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Join us in-person to meet and listen to authors, illustrators, and performers from across Canada! Check back regularly to see additions to our 2025 lineup!
Natalie Appleton studied journalism at the University of Regina and creative writing at City University London. Her literary travel memoir, I Have Something to Tell You, followed publication of an essay in The New York Times. Natalie has won Prairie Fire’s Banff Centre Bliss Carman Poetry Award and Room Magazine’s Creative Non-fiction Contest. She lives in the Okanagan with her husband and sons.
I Want to Die In My Boots
LINDA BAILEY has written nearly forty books for children, including The Three Little Mittens, Carson Crosses Canada, Princesses Versus Dinosaurs and If You Happen to Have a Dinosaur. Her books have been translated into twenty languages and have won multiple awards such as the Ontario Blue Spruce and Silver Birch Awards, the California Young Reader Medal, the Georgia Children’s Picture book Award and the UK School Library Association Information Book Award. Linda has been honored for her exceptional body of work in children’s literature with the Vicky Metcalf Award. She lives in Vancouver, British Columbia where she has had some stupendous sleepovers with her grandchildren.
The Great Dinosaur Sleepover
Has a Addictions & Mental Health Counselling Degree and Bachelor of Indigenous Social Work Degree. Theron also has a Master of Education Degree with the University of Calgary. Theron is a respected member of the Kainai First Nations (Blood Reserve) and an advocate for his people. Theron is passionate about speaking about issues faced by Aboriginal people and supporting the change that needs to happen. Theron is currently working with Mental health & wellness through the arts in schools across Southern Alberta. As well as working within the community facilitating healing through traditional arts. Theron is also the founder/President of Honouring Traditions and Reconciliation Society. Theron is also a Grass Dancer.
Has a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Native American Studies and Bachelor of Indigenous Social Work Degree. Cindy also has a Master of Education Degree with the University of Calgary. Cindy is Ojibway from Peguis First Nation. Cindy is married into the Blood Tribe. Currently Cindy is also facilitating with Theron working with Mental health & wellness through the arts in schools across Southern Alberta. As well as working within the community facilitating healing through traditional arts. Cindy is passionate about education. Currently Cindy works at the University of Lethbridge as a Research Assistant and a Sessional Instructor. Cindy is also a Jingle Dress Dancer.
Dylan graduated from Lethbridge Collegiate Institute. Dylan loves to run, read and attend traditional ceremonies. Dylan volunteers his time helping with various events for Honouring Traditions and Reconciliation Society. Dylan is also a Grass dancer.
Marley Blackhorse is an indie rock artist from Lethbridge, Alberta. Performing at local open mics, community events, and collaborating with other artists, Marley continues to grow within the music scene.
Mark Brave Rock grew up in Moses Lake and went to school in Cardston. During the past 11 years of sobriety, Mark has gained knowledge and work experience with Peak Support Services (RSpace), ARCHES, 5th on 5th Employment and Support Services, as well as, Housing First, BRZ and Volunteer Lethbridge. Mark has also partnered with LPS, City Hall and the Indian Recovery Coaches program.
Storyteller, author, librarian and educator, Gail de Vos has been an active promoter of the oral tradition of literature in Alberta for over three decades. Gail teaches courses on storytelling as well as courses on Canadian Children’s Literature, Comic Books and Graphic Novels, and Young Adult Materials at the University of Alberta in the Faculty of Library and Information Studies. Gail is the author of ten award winning resource books on storytelling and folklore in popular culture intended for educators working with students in Grade 6 and above as well as numerous guest chapters on comic books and graphic novels, storytelling, monsters, and folklore in popular culture for academic monographs. Her specialty is telling contemporary legends to young and not so young adults and is an active champion for intellectual freedom.
The Watkins Book of Urban Legends
Eric Dyck is a cartoonist and art educator living in Lethbridge, AB. Eric has shared his love of cartoons and comic-storytelling with folks of all ages for more than twenty-five years. Eric uses his comics to share about the people that he meets, the stories that he hears, and to explore the critters and flora of Southern Alberta. Find out more at http://www.ericdyck.com/
Derek Evernden has been a full time illustrator, storyboard artist, and cartoonist for over 15 years. He is the creator the single panel comic Bogart Creek (@bogartcreek) and has provided monthly editorial cartoons for Read Alberta (readalberta.ca) since 2021. His work has also appeared in The Globe and Mail, WIRED, The American Bystander, Graydon Carter’s Airmail, The University of Calgary’s Arch Magazine, various anthologies, and three collections published by Alberta’s Renegade Arts Entertainment. He has provided storyboards and concept art for several IMAX features and dozens of commercials.
