences to ensuring this holistic approach to conservation is appropriately respected and that threats to ICCAs from land and ocean grabbing are removed. KEN WU is the executive director of the Endangered Ecosystems Alliance. He studied ecology at the University of British Columbia, and has worked as a biologist, tree-planter and door canvasser. He previously was the executive director of the Ancient Forest Alliance and the Wilderness Committee’s Victoria chapter.

PUBLISHING PROFESSIONALS FIONA KENSHOLE: I love the midwifery of being an agent, from your debuts to the movie deal. I specialize in children’s and YA with a special interest in international rights. Previously, I was a VP at Laika working on the Oscar-nominated The Boxtrolls, and UK editor for Beverley Cleary, Lois Lowry and Bruce Coville, and was nominated for “Editor of the Year” at the British Book Awards. Recent successes include Rosanne Parry’s MG A Wolff Called Wander (36 weeks as a NYT bestseller) and Vicki Grant’s YA romcom, 36 Questions that Changed My Mind About You sold in 22 languages .

LYNNE MISSEN is Publishing Director of Fiction at Penguin Random House Canada Young Readers, focusing on novels for middle-grade and young adult readers. She has been an editor for over thirty years, and has been editing books for young readers, specifically, for the past eighteen. She has worked with many Canadian and international writers, including Susan Juby, Sheena Kamal, Tanaz Bhathena, David Robertson, Wab Kinew, Kelley Armstrong, Polly Horvath and Angela Ahn.

EMMY NORDSTROM HIGDON: I am a bookseller at an independent book shop, a blogger at Books Beyond Binaries, and a member of the planning team for the Festival of Literary Diversity. I am a queer, trans, non-binary colonizer originally from Newfoundland, now based in Tkaronto (Toronto, Ontario). I keep busy with finishing up my PhD dissertation, spending time with my family (including adopted dogs and cats), embroidery, vegan cooking, playing Animal Crossing, and…obviously, a lot of reading. My author clients are known as the #SpineSquad!

SUZANNE SUTHERLAND is the Children’s and YA Editor at HarperCollins Canada, where she acquires, edits, and commissions titles by bestselling and award-winning authors and illustrators. She is also the author of several novels for young readers. She lives in Toronto.

SAMANTHA SWENSON is a senior editor for all ages at Penguin Random House Canada Young Readers. Some recent books are Ho’onani: Hula Warrior by Heather Gale and Mika Song; Alis the Aviator by Danielle Metcalf-Chenail and Kalpna Patel; and Sir Simon by Cale Atkinson. She looks forward to On This Airplane by Lourdes Heuer; Viewfinder by Salwa Majoka and Christine Chung; and Out Into the Big Wide Lake by Paul Harbridge and Josée Bisaillon.

AMY TOMPKINS is a senior agent and partner at the Transatlantic Agency, and is based in Toronto. She represents both children’s and adult authors.

WRITING PORTFOLIO

MAYA ADEWUNMI is a grade 5 student who is very passionate about the outdoors. She loves to sing, write, and enjoys sports.

TAMIERA BAKER is a 12 yr old from Brampton Ontario. When Tamiera and her mother lost everything in a house fire, she turned loss into art.

OLIVIA GYURAN is a Guelph-based aspiring author who loves swimming, sharks, fashion and obviously, writing. She anxiously awaits to see her first young adult novel, SoulMaster, in print. NAOMI MCDONALD, a future speed skating Olympian and cardiologist, is an avid reader and speller who enjoys playing the harp and the steel pan.

CHARLOTTE MA is excited about going to grade Two. She loves reading, bike riding and playing hockey. She also loves learning about animals, especially the cheetah.

ISABELLE MISHKIS is a 14-year-old author from Ottawa, Ontario.

CHASE RAGOOBAR is a 7-year-old author from St. Thomas, Ontario.

ERIC SAUVÉ is a Jewish, Franco-Ontarian from Toronto. Eric speaks 5 languages and enjoys Geography, Math, reading, writing poems and cupcakes.

ISABEL SWAN loves writing, collecting & reciting quotes and poems. She began writing poems when she was six and she loves it!

ZARA ZAFAR is a 14-year-old who loves reading, writing, and travelling. She lives in Ajax, Ontario with her parents and two younger brothers.