BIPOC Writers Connect

Darby Minott Bradford is a hybrid form writer and translator based in Tio'tia:ke (Montreal). They are the author of Dream of No One but Myself (Brick Books, 2021), which won the A.M. Klein QWF Prize for Poetry, and was a finalist for, among others, the Griffin Poetry Prize and Governor General Literary Awards. Their most recent book of poetry, Bottom Rail on Top, was a finalist for the Raymond Souster Award.

Photo: Sarah Bodri.

Charlene Carr studied literature at university, attaining both a BA and MA in English, including a study program at Oxford. She has independently published nine novels and her first agented novel, Hold My Girl, sold to HarperCollins Canada, and three international publishers. It was shortlisted for the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award and the Dartmouth Book Award and has been optioned for adaptation to the screen. Charlene received grants from Arts Nova Scotia and Canada Council for her most recent novel, We Rip The World Apart. She lives in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia with her husband and young daughters.

Kern Carter, based in Toronto, is an author, educator, and mentor celebrated for his captivating storytelling. With three books published and two more on the horizon for 2024, Kern has garnered critical acclaim and a devoted following. Beyond his writing, he champions emerging talent by creating online platforms that provide a supportive space for new writers to share their work and connect. Through partnerships with various organizations, he amplifies the voices of countless writers who may not have had the opportunity otherwise. Kern's dedication extends to teaching part-time at a local college and conducting workshops on writing craft and the business of being an author. Known for his engaging teaching style, he also offers personalized mentorship to aspiring writers, guiding them through skill development, craft refinement, and publishing challenges.

H Felix Chau Bradley is the author of Personal Attention Roleplay (Metonymy Press), which was a finalist for the Danuta Gleed Literary Award and the Kobo Rakuten Emerging Writer Prize. Their writing has appeared in carte blanche, ESPACE art actuel, the Humber Literary Review, Maisonneuve Magazine, the Montreal Review of Books, PRISM International, Weird Era, Xtra, and elsewhere. They live in Tiohtià:ke (Montreal), and work as an editor for Metonymy Press and This Magazine.

Francine Cunningham is an award-winning writer, artist, and educator who is a member of the Saddle Lake Cree Nation, and is also Métis, and has settler family roots stretching from as far away as Ireland and Belgium. Her debut book of poems On/Me (Caitlin Press) was nominated for the BC and Yukon Book Prize, the Indigenous Voices Award, and the Vancouver Book Award. Her debut book of short stories God Isn’t Here Today (Invisible Publishing) is out now and was longlisted for the inaugural Carol Shields Prize for Fiction, was a finalist for the 2023 Indigenous Voices Award, and won the 2023 ReLit award. Her first children’s book What if bedtime didn’t exist (Annick Press) is out now and was selected as one of the 2024 TD Summer Reads Program books. She was also the 2023/2024 Writer in Residence at the University of Calgary.

Angel Di Zhang was born in northeast China, and raised in China, England, Canada, and the United States. She was educated in the joint BA-MIA program at Columbia University, and is a painter and an internationally exhibited fine art photographer. Her debut novel, The Light of Eternal Spring, published with Random House Canada in 2023. She is the founder and host of the Angel Reading Series which showcases authors who have a recent or forthcoming book. Angel lives in a secret garden floating above Toronto.

Antonio Michael Downing was born in Trinidad and was also raised in Toronto, Kitchener, and Brooklyn. He is an author and performance artist. His memoir Saga Boy was shortlisted for the 2021 Speakers Book Award and Toronto Book Award. He was recognized by the Taylor Prize for Non-fiction as one of Canada's strongest Emerging Authors. His debut children's book Stars in My Crown (Tundra Books) will be available in Summer 2024. His debut novel Black Cherokee will be released by Simon & Schuster in North America in 2025. He writes and performs music as John Orpheus.

Therese Estacion is the author of a Phantompains — a collection of poems, published by Book*Hug, that explores her Filipinx heritage and disability. Phantompains was a finalist for both the 2021 Indies Foreword Reviews and 2021 CLMP Firecracker Award. She has been a guest editor for ARC poetry magazine and helped curate Smutburger’s 2023-2024 series. Therese currently teaches poetry at the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies.

