Hana Etsuko Dethlefsen

Growing up Canadian in a mixed Japanese-German household, Hana Etsuko Dethlefsen is perfectly poised to translate authentic Japanese home cooking for an English-speaking audience. While living in Japan she did just that: Her monthly column "Forking with Hana" helped fellow ex-pats navigate the grocery aisles and keep themselves well fed. Since returning to Canada, Hana continued to share her love of Japanese food by writing a recipe column for OopsS magazine and by teaching Japanese home cooking at the University of British Columbia. Hana has launched herself into the cookbook world with a bang. Her self-published book, LET'S COOKING, celebrated a 205% successful crowdfunding campaign, raising more than $14,000 for printing and production. Gusto TV hired her to host "One World Kitchen," a cooking show celebrating the diversity of Canadian cuisine. She has spoken at a number of lectures, sharing her love and knowledge of Japanese food, and continues to develop recipes and do more research on Japanese food, recipes and food history.

Represented by Jesse Finkelstein, [email protected].

Angie Abdou

Angie Abdou has published four books, including three novels: THE BONE CAGE (a CBC Canada Reads finalist in 2011), THE CANTERBURY TRAIL (a Banff Mountain Book finalist in 2011) and BETWEEN (Arsenal Press, 2014). The latter has been reviewed favourably in The Globe and Mail, National Post, Winnipeg Review, Quill & Quire and the Vancouver Sun. In the United States, New York's Library Journal listed Between as a Top 13 Indie Pick for spring 2015. For The Bone Cage, Angie won the 2012 MacEwan Book of the Year, and in doing so joined a prestigious group of authors, including Margaret Atwood and Yann Martel. Between was named a "Best of 2014" book by PRISM Magazine, 49th Shelf and the Vancouver Sun. Angie is an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at Athabasca University. Her nonfiction has appeared in various magazines and newspapers, including National Post and Elle magazine.

Represented by Jesse Finkelstein, [email protected], and Samantha Haywood, [email protected].

Ester Zirkind

An alumna of the Humber School for Writers, Ester has been mentored by David Adams Richards and her writing has been workshopped by Wayson Choy and David Besmozgis. She is writing a memoir that invites the reader to look close-up at a Jewish community known for its enigmatic mysticism, the world of Chabad Chassidim. Her story invokes the painful questions of life as she struggles through a four year battle with cancer in her mid-twenties. However, the climax of the narrative - the completely unexpected death of her son from a simple childhood disease - places the cancer under the category of ordinary sorrows and tests her faith in ways she could never have imagined. David Adams Richards calls her book "wonderful" and "the kind of work a publisher should be honored to publish." When she is not writing, Ester is a Judaic studies teacher, a Rabbi's wife, a mother and a grandmother. In her spare time, she writes and directs plays.

Represented by Jesse Finkelstein, [email protected].

Samra Habib

Samra Habib is a journalist and a visual activist. Her groundbreaking photo documentary series Just me and Allah: Photographs of Queer Muslims has exhibited around the world and has garnered praise from The Guardian , Vanity Fair Italia , i-D , BBC , NPR , Washington Post , The Advocate , PBS Newshour and many other international media outlets. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times , The Guardian , Vice , The Advocate , The Globe and Mail , Public Radio International and Fashion magazine. She has been invited to speak about Islam, gender and sexuality by Columbia University, Harvard, Wellesley College, University of North Carolina and the World Social Forum. She continues to work with various LGBTQI organizations internationally to raise awareness about issues that impact queer Muslims in different parts of the world. Samra was born in Lahore, Pakistan and moved to Canada with her family as a refugee.

Represented by Samantha Haywood, [email protected].

Becky Blake

Becky Blake is a past winner of the CBC Short Story Prize. Her short fiction and articles have appeared in publications across Canada, including This Magazine, subTerrain, Taddle Creek, Room, enRoute, The Coast and NOW Magazine. Her debut novel about thieves, squatters and graffiti artists in Barcelona is forthcomingin spring 2019. Becky holds an MFA in creative writing from the University of Guelph. She currently lives in Toronto where she is working on a short story collection and a second novel. More information can be found at: www.beckyblake.ca. 

Represented by Stephanie Sinclair, [email protected].

Reema Patel

Reema Patel has a B.A. in political science and international development studies from McGill University, and a J.D. from the University of Windsor. Her first novel idea came after working in Mumbai's social justice sector, first as an intern in a street child-focused NGO, and again after her first year of law school in a human rights law office. The second chapter of this novel won the 2013 Penguin Random House Student Award for Fiction at the University of Toronto's School of Continuing Studies. Reema has since worked with Diaspora Dialogues and the novel will be ready for submission this fall.

Represented by Stephanie Sinclair, [email protected].

Ian Colford

Ian Colford is an award-winning writer living in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Since 1990 his stories, reviews and commentary have appeared in literary publications in print and online. His short story, "The Reason for the Dream," appeared in the Journey Prize Anthology and was one of three finalists for the prize. He has completed residencies at the Hawthornden Castle International Retreat for Writers (1998, 2010) and Yaddo (2008). EVIDENCE, a collection of linked stories, was published in 2008 by Porcupine's Quill, and won the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award; Evidence was also shortlisted for the Danuta Gleed Literary Award, the Thomas Head Raddall Atlantic Fiction Prize and the ReLit Award. A novel, THE CRIMES OF HECTOR TOM ÁS, was published in 2012 by Freehand Books and won Trade Book of the Year at the 2013 Alberta Book Awards. PERFECT WORLD, a novella, was published by Freehand in 2016. More information can be found at www.iancolford.com. 

Represented by Stephanie Sinclair, [email protected].

Joshna Maharaj

Joshna Maharaj is a busy chef with big ideas about good food! Joshna's strong social justice and sustainability ethics are rooted in her time at The Stop, a community food centre where she built innovative and delicious community food programs. Recently, Joshna has been working with institutions in Toronto building new models for large-scale food procurement, production and service, proving that the institution is a viable tool for social change. Joshna is currently an expert panelist on TVO's " The Agenda" with Steve Paikin and makes regular appearances on CBC radio. She is also a two-time TEDx speaker and recently made the shortlist of nominees for the inaugural Basque Culinary World Prize, recognizing chefs who use gastronomy to make social change. Joshna has just joined the Gladstone Hotel in Toronto as their new Executive Chef.

Represented by Jesse Finkelstein, [email protected].