MENTORS

Matthew Walsh is a queer poet from Nova Scotia, Canada. Born in Halifax, they grew up just outside Musquodobit Harbour, along the eastern shore. Walsh grew up on the ocean in a small fishing community nestled in the armpit of Nova Scotia. Their debut collection of poetry, these are not the potatoes of my youth, was published by Goose Lane Editions in 2019, which was shortlisted for the Trillium Book Award as well as the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award.

Amber McMillan is the author of four books: We Can't Ever Do This Again (2015), The W oods: A Year on Protection Island (2016), The Running Trees (2021), recently shortlisted for the Atlantic Book and New Brunswick Book Award, and finally, This is a Stick Up, coming out this fall with Wolsak & Wynn.

Sam Hiyate is a literary agent and owner of The Rights Factory, with twenty-five years of experience in the publishing industry. He lives in Toronto.

Rebecca Papucaru's first collection of poetry, The Panic Room (Nightwood Editions, 2017),was a finalist for the A.M. Klein Prize for Poetry (Quebec Writers Federation) and the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award, Her poems have appeared in several anthologies, including Best Canadian Poetry in English (2010). She was a finalist for the Penguin Random House of Canada Student Award for Fiction (2004). She lives in the Eastern Townships, Quebec.

Nathaniel G. Moore is the author of nine books, including Savage 1986-2011, winner of the 2014 ReLit Award for Best Novel. A book publicist by day, abstract painter by night, he lives in Fredericton with his wife, Amber McMillan.

Matthew Gwathmey was born in Richmond, Virginia and studied creative writing at the University of Virginia. His poems have appeared in Grain, Crazyhorse, Prairie Fire, The Iowa Review, and other literary magazines. He became a Canadian citizen in 2013 and lives with his wife and children in Fredericton, New Brunswick, where he is a PhD student at the University of New Brunswick. He also works at The Learning Bar on Confident Learners, an Indigenous literacy program. His debut collection of poetry, Our Latest in Folktales was recently published by Brick Books.

Hollay Ghadery (she) is a writer living in rural Ontario on Anishinaabe land. She has her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph. Her fiction, non-fiction, and poetry have been published in various literary journals, and she is currently the Reviews Editor of Minola Review. Fuse, her memoir of mixed-race identity and mental health, was released by Guernica Editions’ MiroLand imprint in spring of 2021. Her debut collection of poetry, Rebellion Box, is due to be released in spring of 2023 with Radiant Press.

Charlie Petch (they/them, he/him) is a disabled/queer/transmasculine multidisciplinary artist who resides in Tkaronto/Toronto. A poet, playwright, librettist, musician, lighting designer, and host, Petch was the 2017 Poet of Honour for the speakNORTH national festival, winner of the Golden Beret lifetime achievement in spoken word with The League of Canadian Poets (2020), and founder of Hot Damn it's a Queer Slam. Petch is a touring performer, as well as a mentor and workshop facilitator. Their debut poetry collection, Why I Was Late (Brick Books), won the 2022 ReLit Award, and was named "Best of 2021" by The Walrus. Their film with Opera QTO, Medusa's Children, is launching in June 2022. They have been featured on the CBC's Q, the Toronto International Festival of Authors, and were longlisted for the CBC Poetry Prize in 2021.

Greg Santos is a poet, editor, and educator. He is the author of three poetry collections, The Emperor's Sofa, Rabbit Punch! and most recently Ghost Face. He lives in Montreal.

K.R. Wilson grew up in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, where he obtained a Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Calgary. In 2018 his debut novel, An Idea About My Dead Uncle, won the inaugural Guernica Prize for unpublished literary fiction, and was published by Guernica Editions in 2019. He lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada with his wife and daughter. His second novel, Call Me Stan: A Tragedy in Three Millennia is currently on the longlist for the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour.

MORE MENTORS COMING SOON.