Mikaela Lucido is a Filipina-Canadian storyteller. She is the author of a middle-grade mystery series, including Danica dela Torre, Certified Sleuth and Danica dela Torre, Dream Detective. Her words have been featured in Ricepaper Magazine, Cambio & Co., Living Hyphen, and Augur Magazine. She studied Creative Writing & Publishing at Sheridan College and was the 2021 recipient of the Ampersand Award. Mikaela lives in Mississauga, on the Treaty and Traditional Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, The Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and The Huron-Wendat and Wyandot Nations.

Danesh Mohiuddin is a Canadian Cartoonist from India, growing up in Dubai (on a regular dose of Mad Magazine, Marvel and European comics) and Toronto and now living in Valencia, Spain. He currently illustrates and writes children’s books and graphic novels. Clients include Scholastic, Oxford University Press, Owl Kids and Kids Can Press. He’s also a history buff and finds any excuse to travel.

Corey Liu is novelist and television writer based in Vancouver. He loves horror movies, investigating strange noises with friends, and doing Maggie Smith impersonations when no one's around. He is definitely doing one right now. He’s So Possessed With Me is his debut novel.

Ryan La Sala is a bestselling and award-winning author known for his genre defying, queer-centered horror and fantasy, including The Dead of Summer and The Honeys, which is in development to become a major motion picture. He is also the author of Beholder, Reverie and Be Dazzled. He has been featured in The New York Times Book Review, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, and more. He writes to you from New York, overseen by his cat, Haunted Little Girl.

Ameema Saeed is 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.

Briana Corr Scott’s world is filled with islands, wild horses, seals, birds, tangled weeds, fog, oddly shaped trees, and the sea. She paints  in her sketchbook as she walks along the coast, and returns to her studio where she writes her stories. Briana is the author and illustrator of ten picture books with Nimbus Publishing. She is fascinated by many subjects , and has made art about Sable island, Celtic folklore, Anne of Green Gables, and her childhood memories of living on an island in Massachusetts.  She lives in Nova Scotia with her husband and three children.

Gaitrie Persaud-Killings is a Tkaronto-Guyanese-raised Deaf actor, activist and mother of three based in Tkaronto. An ASL coach and ASL music performer, she is also the founder of Phoenix the Fire, a theatre and film community hub for BIPOC Deaf artists, where she is building the support structure she finds lacking in Canada. She splits her time between Tkaranto, Ontario with her family and Atlanta, Georgia where her husband resides. Gaitrie is currently a news presenter on Sign 1news in Atlanta, Georgia as well as a regular on Nickelodeon Jr. Blues Clues & You and CBC Gem’s Silly Paws, she is also on Squeaky Wheel Canada as Arianna and her documentary film on Breaking Characters on AMI.

Joyce Grant is the author of 7 books. She holds a Master's Degree in Critical & Creative Writing and a journalism degree. Joyce’s latest book is Burst Your Bubble! Outsmart the Algorithms and See What You’re Missing (November 2025). Her book, Can You Believe It? How to Spot Fake News and Find the Facts, won best non-fiction book and best children's book at the 2023 Hamilton Literary Awards. Joyce teaches Writing for Children at Humber Polytech. An award-winning presenter, in 2010 she co-created of the popular kids’ news website TeachingKidsNews.com. Follow Joyce on social media @JGCanada and visit https://joycegrantauthor.com/

Charlene Rocha is an activist and software engineering student at the University of Waterloo. She combines her passions for computer science and activism by creating coding projects for a more sustainable future. Active in campaigns for a number of causes, Charlene has recently published a book titled You Can Be an Activist and spoken at a TEDx event.

Azby Whitecalf is an Plains Cree Character Designer and Illustrator based out of North Battleford, Saskatchewan Treaty 6 Territory. They have a Bachelor Degree in Visual Communication (Character Design) from the Alberta University of the Arts. Their practice revolves creating fun and exciting stories with memorable and unique characters. An important part of their practice is creating accurate and positive representation of Indigenous peoples and cultures and exploring what it is to portray Indigenous people in a way that captures their multi dimensional identity. They enjoy working with bright colours, strong contrast and fun shapes.

Shiva Delsooz is an Iranian-Canadian author and illustrator born and raised in Ontario, Canada. She graduated from Loyalist College with a diploma in animation. Shiva has been interested in drawing since early childhood as her mother can confirm from all the little doodles under her dining room table. She grew up with severe hearing loss, and she often used art and music to cope with her situation. Shiva lives in London, Ontario.

Gord Hill is an Indigenous writer, artist and activist of the Kwakwaka'wakw nation. He is the author and illustrator of The 500 Years of Indigenous Resistance Comic Book (AK Press), The Anti-Capitalist Resistance Comic Book (Arsenal Pulp Press), and The Antifa Comic Book: Revised and Expanded (Arsenal Pulp Press). His art and writings have also been published in numerous periodicals, including Briarpatch, Canadian Dimension, Redwire, Red Rising Magazine, The Dominion, Recherches Amerindiennes au Quebec, Intotemak, Seattle Weekly, World War 3 Illustrated, and Broken Pencil.

