Laura Legzdins is a settler of Latvian descent working to advance environmental, cultural and community care. She studies Environmental Sciences and Indigenous Environmental Governance at the University of Guelph and is named one of Canada’s Next Top Sustainability Leaders. Laura is part of The Manomin Project, a research partnership focused on crop revitalization and treaty […]
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Tee Duke is from the Niisaachewan Anishinaabe Nation but now resides in Treaty 13 Territory. Prior to becoming apart of the UTM community, she worked with the OFIFC developing and delivering training and supporting staff in Friendship Centres. Today, as the Director of Indigenous Initiatives, UTM Tee brings 20+ years’ experience working within Indigenous communities […]
John Cleland has been carving out a living in Canadian theatre for almost three decades. After co-founding The Chestnut Tree Theatre Company in Halifax, having completed an English Honours degree at King’s College Dalhousie, he returned to Toronto in 1995. With no theatre degree, John had to convince creators in Toronto to take a chance […]
After the Deluge: Flood, Flight and Re-creation is a durational exercise in speculative storytelling, which locates teller and witness within the fraught history of Indigenous-Settler encounters on Indigenous homelands and situates us all as Treaty people within this place of plenty—a rich, life-sustaining watershed that has been stewarded for millennia by myriad Indigenous nations and […]
How can changing how and what we eat save the planet? In recent years we have adapted how we package our foods to make recycling part of our daily lives, now we need to learn to change how we produce and consume those foods. Our range of speakers investigate The Plant Based Treaty, a campaign […]
Shingai Manjengwa is the Head of AI Education at ChainML where she works with clients on AI education, adoption and implementation. Shingai takes clients from an AI product idea to an affordable and scalable deployment. A seasoned data scientist, Shingai has a background in retail analytics, generating data insights to top tier manufacturers and retailers, […]
Shelly Grace is a Toronto-based spoken word poet, photographer and arts educator. She uses her art for community building and healing and focuses on the experiences of women and the Black community. In 2022 she was named Toronto’s Breakthrough Artist by Toronto Arts Foundation, and JAYU’s Emerging Artist of the Year. In 2019 she won […]
Hayah Imam and Dilki Jagoda are local Toronto poets, who write about their intersectional experiences being South Asian women in North America. Hayah and Dilki discovered spoken word in high school where they curated and performed pieces about their experiences and thoughts about the world. The art form quickly became a form of self expression […]
Anjuman Rosy followed in the footsteps of her late father Abdul Matin Prodhan, who had a strong love for poetry and literature. She studied Bengali literature at Dhaka University. Currently, she is living in Canada with her two kids. Anjuman Rosy has actively participated in various cultural activities in the Bengali community and even during […]
Sheuli Jahan is a poet and writer of Bengali descent. Her poetic creations in Bengali encompass a diverse array of themes, with a primary focus on nature and humanity. She has two poetry books: Ashar Bagane Neel Projapoti (2015), and Droher Sat Rang (2016). Her works, including poems, stories and essays, have published into anthologies, […]
Tom Froh is a Métis, Canadian and British writer currently living and working in Toronto. His first publication appeared in the Summer 2023 issue of The Walrus, a short story entitled “Dispatches Regarding the Woeful Origins of the Town’s Bicycle Race”. Tom holds a PhD in English Literature from the University of Manchester and is […]
Dan Adamson is the co-founder and CEO of Armilla AI, a company fostering the responsible use of AI through its work with corporations, standards bodies, and regulators. He also co-founded Armilla Assurance, offering innovative insurance for AI, and Confia, a banking platform using AI to serve high-risk industries. He previously founded OutsideIQ, deploying AI-based due […]
Jake Hirsch-Allen builds public private partnerships between North America’s governments, workforce development organizations, colleges and universities, and LinkedIn Talent Solutions. Jake advises many companies including the Avalanche VC, Mission Impact Academy and Readocracy. Jake is a Director on the Boards of Ontario Tech Talent and the Canadian Club. Jake founded Lighthouse Labs, Canada’s foremost software […]
Nicola Hamilton is an award-winning editorial designer. For over a decade now she’s been art directing and designing magazines. She’s worked on publications like The Grid, Chatelaine, The University of Toronto Magazine, and Best Health to name a few. In July 2022, Nicola took her love of magazines to a whole new level, by opening […]
Vickery Bowles is the City Librarian at Toronto Public Library (TPL), which delivers services through a network of 100 branches and online channels. Vickery is working to advance TPL’s 2020-2024 strategic plan and digital strategy focused on access to public spaces, digital access and inclusion, workforce development, support for democratic values such as intellectual freedom, […]
Toronto born, Tanzanian-Canadian actor, singer/songwriter and creative, Nadia Casandra (she/her) has been making her acting dreams a reality since the age of 10. With a passion for storytelling and a natural talent for performance, Nadia hopes to continue to tell the stories of others and maybe one day, her own. Starting her career on the […]
This passionate book describes the author’s struggles as a hijab-wearing Muslim woman, who was born and raised in Tunisia, where she attended university before coming to Quebec, Canada as an immigrant. Mazigh describes her struggles against Islamophobia as it applies to women, especially those wearing hijab, who consistently get stereotyped as silent and compliant women […]
Monia Mazigh is an academic, award-winning Canadian author and human rights activist. She writes in French and English and authored so far, a memoir, three novels celebrated by the critique and an essay. Her latest novel, Farida won the Ottawa Book Award for French fiction. Monia Mazigh is an Adjunct and research Professor at Carleton […]
An impromptu performance of slam poetry to celebrate the power of the spoken word. Hayah Imam and Dilki Jagoda the winners of Poetry Slam 2022 will be joined by Desiree Mackenzi and Shelley (Grace) Campbell for an inspiring and thought-provoking performance. The event will be hosted by Martin Gomes.
Roksana Lais is an author, poet and visual artist who primarily writes in Bangla, but many times has her writings translated into English. Roksana’s different works explore various themes including international politics, history, family dynamics, discrimination and several other societal issues. She has published seven books — five novels, one book of short stories and […]
জীবনের অর্থ যার কাছে চলতে থাকা, থেমে থাকা নয় তেমনি কর্মচঞ্চল এক মানুষের নাম সুধীর সাহা, যিনি অধিক পরিচিত মেজর সুধীর সাহা নামে। ১৯৫৭ সালের ৩০ এপ্রিল ঢাকা জেলার নবাবগঞ্জ থানাধীন শিকারী পাড়া নামের এক অখ্যাত গ্রামে জন্ম নিয়েছিলেন বর্তমানের এই খ্যাতিমান মানুষটি। তার চঞ্চলতা, দৃঢ়তা আর ব্যক্তিসত্ত্বা বুঝি ছোট বেলায়ই ধরা পড়ে অন্যদের চোখে। […]
Poet Quazi Helal was born in Bangladesh. He grew up in a bright cultural family. Family education was the foundation of his life. The subjects of his poetry encompass the struggles of people, time, politics, love, nature and history. His first published poetry book, Pan Kaurir Dubshantar, has been received warmly by readers and reciters. […]