13 years old Rae Marie First Charger, also known as Rex, is a singer and guitarist who is from Kainai and Lethbridge, who plays mostly punk rock and and some indie. Also with other hobbys: figure skating, skateboarding, boxing, roller derby, steer riding, and dancing. Rae Marie is proud to say music is her biggest passion.
Iitsisaanoowa (Vision Beyond), Elder Christina Fox has worked for the Holy Spirit Catholic School Division for over 20 years. During that time, she has shared her Blackfoot knowledge and traditions with students and staff at many of the division’s schools. In her role as First Nations Liaison Support Worker, Fox has dedicated herself to ensuring today’s Indigenous students never experience the same kind of environment she did as a residential school student. She treats each child with dignity and respect.
Her presence in the schools provides support and care to everyone, whether a child, a staff member, a parent or a grandparent. Fox shares her knowledge of the Blackfoot way of life and teachings, thereby tending to the spirit, soul and heart of those in her care. She offers Blackfoot language classes, drumming, beading, teepee teachings, information on the importance of land acknowledgements, serves as an Elder in Residence for kindergarten students and is a spiritual guide for staff. Fox is instrumental in planning celebrations, such as school powwows, that promote history and traditions and generate an awareness of and appreciation for Indigenous culture, heritage and language.
Her hours of service often extend beyond the school day. She will visit families in their homes in the evenings and on weekends to gently guide them, pray with them, and show they are cared for outside the school day. Fox also provides music ministry for Mass and serves St. Martha’s parish as a Eucharistic Minister.
In 2016, Fox received the school division’s Share the Mission award. This award honours those who have offered outstanding or long service, accepted demanding challenges, set new standards, contributed to the Catholic atmosphere in schools, demonstrated involvement and leadership in community or parish organizations and reflected the division’s mission statement in their actions.
Each summer, Fox travels to Lac Ste. Anne, a sacred place of healing for Indigenous people. This annual pilgrimage allows her to embrace healing and her faith as a child who experienced residential schools. While the wounds of the past won’t be forgotten, her strong faith and advocacy for youth and their families give her hope in the ongoing path of reconciliation.
Journey of the Heart
Emily Fox – Miisaminskiaki is from the Akainaiwa (Blood Tribe) in southern Alberta and is a member of the Mamoiyiiks(Fish Eater) Clan. Emily grew up and attended school on the Blood Tribe in the Bullhorn area. She is the daughter of Residential School Survivors and was raised by her parents, and grandparents. Emily has worked for the Holy Spirit Catholic School Division for many years as a First Nation Facilitator, focusing on First Nation Students successes. Through her work with the students she designed a Blackfoot doll that students make. This doll serves as a connection to the Blackfoot culture and a way of teaching students about their heritage. Emily is also an entrepreneur, creating ribbon skirts & ribbon shirts, she specializes in the custom designs of Pendleton coats. Along with the ribbon skirt classes she teaches, she is very proud to share her gifts with anyone who would like to learn.
Mireille Gagné was born in Isle-aux-Grues and lives in Quebec City. Since 2010, she has published books of poetry, short stories, and the remarkable novel Le lièvre d’Amérique (2020), which “possesses a universal wisdom, the kind that is passed down from generation to generation and from which we too often lose our way.”
Horsefly
Jenna Greene is an author of YA and children’s fiction, best known for the award-winning Reborn Marks series, and co-host of the Jot Notes podcast, where she interviews authors from all over the world. When not writing or podcasting, she can be found in the classroom, teaching Grades 1 and 2. For more information, visit jennagreene.ca.
Summer of Rocks
Rachel Hartman is the author of five young adult fantasy novels set in the world of Goredd: SERAPHINA, SHADOW SCALE, TESS OF THE ROAD, IN THE SERPENT’S WAKE and the upcoming AMONG GHOSTS. Her novels have been on the New York Times bestseller list and have received many awards, including the Morris Award, the Sunburst Prize, and the Monica Hughes Award. Rachel lives in Vancouver, BC, with her husband and whippet.
Among Ghosts
Hali Heavy Shield is a multidisciplinary artist and a member of the Blood Tribe of Southern Alberta. Her first book for children was inspired by the many adventures she’s had with her mom, Faye, who is also an artist. Hali’s work is influenced by experiences in her home community, including Blackfoot stories, significant sites, family, and women as sources of strength and goodness. She lives in Lethbridge, Alberta.