Charlene Rocha is an activist and software engineering student at the University of Waterloo. She combines her passions for computer science and activism by creating coding projects for a more sustainable future. Active in campaigns for a number of causes, Charlene has recently published a book titled You Can Be an Activist and spoken at a TEDx event.

Gord Hill is an Indigenous writer, artist and activist of the Kwakwaka'wakw nation. He is the author and illustrator of The 500 Years of Indigenous Resistance Comic Book (AK Press), The Anti-Capitalist Resistance Comic Book (Arsenal Pulp Press), and The Antifa Comic Book: Revised and Expanded (Arsenal Pulp Press). His art and writings have also been published in numerous periodicals, including Briarpatch, Canadian Dimension, Redwire, Red Rising Magazine, The Dominion, Recherches Amerindiennes au Quebec, Intotemak, Seattle Weekly, World War 3 Illustrated, and Broken Pencil.

Uma Krishnaswami has been writing for young readers since the last century. She has written twenty-seven books and plans to write many more—picture books, poems, chapter books, early readers, short stories, nonfiction, novels. Uma lives in Victoria, BC, Canada, where she writes, walks, and plants wildflowers and vegetables in her very untidy garden. She also knits, because knitting helps her to revise her stories.

Alyssa Gray-Tyghter is an educator, academic, writer, and speaker. She is also a wife, mom whose doctoral work explores identity formation in multiracial Black Canadians.

Briana Corr Scott’s world is filled with islands, wild horses, seals, birds, tangled weeds, fog, oddly shaped trees, and the sea. She paints  in her sketchbook as she walks along the coast, and returns to her studio where she writes her stories. Briana is the author and illustrator of ten picture books with Nimbus Publishing. She is fascinated by many subjects , and has made art about Sable island, Celtic folklore, Anne of Green Gables, and her childhood memories of living on an island in Massachusetts.  She lives in Nova Scotia with her husband and three children.

Ray Xu is the creator of Alterations and a story artist behind some of the biggest animated hits, including KPop Demon Hunters, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, and the Oscar-nominated The Mitchells vs. The Machines.

Mei Yu is a multi-talented artist and author from Vancouver. She started drawing at age 2. In her high school graduation year, she won 17 art awards and scholarships, including the Michael J. Fox Family Art Scholarship and the Teletoon Animation Scholarship. Her debut graphic novel memoir, Lost & Found: Based on a True Story, won the Forest of Reading’s Silver Birch Express Award. Mei has also made 1,000+ YouTube art challenge videos and tutorials, with over 450 million views. Mei continues to inform, entertain, and inspire millions with her art and books. Learn more at: MeiYuArt.com

Azby Whitecalf is an Plains Cree Character Designer and Illustrator based out of North Battleford, Saskatchewan Treaty 6 Territory. They have a Bachelor Degree in Visual Communication (Character Design) from the Alberta University of the Arts. Their practice revolves creating fun and exciting stories with memorable and unique characters. An important part of their practice is creating accurate and positive representation of Indigenous peoples and cultures and exploring what it is to portray Indigenous people in a way that captures their multi dimensional identity. They enjoy working with bright colours, strong contrast and fun shapes.

Mei Yu is a multi-talented artist and author from Vancouver. She started drawing at age 2. In her high school graduation year, she won 17 art awards and scholarships, including the Michael J. Fox Family Art Scholarship and the Teletoon Animation Scholarship. Her debut graphic novel memoir, Lost & Found: Based on a True Story, won the Forest of Reading’s Silver Birch Express Award. Mei has also made 1,000+ YouTube art challenge videos and tutorials, with over 450 million views. Mei continues to inform, entertain, and inspire millions with her art and books. Learn more at: MeiYuArt.com

Ken Daley is an award-winning Black Canadian artist/illustrator who was born to parents who emigrated from Dominica. His art and illustrations are inspired by his African-Caribbean heritage, and he has exhibited his work in Canada, the US, and the Caribbean. His artwork can be found in numerous private and public collections. Ken has illustrated numerous children’s books and believes that diverse stories are essential to creating a more just, and equitable world, which he’s deeply committed to manifesting through his art.

Joyce Grant is the author of 7 books. She holds a Master's Degree in Critical & Creative Writing and a journalism degree. Joyce’s latest book is Burst Your Bubble! Outsmart the Algorithms and See What You’re Missing (November 2025). Her book, Can You Believe It? How to Spot Fake News and Find the Facts, won best non-fiction book and best children's book at the 2023 Hamilton Literary Awards. Joyce teaches Writing for Children at Humber Polytech. An award-winning presenter, in 2010 she co-created of the popular kids’ news website TeachingKidsNews.com. Follow Joyce on social media @JGCanada and visit https://joycegrantauthor.com/

Lily Kwok is the Advocacy & Research Officer at the Ontario Library Association (OLA), dedicated to championing libraries as equitable spaces for learning and connection. She is passionate about driving social impact in the arts and culture sector through storytelling, data, and strategy. At OLA, Lily leads advocacy, government relations, and research initiatives, while also spearheading the organization’s anti-racism work to help build a more inclusive library sector.

