Barroux lives in Paris, France, and has studied photography, art, sculpture, and architecture. He is well known for his own children’s books, as well as for the many books he has illustrated (more than 100!), including Sometimes a Wall and Free. Barroux believes that the world needs fewer borders and more birds, fewer politicians and more poets.
Barroux’s Festival appearance is generously supported by the French Embassy.
Vivek Shraya is an artist whose body of work crosses the boundaries of music, literature, visual art, theatre, and film. Her bestselling book I’m Afraid of Men was heralded by Vanity Fair as “cultural rocket fuel,” and her album Part-Time Woman was nominated for the Polaris Music Prize. The founder of the publishing imprint VS. Books, Shraya is a seven-time Lambda Literary Award finalist. She’s been a brand ambassador for MAC Cosmetics and Pantene, and is a director on the board of the Tegan and Sara Foundation, and an assistant professor of creative writing at the University of Calgary. She’s currently adapting her debut play, How to Fail as a Popstar, for television with the support of CBC.
Miki Sato is a Japanese-Canadian freelance illustrator who graduated with a degree in Illustration at the Ontario College of Art and Design. She works with different papers, fabrics, and surfaces to create three-dimensional illustrations. Miki was born in Ottawa, and currently resides in Toronto. Her work has appeared in publications including Today’s Parent, The Walrus and Reader’s Digest. Miki’s book Golden Threads, written by Suzanne Del Rizzo is shortlisted for the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award.
Serah-Marie McMahon is the co-author of Killer Style, founded WORN Fashion Journal, and edited The WORN Archive, published by Drawn & Quarterly. She edits and writes children’s books in Toronto, Ontario.