Voix de 2026
Donna Jones Alward is the author of Ship of Dreams, set aboard Titanic and concluding in Halifax, NS, and When the World Fell Silent, a novel of the Halifax Explosion that spent over 40 weeks on Canadian bestseller lists. While her third historical fiction is scheduled for 2027, in her former life she was a romance novelist with 65 titles to her credit. Her romance titles have won awards, hit bestseller lists, and have been translated into over a dozen languages. She lives in Fall River, NS.
Chris Bailey
Chris Bailey is a commercial fisherman from eastern Prince Edward Island. His work has appeared in Brick, Event, Best Canadian Stories, and elsewhere. He is the author of poetry collections What Your Hands Have Done (Nightwood Editions) and Forecast: Pretty Bleak (McClelland & Stewart).
Sharon Bala’s second novel, Good Guys, was published in January 2026. Publishers Weekly calls it “quietly profound” and a “blackly comic tale.” Her best-selling debut novel, The Boat People, won a Newfoundland & Labrador Book Award and the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction, was short listed for several awards, and is in translation in four languages. Her short fiction has won the Journey Prize and been published in: Best Canadian Stories 2024, Hazlitt, Grain, PRISM international, The New Quarterly, and Maisonneuve. Her non-fiction has appeared in The Globe & Mail, Maclean’s, and elsewhere. Sharon is the Creative Non-Fiction editor at Riddle Fence Magazine.
Linwood Barclay, a New York Times bestselling author with over twenty novels to his credit, spent three decades in newspapers, including The Toronto Star where he was one of the paper’s most popular columnists before turning full time to writing thrillers. His books have been translated into more than two dozen languages, sold millions of copies, and he counts Stephen King among his fans. Many of his books have been optioned for film and TV, a series has been made in France, and he wrote the screenplay for the film based on his novel Never Saw it Coming. Born in the US, his parents moved to Canada just as he was turning four, and he’s lived there ever since. He lives near Toronto with his wife, Neetha. They have two grown children.
Tracy Belsher
Tracy Belsher is part of the team at Acorn Press, taking on graphic design, acquisitions, and project management. She also writes as Judith Graves, and is an award-winning young adult fiction writer (Exposed and Infiltrate: Retribution Series) as well as a screenwriter and illustrator. Things That Stink is her third title with Acorn Press and was inspired by her absolute need to understand why sometimes rain smells like dead worms. Judith writes with a sense of wonder, humour, and heart. She lives near the sea on Prince Edward Island with her husband and rescue pup – who is always finding the stinky stuff during their beach walks.
Melissa & Emily Bender
Melissa and Emily Bender are the daughter and granddaughter of well-known and beloved children’s book author / illustrator Phoebe Gilman. Phoebe is the creator of many classic titles including Jillian Jiggs, Something from Nothing and The Balloon Tree. Together they run a whimsical bookshop in downtown Charlottetown called The Chocolate Chicken where they display Phoebe’s artwork, sell Canadian children’s books and host workshops, classes and presentations. The shop has a fully stocked craft area which is open and free to use for anyone needing an art break whenever the shop is open, and they love sharing stories about Phoebe with new friends that come to visit. This summer Melissa and Emily are proud to be rereleasing Phoebe’s book, Pirate Pearl, with Pownal Street Press.
Renee Blanchette was an educator in Charlottetown Prince Edward Island for 28 years. Enriched by the dual perspective of her French and English families, she has been writing poetry and short stories her whole life but has only recently begun to publish. Her Chapbook, On a Blue Colander, was well received in 2014 as was her poetry collection Monday’s Child, published by Acorn Press in 2024. In the near future, she hopes to complete another edition of poetry, a collection of short stories and is working on a memoir.
Crime fighter by day. Crime writer by night. N.L. (Natasha) Blandford is the author of six psychological thrillers. Her 2020 drabble titled Love of a Life Time won the Arlene Duane Hemingway Unconditional Love Drabble Challenge. Known as a Queen of Cliffhangers, she’s passionate about creating awareness around social issues through fictional stories, while cunning and fearless characters take you on thrilling journeys rooted in truth. Her passion for helping others become the hero of their writing life pushed her to launch Novel Bound Consulting – Personalized Coaching for Writers: From Idea to Publication, where she mentors and coaches others on writing craft. In her down time, she’s an avid reader and snuggler of two cats, a dog, and a husband.