Michael Nyby is the former librarian at the W. Ross Macdonald School for the Blind and now works for Alternative Education Resources for Ontario (AERO).

Karen Devonish-Mazzotta has been teaching FSL for 28 years with the TDSB. She has an M.A. in Second Language Learning from OISE/UofT. She received the 2021 McGillivray Award from CPF Ontario given to individuals who have actively promoted the development of FSL learning. Karen is a proud member of the OLA and is presently the co-chair of the Forest of Reading. She has an active schedule as an AQ instructor for various providers in Ontario. Presently Karen is a TDSB Teacher-Librarian and serves as a Course/Director Practicum Facilitator with York University’s Faculty of Education FSL cohort.

Born and raised in Mississauga to Bengali immigrant parents, Anuka Dey is an educator committed to equity, representation, and culturally responsive teaching. With experience in London, UK, Milan, and across Ontario in special education and multilingual learning, she holds a B.Ed, M.Ed, and is pursuing her Ed.D. She founded Auhwan, originally her family’s Bengali radio program and now her yoga practice, to decolonize yoga and reconnect it to its cultural roots. She built inclusive classrooms through global literature and storytelling, and serves as a board member for Parents for Diversity.

Rebecca Thomas is an award winning Mi'kmaw writer of things. Sometimes they are poems, sometimes they are childrens’ books and sometimes they are love notes for family and friends. But they are always done with purpose and intention. She is a registered band member of Lennox Island First Nation in Epekwitk. Her most recent book, Sem's Map, will be released in fall of 2025. She pays her bills by helping students who are overwhelmed with life and studies as a Student Services Advisor at the Nova Scotia Community College.

Mitali Banerjee Ruths grew up in Houston, Texas but now lives in Montreal, Canada with her husband, three kids, and their dog, Tux.   When Mitali was younger, she dreamed of becoming an astronaut. Mitali has NOT gone into space, but she has done a lot of other interesting jobs! She has worked as a babysitter, an ice cream seller, and even a medical doctor. Now, she's an author! Mitali has written several popular and award-winning children's books including The Party Diaries, the Scholastic Branches early chapter book series, named one of the Best Books of 2023 by the New York Public Library and the Chicago Public Library.

Léa Taranto is a disabled Chinese Jewish Canadian writer who lives with OCD and comorbid disorders. An MFA graduate of the University of British Columbia, alumnus of Simon Fraser University Writer's Studio, and member of PRISM International's poetry board, she resides on the traditional, unceded land of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ (Halkomelem) and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) speaking peoples in BC.  Her writing has been published in the anthologies Emerge 20, Upon a Midnight Clear: More Christmas Epiphanies and in various Canadian literary journals. A Drop in the Ocean is her debut novel.

Uma Krishnaswami has been writing for young readers since the last century. She has written twenty-seven books and plans to write many more—picture books, poems, chapter books, early readers, short stories, nonfiction, novels. Uma lives in Victoria, BC, Canada, where she writes, walks, and plants wildflowers and vegetables in her very untidy garden. She also knits, because knitting helps her to revise her stories.

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. 

Amal Abdullahi is a first year creative writing student at OCAD University and poetry has been her passion ever since she was a young kid.

Ugoma Brainer Nwabeke is a 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 and recording arts. Brainer discovered she was an artist when she had an encounter with her first-ever instrument, the harp. Fascinated by the instrument, Brainer started playing with it. Ever since then, she’s dedicated long nights and days to independently teaching herself how to play a multitude of instruments with a current record of 14 instruments. She aspires to have a similar impact, using her work to positively influence others.

Jules Roslyn is a sapphic Afro-Indigenous multidisciplinary artist, born and raised in Tkaronto, where she has been writing for as long as she can remember. She began performing her work in 2023, and in just a few short years, has quickly risen in the city's poetry community.

Shiva Delsooz is an Iranian-Canadian author and illustrator born and raised in Ontario, Canada. She graduated from Loyalist College with a diploma in animation. Shiva has been interested in drawing since early childhood as her mother can confirm from all the little doodles under her dining room table. She grew up with severe hearing loss, and she often used art and music to cope with her situation. Shiva lives in London, Ontario.

Sheetal Sheth is an award-winning actress, producer, author, cancer veteran, and advocate. A trailblazer for South Asians in Hollywood, she’s starred in over 20 films and TV shows, earning five Best Actress awards on the festival circuit. She’s known for disrupting the 'norms' and is the bestselling author of the Anjali series (Penguin Random House) and Making Happy, an IPPY Award winner. Her advocacy spans AmeriCorps, Room to Read, Equality Now, and Listen to the KidZ. She’s been published in CNN and Parents.com, and featured by CHI and Reebok. Sheetal focuses on highlighting traditionally marginalized communities in all of her work and is a fierce advocate for thoughtful representation.