Naaahsa Is An Artist
MAGGIE HELWIG (she/they) is a white settler in Tkaronto/Toronto, and is the author of fifteen books and chapbooks, most recently Girls Fall Down (Coach House, 2008), which was shortlisted for the Toronto Book Award, and was chosen as the One Book Toronto in 2012. Helwig is a long-time social justice activist, and also an Anglican priest, and has been the rector of the Church of St Stephen-in-the-Fields since 2013
Encampment: Resistance, Grace, and an Unhoused Community
KRISTY JACKSON is the author of the Governor General’s Award–shortlisted middle-grade novel Mortified. Her work draws inspiration from her Cree and German background and her long list of embarrassing moments. She is the mother of two boys and a communications professional who has spent many years working for Dene communities. Kristy runs a program that delivers books to children in seven remote Indigenous communities in Canada and volunteers for a non-profit dedicated to improving literacy in her community.
Touching Grass
CANCELLED – Due to circumstances beyond our control, Conor Kerr will not be able to join us this year.
CONOR KERR (he/him) is a national award-winning (and losing) Metis/Ukrainian writer and bird hunter living in amiskwaciwaskahikan (Edmonton, Alberta). His previous books are the ReLit Award-winning novel Avenue of Champions (Nightwood Editions) and the Giller Prize-nominated novel Prairie Edge (Strange Light), as well as the poetry collections An Explosion of Feathers (Bookland Press) and the Governor General-shortlisted Old Gods (Nightwood Editions).
Beaver Hills Forever
Krogstad is a TEDx speaker and bestselling author of the book Glass Half Full of Poetry. A spoken word poet, eternal optimist, and workshop facilitator, teaching life skills including self-confidence, self-expression, and community-building, she has performed her poetry and presented hundreds of workshops in dozens of cities across Western Canada and beyond.
Miranda’s poetry ranges in topic from child’s play to empowerment, giving life’s obstacles a feel-good finish. A member of the 2016 national wild card team and the 2014 slam team, a member of the 2013 International spoken word program at the Banff Center, a Calgary Arts Development grant recipient, and a 2-time Canada Council for the Arts grant recipient, she has since co-founded the spoken word network YYSpeak to create a communal and supportive space for spoken word artists. Visit mirandakrogstad.com for more information.
Lee Kvern is an award-winning author of short stories and novels. Her stories in 7 Ways To Sunday have won the CBC Literary Award, Western Magazine Award, Hazel Hilles Memorial Short Fiction Prize, and the Howard ‘O’ Hagan Award. Afterall was selected for Canada Reads (Regional) and nominated for Alberta Books Awards. The Matter of Sylvie was nominated for Alberta Book Awards and the Ottawa Relit Award and Alberta Magazine Awards. Her work has been produced for CBC Radio, and published in Funicular, Grain, Event, Descant, Air Canada enRoute, Tishman Review, Globe&Mail, and subTerrain.
Catch You On the Flipside
Sandra Lamouche is a nêhiyaw iskwêw (Cree woman) from the Bigstone Cree Nation in northern Alberta. She is a wife, mother of two boys with braids, champion women’s hoop dancer, award-winning educator and two-time TEDx speaker. She has a master of arts in Canadian and Indigenous studies and is also the author of We Belong to the Drum / mistikwaskihk kitipêyimikonaw. Sandra and her family live in Blackfoot Territory (Treaty 7) in southern Alberta.
Pêyak Little Duck
Shelley K of Maple Fusion is a seasoned, energetic children and family friendly musical performer bringing her vibrant and engaging shows together by blending music, storytelling, and engaging you with quirky instruments, props and hats from her tickle trunk! Bringing Canadian heritage to life in song – you will be treated to a unique blend of funny bone entertainment that will bring joy to both kids and the young at heart through her shows and playful antics!
Jean McCarthy is an author, artist, poet, and podcaster based in southern Alberta. Internationally recognized for her award-winning blog UnPickled and podcast The Bubble Hour, Jean has become a beloved voice for personal growth and authentic storytelling.
She is an experienced advocate of indie publishing and has helped numerous local authors make their book dreams a reality. Jean’s independently published books include self-help guides on mental health and recovery, a poetry collection, and picture books for children.
Carolyne McIntyre Jackson, co-founder of Crave, started her career with Safeway, before embarking on her entrepreneurial journey with her sister Jodi, establishing Crave in 2004. Carolyne lives with her husband Tony and son Oliver in Calgary, Alberta.