Roxanne Bouchard
A novelist, essayist and playwright, Roxanne Bouchard has published ten titles, which have won numerous awards. Her crime novels, featuring investigator Joaquin Moralès, are set on the Gaspé Peninsula.
A bestseller in Quebec, the series has also made a name for itself beyond the province’s borders. Nous étions le sel de la mer won the prestigious Quais du Polar / Journal du Dimanche Readers’ Prize (2023) in Lyon, whilst La mariée de corail was awarded the Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence (2021) and the Prix Mystère de la critique (2024) in France. Le Murmure des hakapiks was awarded the Prix des Encres Noires (2025).
The Moralès series is also sold in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Spain and Egypt.
Romancière, essayiste et dramaturge, Roxanne Bouchard a publié une dizaine de titres qui ont remporté de nombreux prix. Ses romans policiers mettant en vedette l’enquêteur Joaquin Moralès se situent dans la péninsule gaspésienne.
Best seller au Québec, la série s’illustre aussi hors de la belle province. Nous étions le sel de la mer a remporté le prestigieux Prix des lecteurs Quais du Polar / Journal du Dimanche (2023) à Lyon, La mariée de corail s’est mérité le Prix d’excellence de la Crime Writers of Canada (2021) et le Prix Mystère de la critique (2024) en France. Le Murmure des hakapiks s’est quant à lui vu décerné le Prix des Encres Noires (2025).
La série Moralès est aussi vendue au Royaume Uni, en Allemagne, en France, en Italie, en Espagne et en Égypte.
Ronald Boudreau
First and foremost a teacher, Ronald Boudreau is a keen observer of the Canadian Francophone community. Originally from New Brunswick, he held various posts within the Nova Scotia education system before going on to lead research for the Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF) in support of French-language schools in minority communities. His involvement on the national stage began with his collaboration with parents’ movements and continued with associations such as the Canadian Association for French-Language Education (ACELF) in the field of identity building and francisation. He is the originator of Pedagogy in French-Language Schools (PELF), a concept that addresses the specific challenges of teaching and learning in an English-dominant environment.
Enseignant avant tout, Ronald Boudreau est un fervent observateur de la francophonie canadienne. Originaire du Nouveau-Brunswick, il a occupé divers postes dans le système d’éducation de la Nouvelle-Écosse pour ensuite diriger les recherches de la Fédération canadienne des enseignantes et des enseignants (FCE) en appui aux écoles de langue française en contexte minoritaire. Son engagement sur la scène nationale est né de sa collaboration avec les mouvements de parents, pour se poursuivre avec des associations telles que l’Association canadienne d’éducation de langue française (ACELF) dans le domaine de la construction identitaire et de la francisation. Il est l’instigateur de la Pédagogie à l’école de langue française (PELF), concept qui cible la spécificité de l’enseignement et de l’apprentissage en milieu anglo-dominant.
Denise Bruce is a Prince Edward Island-based artist, writer, and L. M. Montgomery historian specializing in the real places and circumstances that shaped Montgomery’s writing.
She is the creator of Denise of Ingleside Tours, which offers literary tours devoted exclusively to Montgomery’s life on Prince Edward Island, visiting the island haunts and landscapes that inspired her writing.
Denise’s work is shaped by her kinship with “Maud’s island”: a love of old homesteads, red roads, seaside shores, and the ache and beauty of belonging. Walk where history once lived and by the tour’s end, she hopes visitors may feel what Montgomery once described: “As white sand beach and murmuring ocean, on homestead lights and old fields by dead and gone generations who loved them, and you say, “Why…I have come home.”–L.M. Montgomery – The Alpine Path – Everywoman’s World, 1917
When she is not guiding visitors across Maud’s Island, Denise continues her research, as well as her painting and writing on this little Island she calls home.
Terrilee Bulger is the co-owner and General Manager of Nimbus Publishing, the largest English-language publisher east of Toronto, and serves as Publisher of The Acorn Press. Bulger has worked in the book industry since her teenage years and joined Nimbus Publishing in 2004. In 2012, she and business partner Heather Bryan purchased the company to keep it independent and rooted in Atlantic Canada.