After obtaining a degree in biological sciences from the University of Guelph, Kid Haile continued interest in beauty and the narratives surrounding images of value pulled him back to the arts, leading him to study at the Florence Academy of Art. Sometimes I Eat With My Hands is his first children's book.

Karina Zhou (she/her) is a Chinese Canadian writer, illustrator, and animator currently located in San Francisco. She loves crafting stories that bring joy and a sense of wonder to young readers and the young at heart. She is the author and illustrator of Eddy's Shadow Puppets.

Kevin Sylvester has written and illustrated more than 30 books for kids.

Basil Sylvester is a trans author, artist, bookseller, and indie bookstore enthusiast. Their first book, The Fabulous Zed Watson!, co-written with Kevin Sylvester, was a finalist for the 2021 Governor General’s Literary Award, the 2021 Lambda Award and the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award. Night of the Living Zed is their second novel. Their favourite flavour of ice cream is bananas foster. They live in Toronto, Canada.

After obtaining a degree in biological sciences from the University of Guelph, Kid Haile continued interest in beauty and the narratives surrounding images of value pulled him back to the arts, leading him to study at the Florence Academy of Art. Sometimes I Eat With My Hands is his first children's book.

Karina Zhou (she/her) is a Chinese Canadian writer, illustrator, and animator currently located in San Francisco. She loves crafting stories that bring joy and a sense of wonder to young readers and the young at heart. She is the author and illustrator of Eddy's Shadow Puppets.

Mitali Banerjee Ruths grew up in Houston, Texas but now lives in Montreal, Canada with her husband, three kids, and their dog, Tux.   When Mitali was younger, she dreamed of becoming an astronaut. Mitali has NOT gone into space, but she has done a lot of other interesting jobs! She has worked as a babysitter, an ice cream seller, and even a medical doctor. Now, she's an author! Mitali has written several popular and award-winning children's books including The Party Diaries, the Scholastic Branches early chapter book series, named one of the Best Books of 2023 by the New York Public Library and the Chicago Public Library.

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. 

Sheetal Sheth is an award-winning actress, producer, author, cancer veteran, and advocate. A trailblazer for South Asians in Hollywood, she’s starred in over 20 films and TV shows, earning five Best Actress awards on the festival circuit. She’s known for disrupting the 'norms' and is the bestselling author of the Anjali series (Penguin Random House) and Making Happy, an IPPY Award winner. Her advocacy spans AmeriCorps, Room to Read, Equality Now, and Listen to the KidZ. She’s been published in CNN and Parents.com, and featured by CHI and Reebok. Sheetal focuses on highlighting traditionally marginalized communities in all of her work and is a fierce advocate for thoughtful representation.

Sheetal Sheth is an award-winning actress, producer, author, cancer veteran, and advocate. A trailblazer for South Asians in Hollywood, she’s starred in over 20 films and TV shows, earning five Best Actress awards on the festival circuit. She’s known for disrupting the 'norms' and is the bestselling author of the Anjali series (Penguin Random House) and Making Happy, an IPPY Award winner. Her advocacy spans AmeriCorps, Room to Read, Equality Now, and Listen to the KidZ. She’s been published in CNN and Parents.com, and featured by CHI and Reebok. Sheetal focuses on highlighting traditionally marginalized communities in all of her work and is a fierce advocate for thoughtful representation.

Danesh Mohiuddin is a Canadian Cartoonist from India, growing up in Dubai (on a regular dose of Mad Magazine, Marvel and European comics) and Toronto and now living in Valencia, Spain. He currently illustrates and writes children’s books and graphic novels. Clients include Scholastic, Oxford University Press, Owl Kids and Kids Can Press. He’s also a history buff and finds any excuse to travel.

Gaitrie Persaud-Killings is a Tkaronto-Guyanese-raised Deaf actor, activist and mother of three based in Tkaronto. An ASL coach and ASL music performer, she is also the founder of Phoenix the Fire, a theatre and film community hub for BIPOC Deaf artists, where she is building the support structure she finds lacking in Canada. She splits her time between Tkaranto, Ontario with her family and Atlanta, Georgia where her husband resides. Gaitrie is currently a news presenter on Sign 1news in Atlanta, Georgia as well as a regular on Nickelodeon Jr. Blues Clues & You and CBC Gem’s Silly Paws, she is also on Squeaky Wheel Canada as Arianna and her documentary film on Breaking Characters on AMI.

Shiva Delsooz is an Iranian-Canadian author and illustrator born and raised in Ontario, Canada. She graduated from Loyalist College with a diploma in animation. Shiva has been interested in drawing since early childhood as her mother can confirm from all the little doodles under her dining room table. She grew up with severe hearing loss, and she often used art and music to cope with her situation. Shiva lives in London, Ontario.