Chelene Knight is the author of five books including Let It Go: Free Yourself From Old Beliefs and Find a New Path To Joy (HarperCollins Canada 2024). Over the past decade, Chelene has meticulously cultivated a robust portfolio of workshops, editorial services, and custom support systems for authors. Her unwavering commitment to nurturing community has birthed an empathetic editorial approach and a mentorship-driven ethos that aids emerging writers in their development. Chelene’s reputation in Canadian Publishing is growing significantly. Chelene was the previous managing editor at Room magazine, festival director for the Growing Room Festival in Vancouver, and worked as a literary agent with the Transatlantic Agency for multiple years. She has also worked as a professor of poetry at the University of Toronto and the University of British Columbia. She is founder of The Forever Writers Club, a membership for writers focused on creative balance, and is now founder of her own creative studio, Breathing Space Creative through which she’s launched the Thrive Coaching Program where busy creatives can learn how personal development creates the mindset needed to better manage their energy and make space for all the things they are passionate about. Chelene’s guided journal for authors is forthcoming with House of Anansi in 2025. 

Photo: Maxine Bulloch.

Derek Mascarenhas’s short story collection, Coconut Dreams, was called a "stunning debut" in Quill and Quire's starred review and The Globe and Mail named it one of the best reads from Canadian small presses. Derek’s first picture book, 100 Chapatis, was praised by Kirkus Reviews as “warm and reassuring,” and his second, The Mango Monster, arrives September 2024. Derek is also working on a speculative novel, and currently teaches at the University of Toronto SCS.

Mahtab Narsimhan is an internationally published, award-winning author of over twenty critically acclaimed books in the fantasy, horror, mystery, and contemporary genres. Mahtab writes for all age groups — from picture books to young adult novels, many of which have been shortlisted for the Silver Birch, Red Maple, SYRCA, MYRCA, Best Books for Teen and YA, and the CLA Book of the Year, Children’s Awards. The Third Eye, her debut novel, won the Silver Birch Fiction Award in 2009. She is deeply committed to representation and inclusivity in her work. 

Danny Ramadan is a Syrian-Canadian author and LGBTQ-refugees advocate. His novels, The Clothesline Swing (Nightwood - 2017) and The Foghorn Echoes (Penguin - 2022) continue to receive accolades. His award-winning children’s series The Salma Books is released by Annick Press. It includes picture book Salma the Syrian Chef (2020), and early chapters books Salma Makes a Home and Salma Writes a Book (2023). He released his memoir Crooked Teeth (Penguin) in 2024. His short stories and essays have appeared in publications across North America and Europe. Since his arrival to Canada, Ramadan has raised over $300,000 for LGBTQ+ identifying refugees.

Born in Valdivia, Chile, bilingual writer Carmen Rodríguez came to Canada as a political exile in 1974. She is the author of Guerra Prolongada/Protracted War (Women’s Press, 1992), a volume of poetry; and a body to remember with/De Cuerpo Entero (Arsenal Pulp Press/Editorial Los Andes, 1997), a collection of short stories; and two novels: Retribution (Women’s Press Literary, 2011) and Atacama (Fernwood/Roseway Publishing, 2021). Chiles Døtre, the Norwegian version of Retribution was released in 2013 by Oslo's Juritzen Forlag. De Cuerpo Entero was awarded an Honorary Mention of Santiago’s “Premio Municipal de Literatura” in 1998, while and a body to remember with was a finalist for the Vancouver Book Award, also in 1998. Retribution obtained second place in the Best Popular Novel category of the 2012 International Latino Book Awards, while in 2022, Retribution was awarded an Honorary Mention in the Best Historical Novel category of those same awards. In addition to being a writer, Rodríguez has worked extensively as an educator and journalist. Until her retirement in 2012, she taught in the Latin American Studies Program of Simon Fraser University and was Vancouver correspondent for the Spanish language section of Radio Canada International. Also, she was a founding member and part of the editorial board of Aquelarre Magazine, a bilingual Latin American women's quarterly published in Vancouver between 1988 and 1997.

Anuja Varghese (she/her) is an award-winning writer and editor based in Hamilton, Ontario. Her work has appeared in several literary magazines and anthologies, and she is the Fiction Editor at the Ex-Puritan. Her debut short story collection, titled Chrysalis (House of Anansi) explores South Asian diaspora experience through a feminist, speculative lens. In 2023, Chrysalis won the Writers' Trust of Canada's Dayne Ogilvie Prize and the Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction, and in 2024 was longlisted for the Carol Shields Prize for Fiction. Find Anuja on Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok (@anuja_v across platforms) or through her website.