Under this leadership, Nimbus has expanded its publishing program to produce more than 50 titles annually across genres including fiction, non-fiction, history, and children’s books, with a strong focus on Atlantic Canadian stories and culture.
Bulger is an active leader in Canada’s publishing community, serving on industry boards such as the Access Copyright Foundation and the Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association. She has been recognized by Quill & Quire as one of the Canadian book industry’s “ones to watch under 35.”
Passionate about storytelling and regional voices, Bulger is committed to supporting independent publishing and amplifying stories from Atlantic Canada.
Lisa is a PEI author, teacher, and choir enthusiast whose stories blend heart, humour, and playful language. With a master’s degree in Literacy Education, she works as a literacy coach with the Department of Education and Early Years. Her stories have been recognized in the 2025 Kidlit Chuckle Challenge and both Susannah Leonard Hill’s Halloweensie and Valentiny contests. Lisa lives with her husband, Shawn, their two boys, Gabe and Kieran. When Lisa isn’t writing, she likes to drink coffee and snuggle her mini poodle, Rusty.
Susan Christensen has a passion for the arts and for her island home. She has travelled extensively, enabling her to appreciate the beauty and serenity of Prince Edward Island. “Each spring, as I see the land awaken with its lush red soil, the greens of the trees and fields, the blues of the ocean and sky, I feel an awakening in my soul and a renewing of my deep love for this island that has always been my home.” Susan has shown her artwork both locally and internationally. Her image “Beach Walk, PEI” was chosen to represent PEI at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver. Her art was also featured on the Marilyn Dennis TV show in the fall of 2022.
Trevor Corkum
Trevor Corkum’s debut novel Here with You is forthcoming with Knopf Canada. His work has appeared in Canada’s leading periodicals, including the Toronto Star and Globe and Mail. He currently serves as the Atlantic Canadian correspondent for The Walrus. Trevor’s story “Lost Boys” was shortlisted for the 2023 Commonwealth Short Story Prize and his writing has been recognized with nominations for the Journey Prize, National Magazine Award for Fiction, Western Magazine Award for Personal Journalism, and the CBC Short Story and CBC Nonfiction Prizes. Trevor holds an MFA in Creative Writing from UBC and a PhD in Adult Education from the University of Toronto. On PEI, he is a co-proprietor of The Hideout, which offers annual self-directed residencies for Canadian and international writers.
Alma Fullerton
Alma Fullerton is an award winning author- author/illustrator. She lives in PEI with her husband, and dog. Born in Ontario Canada, she grew up in a large military family and has lived in Ontario, British Columbia, Nova Scotia and Germany. Alma struggled with reading and memorized most things until the age of nine when, with the help of her grade four teacher, she realized she had dyslexia. By grade nine Alma loved reading. Besides writing and illustrating Alma now works in schools as an educational assistant who helps children with learning disabilities figure out the best way for them to learn.
Tara Gereaux is the author of Saltus, which was shortlisted for the 2022 ReLit Novel Award and three Saskatchewan Book Awards; and Size of a Fist, a teen novella, which was also shortlisted for two Saskatchewan Book Awards. Tara holds an MFA in creative writing from UBC and has worked as a writer and story editor for film and television. She is a citizen of the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan and lives in Regina on Treaty 4 territory and the homeland of the Métis.
DR. Brian Goldman is an ER doctor and a bestselling author. His CBC Radio show and podcast, White Coat, Black Art, has been on the air for over a decade. A sought-after speaker, he is also the host of The Dose, a CBC podcast about personal health. Brian Goldman lives in Toronto with his family.
Former television scriptwriter and advertising copywriter, Vicki Grant has been called “a superb storyteller” (Canadian Children’s Book Centre) and “one of the funniest writers working today” (Vancouver Sun). Her young adult books have been translated into seventeen languages and won numerous awards here and in the States. Her latest kidlit mystery, DEATH BY WHOOPIE CUSHION, is up for five awards this spring, including the Crime Writers of Canada Award of Excellence. She recently published her adult debut mystery, THESE ARE THE FIREWORKS which the Globe and Mail described as “a winner. (Grant) has a gift for character-building and it pairs brilliantly with the twisty plot.” Vicki lives in Halifax.