Briana Corr Scott’s world is filled with islands, wild horses, seals, birds, tangled weeds, fog, oddly shaped trees, and the sea. She paints  in her sketchbook as she walks along the coast, and returns to her studio where she writes her stories. Briana is the author and illustrator of ten picture books with Nimbus Publishing. She is fascinated by many subjects , and has made art about Sable island, Celtic folklore, Anne of Green Gables, and her childhood memories of living on an island in Massachusetts.  She lives in Nova Scotia with her husband and three children.

Rebecca Thomas is an award winning Mi'kmaw writer of things. Sometimes they are poems, sometimes they are childrens’ books and sometimes they are love notes for family and friends. But they are always done with purpose and intention. She is a registered band member of Lennox Island First Nation in Epekwitk. Her most recent book, Sem's Map, will be released in fall of 2025. She pays her bills by helping students who are overwhelmed with life and studies as a Student Services Advisor at the Nova Scotia Community College.

Mikaela Lucido is a Filipina-Canadian storyteller. She is the author of a middle-grade mystery series, including Danica dela Torre, Certified Sleuth and Danica dela Torre, Dream Detective. Her words have been featured in Ricepaper Magazine, Cambio & Co., Living Hyphen, and Augur Magazine. She studied Creative Writing & Publishing at Sheridan College and was the 2021 recipient of the Ampersand Award. Mikaela lives in Mississauga, on the Treaty and Traditional Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, The Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and The Huron-Wendat and Wyandot Nations.

Briana Corr Scott’s world is filled with islands, wild horses, seals, birds, tangled weeds, fog, oddly shaped trees, and the sea. She paints  in her sketchbook as she walks along the coast, and returns to her studio where she writes her stories. Briana is the author and illustrator of ten picture books with Nimbus Publishing. She is fascinated by many subjects , and has made art about Sable island, Celtic folklore, Anne of Green Gables, and her childhood memories of living on an island in Massachusetts.  She lives in Nova Scotia with her husband and three children.

Azby Whitecalf is an Plains Cree Character Designer and Illustrator based out of North Battleford, Saskatchewan Treaty 6 Territory. They have a Bachelor Degree in Visual Communication (Character Design) from the Alberta University of the Arts. Their practice revolves creating fun and exciting stories with memorable and unique characters. An important part of their practice is creating accurate and positive representation of Indigenous peoples and cultures and exploring what it is to portray Indigenous people in a way that captures their multi dimensional identity. They enjoy working with bright colours, strong contrast and fun shapes.

Mei Yu is a multi-talented artist and author from Vancouver. She started drawing at age 2. In her high school graduation year, she won 17 art awards and scholarships, including the Michael J. Fox Family Art Scholarship and the Teletoon Animation Scholarship. Her debut graphic novel memoir, Lost & Found: Based on a True Story, won the Forest of Reading’s Silver Birch Express Award. Mei has also made 1,000+ YouTube art challenge videos and tutorials, with over 450 million views. Mei continues to inform, entertain, and inspire millions with her art and books. Learn more at: MeiYuArt.com

Azby Whitecalf is an Plains Cree Character Designer and Illustrator based out of North Battleford, Saskatchewan Treaty 6 Territory. They have a Bachelor Degree in Visual Communication (Character Design) from the Alberta University of the Arts. Their practice revolves creating fun and exciting stories with memorable and unique characters. An important part of their practice is creating accurate and positive representation of Indigenous peoples and cultures and exploring what it is to portray Indigenous people in a way that captures their multi dimensional identity. They enjoy working with bright colours, strong contrast and fun shapes.

Mei Yu is a multi-talented artist and author from Vancouver. She started drawing at age 2. In her high school graduation year, she won 17 art awards and scholarships, including the Michael J. Fox Family Art Scholarship and the Teletoon Animation Scholarship. Her debut graphic novel memoir, Lost & Found: Based on a True Story, won the Forest of Reading’s Silver Birch Express Award. Mei has also made 1,000+ YouTube art challenge videos and tutorials, with over 450 million views. Mei continues to inform, entertain, and inspire millions with her art and books. Learn more at: MeiYuArt.com

Ken Daley is an award-winning Black Canadian artist/illustrator who was born to parents who emigrated from Dominica. His art and illustrations are inspired by his African-Caribbean heritage, and he has exhibited his work in Canada, the US, and the Caribbean. His artwork can be found in numerous private and public collections. Ken has illustrated numerous children’s books and believes that diverse stories are essential to creating a more just, and equitable world, which he’s deeply committed to manifesting through his art.

Mitali Banerjee Ruths grew up in Houston, Texas but now lives in Montreal, Canada with her husband, three kids, and their dog, Tux.   When Mitali was younger, she dreamed of becoming an astronaut. Mitali has NOT gone into space, but she has done a lot of other interesting jobs! She has worked as a babysitter, an ice cream seller, and even a medical doctor. Now, she's an author! Mitali has written several popular and award-winning children's books including The Party Diaries, the Scholastic Branches early chapter book series, named one of the Best Books of 2023 by the New York Public Library and the Chicago Public Library.

