Matthew Rowland-Jones (he/him) is Pearson’s Sustainability Manager. He manages the ‘Leading Responsibly’ pillar and targets in Pearson 2030 Sustainable business plan, including Pearson’s Net Zero carbon commitment. Previous roles over his 20 year career include – managing recycling services for Local authorities, sustainability consultant and prior to Pearson with a metal packaging company. His hobbies […]
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Kyrell Grant (she/her) is a Sales Manager for Young Readers at Penguin Random House Canada she previously has worked in independent book sales and has been a freelance writer with bylines in Chatelaine and Toronto Life.
Laura Chapnick (she/her) is Marketing Director at House of Anansi Press and Groundwood Books. She started her career in fashion journalism and developed a long-standing interest in brand development and beautiful design. After completing an M.A. in Literatures of Modernity at Ryerson University, she moved her focus to book publishing. Since then, she has spent […]
Zoe Kelsey (she/her) is the Marketing Associate for House of Anansi Press and Groundwood Books, where she contributes to advertising campaigns, social media, newsletter outreach, and more. A graduate of Queen’s University, where she wrote for the Queen’s Journal and sat on a number of editorial boards for student publications, Zoe volunteered for Word on […]
Elham Ali (she/her) is a writer and publishing professional based in Toronto. She graduated from the University of Toronto in 2014, and since completing the Humber College publishing program she has worked in marketing and publicity at Canada’s Ballet Jörgen, Penguin Random House Canada, and Dundurn Press. She currently works as the Senior Publicist at […]
Jen Knoch (she/her) is the 2021 Book Summit programmer and senior editor at ECW Press, where she edits fiction and non-fiction.
Tiana Field-Ridley (she/her) is currently working with the Mental Health Commission of Canada as a workplace implementation specialist helping to develop and deliver services to support employers with implementation of workplace mental health strategies that align with the National Standard of Canada on Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace. Tiana has a strong background […]
Carmella Gray-Cosgrove was raised in the Downtown Eastside of Vancouver on the traditional territory of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh peoples, and lives in St. John’s, on Ktaqmkuk, the traditional territory of the Mi’kmaq and the ancestral homelands of the Beothuk, with her partner and their child. Her fiction has appeared in Prism international, Broken […]
Aleks Wrobel (she/her) is the Comics and Graphic Novels Specialist at Penguin Random House Canada. She found her way to publishing via her many years as a professional bookseller and prides herself on finding the perfect book for the perfect person. Outside of comics she also likes to read intergenerational family sagas. An aspiring witch, […]
With a passion for facilitating diverse and accessible collections, programs and partnerships, Lisa Radha Weaver (she/her) has spent the last 23 years working in school and public libraries. The core of her work is creating opportunities for civic and social engagement in the community she serves to build capacity and create meaningful change. A focus […]
Erin Morice (she/her) is a Collection Development Librarian with Halifax Public Libraries in Nova Scotia. Her experience includes selecting print and digital material for babies, kids, teens, and adults, and she is active in promoting the library’s collection. The year 2020 proved that listing ‘adaptable’ on her resume was no longer an empty descriptor. Erin […]
Rina Hadziev (she/her) is the Collections & Technical Services Coordinator at Greater Victoria Public Library, having recently returned to her position there after serving as the interim Executive Director of CELA, the Centre for Equitable Library Access, for one year. Rina has over 15 years of experience in public library leadership with a focus on […]
Canadian-born and Caribbean-raised, Paige Gunning’s (she/her) goal from a young age was to work in publishing. She finally entered the industry in 2018 as a social media coordinator and now works in consumer engagement at Penguin Random House Canada. Paige is also a co-founder of BIPOC of Publishing in Canada, a non-profit collective for Black, […]
Kenn Enns (they/them) is the Social Media Coordinator for Shelf Life Books, an independent bookstore located in Mohkínstsis, Treaty 7 (Calgary, Alberta). As the Social Media Coordinator, they create connections between the store with other bookstores, publishing partners, community organizations, and local mutual aid groups. They love to highlight social justice movements in the city […]
S. Bear Bergman is a writer, storyteller, activist and the founder and publisher of the book press Flamingo Rampant, which makes feminist, culturally diverse children’s picture books about LGBT2Q+ kids and families. He writes creative non-fiction for grown-ups, fiction for children, resolutely factual features for various publications and the advice column “Asking Bear.” His books […]
Itah Sadu is award-winning storyteller and children’s author. She is the co-owner of the independent bookstore, A Different Booklist, specializing in African and Caribbean Canadian literature and diverse resources from around the world. She is the managing Director of A Different Booklist Cultural Centre – The People’s Residence.
Jason Purcell (they/them) is a writer and bookseller from amiskwacîwâskahikan, Treaty 6 (Edmonton, Alberta). Alongside Matthew Stepanic, they run Glass Bookshop, an independent bookstore that centres queer and racialized writers and the work of independent publishers. They are also Co-Host of Glass Bookshop Radio, the bookstore’s podcast, and one of the Editors of Glass Paper, […]
Emily Dundas Oke (she/her) is an interdisciplinary artist and curator interested in the production and retention of embodied knowledge and shared histories. She has exhibited nationally and internationally and has been artist in residence at the Nida Art Colony (2019) and Access Gallery (2020), among others. Emily is the Curator at Massy Arts Society and […]
David Caron (he/him) is the Co-Publisher and President of ECW Press, a Toronto-based book, ebook, and audiobook publisher with a mix of award-winning literary works and niche non-fiction, marketed around the world. He is also newly the Co-Publisher at Annick Press, which creates books that spark a lifelong love of reading and challenges kids to […]
Born in the small town of Lindsay, Ontario Erin Woodward (she/her) wasn’t meant for small towns. At the age of 10 she travelled to Bali, Indonesia to live with her jewelry mogul uncle. She travelled extensively living in France, England and New York before settling back in Toronto. She attended the University of Ottawa as […]
Meredith Tutching (she/her) has been with the Ontario Library Association since 2001. As the Director of the Forest of Reading, her main responsibility is the Canada’s largest recreational program and a series of children’s literary festivals. These programs see 270,000 young people participate every year and is the largest driver of Canadian children and young […]
Anna Trew (she/her) was born and raised in Kyoto, Japan and moved to Toronto in 2012 to study theatre, along with port and vent marketing. After her education, she spent two years working in publicity and promotions at a boutique PR agency specializing in film and entertainment. Anna has then transitioned to the publishing industry […]
Noah Genner (he/him) has an extensive background in independent bookselling, software, and business development. As the leader of BookNet Canada he orchestrates a skilled team of technical, policy-oriented, and client-focused staff to provide new data management services and supply-chain initiatives to the Canadian publishing, library, and book retail sectors. Before working at BookNet Canada, Noah […]