Kara Griffin
Kara Griffin is a children’s author whose stories are inspired by her love for the natural world. Her books The Sea That Sings To Me and Flitt’s Call, were published by Acorn Press in 2023, and both shortlisted for the PEI Book Award for children’s literature in 2024. Her most recent book with Acorn Press, OWL, was selected by The Canadian Children’s Book Centre for their Best Books for Kids & Teens, Spring 2026 list. Chosen by Friesens for their 2026 I Love to Read Month book, OWL was shared with Grade 2 students across Pembina Valley in Manitoba. Born and raised in PEI, Kara has long loved the Island’s North Shore and she is delighted to be part of the Cavendish Literary Festival.
Nicholas Herring
Nicholas Herring’s debut novel Some Hellish won the 2022 Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize and was a national bestseller. His second, Your Breath in Charcoal, will be published in the fall of 2026. He works as a fisherman and a carpenter on PEI.
Uzma Jalaluddin is a critically acclaimed and bestselling novelist, playwright, and teacher. She writes nuanced and entertaining stories about Muslims, South Asians, and Canadians and is the author of Much Ado About Nada, Three Holidays and a Wedding, Hana Khan Carries On, and Ayesha at Last. as well as her first play, The Rishta. Her novels have been optioned for film and television, including by Amazon Studios and Mindy Kaling. A high school English teacher, Jalaluddin is also a former contributor to the Toronto Star and the Atlantic. She lives near Toronto with her family.
Wayne Johnston
Wayne Johnston was born and raised in Goulds, Newfoundland. His #1 nationally bestselling novels include First Snow, Last Light; The Custodian of Paradise; The Navigator of New York; and The Colony of Unrequited Dreams. Baltimore’s Mansion won the inaugural Charles Taylor Prize for literary non-fiction. The Colony of Unrequited Dreams, published in 1998, was nominated for sixteen national and international awards including the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction, and was a Canada Reads finalist. In 2011, Johnston was awarded the Writers’ Trust Engel/Findley Award honouring the work of a writer in mid-career. His memoir Jennie’s Boy won the 2023 Stephen Leacock Memorial Medal for Literary Humour and was also a Canada Reads finalist, in 2025.
Jane Ledwell is a writer, poet, and editor who grew up in Epekwitk/Prince Edward Island, and now lives in Charlottetown with her family. She is a graduate of Mt. Allison University in Canada and the University of Waikato in Aotearoa/New Zealand. She has published three books of poetry, Last Tomato, Bird Calls: The Island Responds, and Return of the Wild Goose, contributed to I Am an Island That Dreams, a book about Island writer, publisher, and visual artist Elaine Harrison and co-edited two academic volumes about L.M. Montgomery. She is a past recipient of the award for Distinguished Contribution to the Literary Arts in PEI. She is past Executive Director of the Advisory Council on the Status of Women and current Executive Director of CreativePEI.
Genevieve Loughlin
Genevieve is the publisher of Pownal Street Press and its romance imprint, Sugar Shack Books, where she oversees every phase of a book’s journey—from design and production to distribution and sales. An avid romance reader, she launched Sugar Shack Books in June 2026 to champion the genre with the same care she brings to every PSP title. Genevieve holds a Master of Publishing from Simon Fraser University. She began her publishing career at Raincoast Books during the Harry Potter years before co-owning a sales agency that represented publishers to bookstores across Canada.
Chef Adam Loo is a chef and entrepreneur. Born in the heart of Prince Edward Island’s farm country, Adam grew up and lived through twenty years in kitchens, before opening his own restaurant, Ada Culinary Studio. He hopes his story inspires others in rural environments to become their own innovators. He lives with his wife and children in Charlottetown. Let Rise is his first book.
Carrie Lundy is a school teacher, yoga instructor and author who leads with an open heart, something that comes through in her writing and teaching. She enjoys communing with nature, immersing herself in new places and people, and learning more about the mind-body-heart connection. Lundy has been teaching on her mat and in the classroom for 16 years. In 2022, she published her first book, So Hum, a collection of poetry capturing love and loss through the lens of yoga.