Zenia Wadhwani is the author of Once Upon A Sari and ‘Twas the Night Before Diwali, stories inspired by her daughter and a desire to see greater diversity in children’s literature. Not surprisingly, she is a lover of books, an advocate for literacy and a promoter of emerging writers. Zenia’s days are spent working on matters related to equity and inclusion. She lives in Toronto with her family.

Bailey Davis is an emerging author with a passion for crafting short stories, nonfiction, and the occasional poem. With a background in professional, academic, and creative writing, Bailey brings a diverse skillset to the table. A proud individual of mixed Wolastoqiyik and European heritage, Bailey grew up in New Brunswick, Canada, and now resides in the Halton Region in Southern Ontario. As a former mentee in the very program they’re now moderating, Bailey is excited to meet this year’s cohort and hear some inspiring tales. Beyond writing, Bailey finds joy in trail running, kayaking, hiking, and traveling. A lover of good humour, you can often find them, on the couch or from the crowd, laughing at stand-up comedy. Bailey looks forward to fostering a vibrant and inclusive discussion at the event.

Photo: Allison Clark.

Jazz Cook (she/they) is an Acquisitions and Development Editor at Fernwood Publishing and its literary imprint, Roseway Publishing. She is a current board member for both BIPOC of Publishing in Canada and the Book and Periodical Council. She is also an advisor, member, and active volunteer for the Indigenous Editors Association where she advocates for Indigenous self-determination and respectful representation within the book publishing industry and larger arts and culture landscapes.

Amanda Ferreira is an editor with Random House Canada. She primarily edits adult commercial fiction, and is drawn to books with an early hook and YA crossover appeal. She acquires in every genre (except horror), with a special interest in fantasy, romance, and mystery. In particular, she strives to amplify BIPOC and LGBTQ+ voices. Recent releases by her authors include Knives, Seasoning, and a Dash of Love by Katrina Kwan, A Sweet Sting of Salt by Rose Sutherland, and The Sins on Their Bones by Laura R. Samotin.

Fazeela Jiwa is a writer and an acquisitions and development editor with Fernwood Publishing, an independent publisher focused on social justice.

Nour Sallam is an associate literary agent at P.S. Literary Agency representing adult fiction and nonfiction. She has a BA in English Literature and Political Science from the University of British Columbia and studied publishing at Toronto Metropolitan University. As an Arab woman and an immigrant, she loves books that amplify joy and connection, and/or feature complex and nuanced histories, power dynamics, or underrepresented narratives. She represents upmarket and commercial fiction as well as select literary fiction. She also works on thrillers, mysteries, horror, and romance. In nonfiction, she is drawn to big-idea books and narratives on pop culture, art, and nature.

Sneha Subramanian Kanta is a multi-genre writer, academician, and author of five chapbooks. Her collection Hiraeth was a finalist for the 2024 RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers and has been published digitally with Apple Books and as an audiobook with Penguin Random House Canada. An award-winning writer, her work has been recognized by several institutions including Ontario Arts Council, Tin House, The Charles Wallace Trust, The Vijay Nambisan Foundation, The Writers' Trust of Canada, and British Council. Her multi-genre work has been published in Room, Grain, UBC's PRISM international, Sheridan's The Ampersand Review, and elsewhere. Her work has been widely anthologized internationally including in The Penguin Book of Indian Poets (ed. Jeet Thayil) published by The Penguin Random House imprint Hamish Hamilton and Between Paradise & Earth: Eve Poems (ed. Nomi Stone & Luke Hankins) published by Orison Books. She is one of the founding editors of Parentheses Journal.

Natalie Tin Yin Gan (顏婷妍) writes, teaches, and choreographs in so-called Vancouver, on the unceded ancestral lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Her practice squats at the intersection of spirit, somatics, and technology-induced melancholy. Natalie is the Co-Artistic Director of Hong Kong Exile that explores the historical and contemporary politic of the Chinese diaspora. She is a certified Fitzmaurice Voicework® teacher and lead writer for indie video game company, Sunset Visitor Studios. Natalie is a late sleeper, a late riser, a late bloomer, a latecomer, and a late-night snacker. @pinki_yinki

Yasemin Uçar is Editorial Development Director at Kids Can Press. She has been editing children’s books for nearly three decades, and has worked across all genres — picture books, fiction, non-fiction and graphic novels. Before joining KCP in 2012, Yasemin worked at Scholastic Canada, at Piccadilly Press in the UK, and as a freelance editor. She has worked with many popular and award-winning authors and illustrators, including Louise Rennison, Chieri Uegaki, and Ashley Spires.