Crave: Cupcakes, Cakes, Cookies, and More from an Iconic Bakery
Founded in 1982, Musaeus String Quartet (MSQ) is one of Alberta’s most enduring and accomplished chamber ensembles. MSQ brings together the principal chairs of the Lethbridge Symphony: Airdrie Ignas, Alina Khvatova (violins), Gabe Kastelic (viola), and Mark Rodgers (cello). From classical repertoire to video game soundtracks, from children’s concerts to new commissions, these talented musicians showcase their artistry, energy, and love of music in every performance.
Ryan North’s recent work includes the non-fiction books How To Take Over The World and How To Invent Everything, the semi-fictional graphic novel adaptation of Kurt Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse-Five, and the so-far-fictional series Dinosaur Comics, Squirrel Girl, and Fantastic Four. He’s an internationally-recognized multiple-New-York-Times-bestselling author whose work has been translated into 16 different languages, and as a linguist, he’s very happy about that. He lives in Toronto, where he once messed up walking his dog so badly it made the news.
Fantastic Four
Danger and Other Unknown Risks
DOM — a.k.a Dominique — PELLETIER started drawing cartoons at a young age and has never put his crayons down, studying graphic communications at Laval University in Quebec City. A lover of the great outdoors, he has planted trees and travelled the world before beginning work as a video game designer. After a fateful meeting at the Quebec Book Fair, Dom teamed up with Éditions Scholastic on their bestselling joke book series. Fifty very funny books later, he has translated his joke book success into the hilarious graphic novel series, The Lunch Club (Les timbrés). He lives with his wife in Saint-Liboire, Quebec.
The Puzzle of Doom
Veronica Raine is an up and coming singer songwriter local to Southern Alberta. Her infatuation with writing music began at age thirteen after picking up the ukulele (a direct influence of Eddie Vedder’s Ukulele Songs album) which then in turn lead her to guitar. Attending any bar with an open mic who would let her through the door, her musical education only strengthened with time, recently being featured on 88.1’s Southern Alberta Songwriter Showcase with over 50 performances under her belt (Even now still playing at any and every bar that will let her in). Known by her heartfelt lyrics and captivating melodies, Veronica has cultivated a distinctive musical style that blends folk, pop, and indie elements.
Omar Ramadan is a Lebanese-Canadian writer, poet, aspiring novelist, and PhD Candidate in the Department of English at the University of Calgary. His work and research revolve around Arab diaspora literature, particularly focused on systems of power, surveillance, and the lasting impact of 9/11 on Arab and Muslim communities in Canada. He is the author of the chapbook Sesame Love and his work has appeared in CV2 and The Polyglot. He lives in amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton).
This Sweet Rupture
Sarah Raughley is a Nigerian-Canadian novelist and a member of the Royal Society of Canada: the national council of distinguished Canadian scholars, scientists, and artists. She’s best known for her YA books: The Effigies Series, The Bones of Ruin Trilogy, and The Queen’s Spade duology. Raughley is also an English professor and public intellectual who has written for journals such as The Washington Post and CBC. You can find out more about her work at sarahraughley.com.
The Queen's Spade
W. Keith Regular PhD. Keith Regular holds a Master of Arts in History from the University of Calgary and a PhD from Memorial University of Newfoundland. Specializing in modern Indigenous and non-Indigenous social and economic relationships, his current research focuses on legal history and the dispensing of justice in the early 20th-century Canadian West, particularly in the Crowsnest Pass. He is also author of the book Neighbours and Networks: The Blood Tribe in the Southern Alberta Economy. Keith lives in Cranbrook. B.C.
Rough & Messy Justice: A Train Heist, Murder, and Misdeeds
JESSICA ROSE is a writer, editor and arts organizer who lives and works in Hamilton, Ontario. A passionate advocate for people and places, she works for a number of not-for-profi t organizations focused on literacy, the arts, the environment, health and food security. A graduate of Carleton University’s School of Journalism, her writing includes the essay “Reclaiming Hamilton Through Artistic and Environmental Interventions” in Reclaiming Hamilton: Essays from the New Ambitious City (Wolsak and Wynn), Creating Healthy Communities (Rubicon Publishing) and the City of Hamilton Biodiversity Action Plan (BAP).
Let's Get Creative: Art for a Better World
Lauren Seal is a writer, librarian, and the third Poet Laureate of St. Albert in Alberta, Canada. She mentors the teen and young adult poets of a spoken word youth choir and her poems have been published in various anthologies. This novel-in-verse, her first book, is inspired by her own experiences with anorexia, anxiety, and hospitalization. When she’s not busy recommending books to library patrons, Lauren can be found reading, writing, and composing poems in her head on long dog walks.