Mikaela Lucido is a Filipina-Canadian storyteller. She is the author of a middle-grade mystery series, including Danica dela Torre, Certified Sleuth and Danica dela Torre, Dream Detective. Her words have been featured in Ricepaper Magazine, Cambio & Co., Living Hyphen, and Augur Magazine. She studied Creative Writing & Publishing at Sheridan College and was the 2021 recipient of the Ampersand Award. Mikaela lives in Mississauga, on the Treaty and Traditional Territory of the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, The Haudenosaunee Confederacy, and The Huron-Wendat and Wyandot Nations.

Briana Corr Scott’s world is filled with islands, wild horses, seals, birds, tangled weeds, fog, oddly shaped trees, and the sea. She paints  in her sketchbook as she walks along the coast, and returns to her studio where she writes her stories. Briana is the author and illustrator of ten picture books with Nimbus Publishing. She is fascinated by many subjects , and has made art about Sable island, Celtic folklore, Anne of Green Gables, and her childhood memories of living on an island in Massachusetts.  She lives in Nova Scotia with her husband and three children.

Joyce Grant is the author of 7 books. She holds a Master's Degree in Critical & Creative Writing and a journalism degree. Joyce’s latest book is Burst Your Bubble! Outsmart the Algorithms and See What You’re Missing (November 2025). Her book, Can You Believe It? How to Spot Fake News and Find the Facts, won best non-fiction book and best children's book at the 2023 Hamilton Literary Awards. Joyce teaches Writing for Children at Humber Polytech. An award-winning presenter, in 2010 she co-created of the popular kids’ news website TeachingKidsNews.com. Follow Joyce on social media @JGCanada and visit https://joycegrantauthor.com/

Charlene Rocha is an activist and software engineering student at the University of Waterloo. She combines her passions for computer science and activism by creating coding projects for a more sustainable future. Active in campaigns for a number of causes, Charlene has recently published a book titled You Can Be an Activist and spoken at a TEDx event.

Azby Whitecalf is an Plains Cree Character Designer and Illustrator based out of North Battleford, Saskatchewan Treaty 6 Territory. They have a Bachelor Degree in Visual Communication (Character Design) from the Alberta University of the Arts. Their practice revolves creating fun and exciting stories with memorable and unique characters. An important part of their practice is creating accurate and positive representation of Indigenous peoples and cultures and exploring what it is to portray Indigenous people in a way that captures their multi dimensional identity. They enjoy working with bright colours, strong contrast and fun shapes.

Mei Yu is a multi-talented artist and author from Vancouver. She started drawing at age 2. In her high school graduation year, she won 17 art awards and scholarships, including the Michael J. Fox Family Art Scholarship and the Teletoon Animation Scholarship. Her debut graphic novel memoir, Lost & Found: Based on a True Story, won the Forest of Reading’s Silver Birch Express Award. Mei has also made 1,000+ YouTube art challenge videos and tutorials, with over 450 million views. Mei continues to inform, entertain, and inspire millions with her art and books. Learn more at: MeiYuArt.com

Ken Daley is an award-winning Black Canadian artist/illustrator who was born to parents who emigrated from Dominica. His art and illustrations are inspired by his African-Caribbean heritage, and he has exhibited his work in Canada, the US, and the Caribbean. His artwork can be found in numerous private and public collections. Ken has illustrated numerous children’s books and believes that diverse stories are essential to creating a more just, and equitable world, which he’s deeply committed to manifesting through his art.

Uma Krishnaswami has been writing for young readers since the last century. She has written twenty-seven books and plans to write many more—picture books, poems, chapter books, early readers, short stories, nonfiction, novels. Uma lives in Victoria, BC, Canada, where she writes, walks, and plants wildflowers and vegetables in her very untidy garden. She also knits, because knitting helps her to revise her stories.

Corey Liu is novelist and television writer based in Vancouver. He loves horror movies, investigating strange noises with friends, and doing Maggie Smith impersonations when no one's around. He is definitely doing one right now. He’s So Possessed With Me is his debut novel.

Ryan La Sala is a bestselling and award-winning author known for his genre defying, queer-centered horror and fantasy, including The Dead of Summer and The Honeys, which is in development to become a major motion picture. He is also the author of Beholder, Reverie and Be Dazzled. He has been featured in The New York Times Book Review, Entertainment Weekly, NPR, and more. He writes to you from New York, overseen by his cat, Haunted Little Girl.

Ameema Saeed is 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.

Charlene Rocha is an activist and software engineering student at the University of Waterloo. She combines her passions for computer science and activism by creating coding projects for a more sustainable future. Active in campaigns for a number of causes, Charlene has recently published a book titled You Can Be an Activist and spoken at a TEDx event.

Ray Xu is the creator of Alterations and a story artist behind some of the biggest animated hits, including KPop Demon Hunters, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, and the Oscar-nominated The Mitchells vs. The Machines.

Léa Taranto is a disabled Chinese Jewish Canadian writer who lives with OCD and comorbid disorders. An MFA graduate of the University of British Columbia, alumnus of Simon Fraser University Writer's Studio, and member of PRISM International's poetry board, she resides on the traditional, unceded land of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ (Halkomelem) and Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish) speaking peoples in BC.  Her writing has been published in the anthologies Emerge 20, Upon a Midnight Clear: More Christmas Epiphanies and in various Canadian literary journals. A Drop in the Ocean is her debut novel.

Gord Hill is an Indigenous writer, artist and activist of the Kwakwaka'wakw nation. He is the author and illustrator of The 500 Years of Indigenous Resistance Comic Book (AK Press), The Anti-Capitalist Resistance Comic Book (Arsenal Pulp Press), and The Antifa Comic Book: Revised and Expanded (Arsenal Pulp Press). His art and writings have also been published in numerous periodicals, including Briarpatch, Canadian Dimension, Redwire, Red Rising Magazine, The Dominion, Recherches Amerindiennes au Quebec, Intotemak, Seattle Weekly, World War 3 Illustrated, and Broken Pencil.

Charlene Rocha is an activist and software engineering student at the University of Waterloo. She combines her passions for computer science and activism by creating coding projects for a more sustainable future. Active in campaigns for a number of causes, Charlene has recently published a book titled You Can Be an Activist and spoken at a TEDx event.

Gord Hill is an Indigenous writer, artist and activist of the Kwakwaka'wakw nation. He is the author and illustrator of The 500 Years of Indigenous Resistance Comic Book (AK Press), The Anti-Capitalist Resistance Comic Book (Arsenal Pulp Press), and The Antifa Comic Book: Revised and Expanded (Arsenal Pulp Press). His art and writings have also been published in numerous periodicals, including Briarpatch, Canadian Dimension, Redwire, Red Rising Magazine, The Dominion, Recherches Amerindiennes au Quebec, Intotemak, Seattle Weekly, World War 3 Illustrated, and Broken Pencil.

Uma Krishnaswami has been writing for young readers since the last century. She has written twenty-seven books and plans to write many more—picture books, poems, chapter books, early readers, short stories, nonfiction, novels. Uma lives in Victoria, BC, Canada, where she writes, walks, and plants wildflowers and vegetables in her very untidy garden. She also knits, because knitting helps her to revise her stories.

Alyssa Gray-Tyghter is an educator, academic, writer, and speaker. She is also a wife, mom whose doctoral work explores identity formation in multiracial Black Canadians.

Joyce Grant is the author of 7 books. She holds a Master's Degree in Critical & Creative Writing and a journalism degree. Joyce’s latest book is Burst Your Bubble! Outsmart the Algorithms and See What You’re Missing (November 2025). Her book, Can You Believe It? How to Spot Fake News and Find the Facts, won best non-fiction book and best children's book at the 2023 Hamilton Literary Awards. Joyce teaches Writing for Children at Humber Polytech. An award-winning presenter, in 2010 she co-created of the popular kids’ news website TeachingKidsNews.com. Follow Joyce on social media @JGCanada and visit https://joycegrantauthor.com/

Lily Kwok is the Advocacy & Research Officer at the Ontario Library Association (OLA), dedicated to championing libraries as equitable spaces for learning and connection. She is passionate about driving social impact in the arts and culture sector through storytelling, data, and strategy. At OLA, Lily leads advocacy, government relations, and research initiatives, while also spearheading the organization’s anti-racism work to help build a more inclusive library sector.

Michael Nyby is the former librarian at the W. Ross Macdonald School for the Blind and now works for Alternative Education Resources for Ontario (AERO).

Karen Devonish-Mazzotta has been teaching FSL for 28 years with the TDSB. She has an M.A. in Second Language Learning from OISE/UofT. She received the 2021 McGillivray Award from CPF Ontario given to individuals who have actively promoted the development of FSL learning. Karen is a proud member of the OLA and is presently the co-chair of the Forest of Reading. She has an active schedule as an AQ instructor for various providers in Ontario. Presently Karen is a TDSB Teacher-Librarian and serves as a Course/Director Practicum Facilitator with York University’s Faculty of Education FSL cohort.

Born and raised in Mississauga to Bengali immigrant parents, Anuka Dey is an educator committed to equity, representation, and culturally responsive teaching. With experience in London, UK, Milan, and across Ontario in special education and multilingual learning, she holds a B.Ed, M.Ed, and is pursuing her Ed.D. She founded Auhwan, originally her family’s Bengali radio program and now her yoga practice, to decolonize yoga and reconnect it to its cultural roots. She built inclusive classrooms through global literature and storytelling, and serves as a board member for Parents for Diversity.

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. 

Amal Abdullahi is a first year creative writing student at OCAD University and poetry has been her passion ever since she was a young kid.