Light Enough to Float
Kevin Van Tighem, a former superintendent of Banff National Park, has written more than 200 articles, stories, and essays on conservation and wildlife which have garnered him many awards, including Western Magazine Awards, Outdoor Writers of Canada book and magazine awards, and the Journey Award for Fiction. He is the author of Bears Without Fear, The Homeward Wolf, Heart Waters: Sources of the Bow River, Our Place: Changing the Nature of Alberta, and Wild Roses Are Worth It: Alberta Reconsidered. He lives with his wife, Gail, in High River, Alberta.
Understory: An Ecologist's Memoir of Loss and Hope
Emily Varga is an internationally bestselling YA author of FOR SHE IS WRATH and the forthcoming THE RIVER SHE BECAME duology. FOR SHE IS WRATH was an instant indie bestseller, a Goodreads Choice nominee and was shortlisted for the Waterstones Children’s Book Prize. She has lived in England, Scotland and Australia but now calls western Canada her home where she lives with her family and their menagerie of pets. When not writing, Emily works as a family lawyer, where she learned more about storytelling than she ever expected. Visit her online at www.emilyvargabooks.com or on Instagram @emilyvargabooks.
For She is Wrath
When life handed Jessica Waite a riveting, horrifying and surprisingly beautiful story, she transformed herself into a writer. Her debut memoir, The Widow’s Guide to Dead Bastards, became an instant bestseller, featured by The Washington Post, Maria Shriver’s Sunday Paper, The Toronto Star, and many other outlets. Jessica lives on Treaty 7 territory in the city of Calgary, Alberta. You can find her at JessicaWaite.work.
The Widow's Guide to Dead Bastards
Lori Weidenhammer, aka Madame Beespeaker, is a performance-based interdisciplinary artist and educator. She is a settler originally from Cactus Lake, Saskatchewan. It is in this place, bordered by wheat fields and wild prairie, that she first became enchanted with bees. For several years she appeared in the persona of Madame Beespeaker, practising the tradition of “telling the bees”. As a food security volunteer, artist and activist Lori works with students of all ages on learning about native bees and gardening for pollinators. She is a founding member of the Native Bee Society of BC and a recipient of the Entomological Society of Canada’s Norman Criddle Award for her work as an amateur naturalist.
Lori is passionate about creating habitat and conserving native habitat for native bees, as well as reworking food systems to be more sustainable for the land, native bees and the humans that work the land. Visit Lori Weidenhammer at https://loriweidenhammer.ca/.
Victory Gardens for Bees
Jodi Willoughby, co-founder of Crave, worked as a clinical director at a high-risk pre-school before teaming up with her sister Carolyne to establish Crave in 2004. Jodi lives with her husband Chris and sons Mac and Griffen in Calgary, Alberta.
Crave: Cupcakes, Cakes, Cookies, and More from an Iconic Bakery
Alberta’s John Wort Hannam has been on a roots-fueled troubadour journey for over two decades, spinning song writing gold from the chaff of the lives he has encountered an those within his fertile imagination. Twenty plus years into his career, he shows no sign of slowing down. In fact, he appears to be gaining both momentum and a wider audience, winning two 2023 Canadian Folk Music Awards for Solo Artist of the Year and Contemporary Album of the Year. Audiences and critics hear something special in his narrative, lyrically driven songs. Effortlessly mixing rich and clear timbered vocals with lyrics that tug at the heart, his sound is both unique and familiar.
Born on the island of Jersey in the UK, he immigrated to Canada at the age of nine, and like a lot of performers, John began his singing career in a choir – the Calgary Boys Choir. He later discovered the guitar and his knack for writing songs in his early thirties while working as a teacher on the Kainai Nation in Blackfoot country. In 2001, John quit his teaching job and made himself a promise – he would try his hand at writing songs for 10 months or until his employment insurance ran out. When time was up, he had a handful of songs. Those songs would become his first recording, Pocket Full of Holes, released in 2003. Today the Alberta musician is recognized as one of the best folk roots songwriters in the province. He has released 8 full length recordings, and has a few feathers in his hat for his effort that included a Juno nomination, three Canadian Folk Music Awards, a coveted Kerrville, TX New Folk Songwriting Competition win and numerous other Canadian Folk Music Award and Western Canadian Music Award nominations.
Emily Yu-Xuan Qin has a Master of Arts from the University of Calgary. She is a first-generation immigrant to Canada. As a child, she was sluggish in learning English—until she picked up her first Animorphs book. She can be found online at EmilyQin.com or @EyxQin on X.
Aunt Tigress