Ugoma Brainer Nwabeke is a 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 and recording arts. Brainer discovered she was an artist when she had an encounter with her first-ever instrument, the harp. Fascinated by the instrument, Brainer started playing with it. Ever since then, she’s dedicated long nights and days to independently teaching herself how to play a multitude of instruments with a current record of 14 instruments. She aspires to have a similar impact, using her work to positively influence others.

Jules Roslyn is a sapphic Afro-Indigenous multidisciplinary artist, born and raised in Tkaronto, where she has been writing for as long as she can remember. She began performing her work in 2023, and in just a few short years, has quickly risen in the city's poetry community.

Shiva Delsooz is an Iranian-Canadian author and illustrator born and raised in Ontario, Canada. She graduated from Loyalist College with a diploma in animation. Shiva has been interested in drawing since early childhood as her mother can confirm from all the little doodles under her dining room table. She grew up with severe hearing loss, and she often used art and music to cope with her situation. Shiva lives in London, Ontario.

Sheetal Sheth is an award-winning actress, producer, author, cancer veteran, and advocate. A trailblazer for South Asians in Hollywood, she’s starred in over 20 films and TV shows, earning five Best Actress awards on the festival circuit. She’s known for disrupting the 'norms' and is the bestselling author of the Anjali series (Penguin Random House) and Making Happy, an IPPY Award winner. Her advocacy spans AmeriCorps, Room to Read, Equality Now, and Listen to the KidZ. She’s been published in CNN and Parents.com, and featured by CHI and Reebok. Sheetal focuses on highlighting traditionally marginalized communities in all of her work and is a fierce advocate for thoughtful representation.

After obtaining a degree in biological sciences from the University of Guelph, Kid Haile continued interest in beauty and the narratives surrounding images of value pulled him back to the arts, leading him to study at the Florence Academy of Art. Sometimes I Eat With My Hands is his first children's book.

Karina Zhou (she/her) is a Chinese Canadian writer, illustrator, and animator currently located in San Francisco. She loves crafting stories that bring joy and a sense of wonder to young readers and the young at heart. She is the author and illustrator of Eddy's Shadow Puppets.

Kevin Sylvester has written and illustrated more than 30 books for kids.

Basil Sylvester is a trans author, artist, bookseller, and indie bookstore enthusiast. Their first book, The Fabulous Zed Watson!, co-written with Kevin Sylvester, was a finalist for the 2021 Governor General’s Literary Award, the 2021 Lambda Award and the TD Canadian Children’s Literature Award. Night of the Living Zed is their second novel. Their favourite flavour of ice cream is bananas foster. They live in Toronto, Canada.

After obtaining a degree in biological sciences from the University of Guelph, Kid Haile continued interest in beauty and the narratives surrounding images of value pulled him back to the arts, leading him to study at the Florence Academy of Art. Sometimes I Eat With My Hands is his first children's book.

Karina Zhou (she/her) is a Chinese Canadian writer, illustrator, and animator currently located in San Francisco. She loves crafting stories that bring joy and a sense of wonder to young readers and the young at heart. She is the author and illustrator of Eddy's Shadow Puppets.

Mitali Banerjee Ruths grew up in Houston, Texas but now lives in Montreal, Canada with her husband, three kids, and their dog, Tux.   When Mitali was younger, she dreamed of becoming an astronaut. Mitali has NOT gone into space, but she has done a lot of other interesting jobs! She has worked as a babysitter, an ice cream seller, and even a medical doctor. Now, she's an author! Mitali has written several popular and award-winning children's books including The Party Diaries, the Scholastic Branches early chapter book series, named one of the Best Books of 2023 by the New York Public Library and the Chicago Public Library.

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. 

Sheetal Sheth is an award-winning actress, producer, author, cancer veteran, and advocate. A trailblazer for South Asians in Hollywood, she’s starred in over 20 films and TV shows, earning five Best Actress awards on the festival circuit. She’s known for disrupting the 'norms' and is the bestselling author of the Anjali series (Penguin Random House) and Making Happy, an IPPY Award winner. Her advocacy spans AmeriCorps, Room to Read, Equality Now, and Listen to the KidZ. She’s been published in CNN and Parents.com, and featured by CHI and Reebok. Sheetal focuses on highlighting traditionally marginalized communities in all of her work and is a fierce advocate for thoughtful representation.

Sheetal Sheth is an award-winning actress, producer, author, cancer veteran, and advocate. A trailblazer for South Asians in Hollywood, she’s starred in over 20 films and TV shows, earning five Best Actress awards on the festival circuit. She’s known for disrupting the 'norms' and is the bestselling author of the Anjali series (Penguin Random House) and Making Happy, an IPPY Award winner. Her advocacy spans AmeriCorps, Room to Read, Equality Now, and Listen to the KidZ. She’s been published in CNN and Parents.com, and featured by CHI and Reebok. Sheetal focuses on highlighting traditionally marginalized communities in all of her work and is a fierce advocate for thoughtful representation.