Katie Mac writes noir, thrillers and westerns, all with a little bit of love and comedy. She co-wrote the Bell Fibe TV1 show Currie, based on the life of PEI-born wild west outlaw George ‘Flat Nose’ Currie. Katie received an Island Literary Award for her short story ‘The Key to Wednesdays’ and her debut noir novel, Ken’s Corner was published in 2024.
Edward MacDonald
Edward MacDonald is a Professor Emeritus in History at the University of Prince Edward Island, where he taught PEI, Atlantic Canadian, and Canadian history after an early career as a museum curator. An historian of place, he has authored, co-authored, edited, or compiled 12 books and over 50 articles dealing with the social and environmental history of his native PEI, most notably If You’re Stronghearted: Prince Edward Island in the 20th Century and, with Alan MacEachern, The Summer Trade: A History of Tourism on Prince Edward Island. His most recent book, The Geography of Home: Poems for a Lost Time (Island Studies Press, 2025), combines history, memoir, and poetry to explore the Prince Edward Island of the 1950s and ’60s.
Stephens Gerard Malone’s first novel was published under a pseudonym in 1994. Since then, he’s explored subjects ranging from war-torn Europe to Victorian elephants to mid-century Halifax. His novel of rural angst, Miss Elva, was shortlisted for the Dartmouth Book Award, and his novel of 1930s Germany, I Still Have a Suitcase in Berlin, has been translated into French. In The Unnameable, Malone returned to his childhood on CFB Rockcliffe, an air force base once located in Ottawa, in an exploration of masculinity and sexuality, shame and secrets, during the turbulent years between Expo 67 and the 1970 October Crisis.
Sandra McIntyre is a writer, book editor and writing instructor. Her short fiction has appeared in Prairie Fire and Freq. In a twenty-five-year career as a book editor, Sandra has worked both in-house and freelance, and has edited hundreds of books across categories and genres. She delivers in-demand writing courses, webinars and presentations on writing craft, self-editing skills and the ins and outs of book publishing. She holds a master’s degree in English and specializes in fiction editing through Parlay Manuscript Services. Sandra lives with her family in Nova Scotia’s beautiful Annapolis Valley.
Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail is the author of eight books for children and adults, including Flying High on PEI (Acorn), Children of the SS Atlantic (Nimbus), and Freddie the Flyer (Tundra). Her titles have received an Atlantic Book Award and First Nations Communities Read Award, been shortlisted for the Hackmatack Award, and are included in Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library. Danielle is former Historian Laureate for the City of Edmonton; Berton House Writer in Residence in Dawson City, Yukon; and was Maverick of the Year for Chatelaine. She now makes her home by the sea in Nova Scotia with her family and pets. www.daniellemc.com
Donna Morrissey is the author of the nationally bestselling memoir Pluck, which was a finalist for the Atlantic Book Awards’ Non-Fiction Award, and of seven acclaimed and bestselling novels, including the national bestseller Rage the Night. She won the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award and the Arthur Ellis Award for Best Crime Fiction for The Fortunate Brother; Sylvanus Now was shortlisted for the Commonwealth Writers’ Prize; and The Deception of Livvy Higgs was a One Read pick for Nova Scotia in 2017. Her fiction has also won awards in the US and the UK, and has been translated into several languages. Born and raised in Newfoundland, she lives in Halifax.
Amanda Peters is a writer of Mi’kmaq and settler ancestry and a member of Glooscap First Nation. Her debut novel, The Berry Pickers, was the winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Fiction, the Barnes and Noble Discover Prize, the Dartmouth Book Award and the Crime Writers of Canada Best Crime First Novel Award, and was shortlisted for the Amazon Canada First Novel Award and the Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize. She lives and writes in the Annapolis Valley in Nova Scotia, where she is an associate professor in the department of English and theatre at Acadia University. The Birthing Tree is her second novel.
An elementary teacher for 25 years, Elizabeth Retter has developed a love for children’s books of all styles. Her background in theater and voice add to the songful tone and rhythm of her stories. Through interactive read-alouds, sing-alongs and school visits, she turns reading into a captivating experience. Elizabeth, author of The Adventures of Easton the Rescue Pet series, is also a certified dog handler at the Toronto Humane Society. Through Easton’s story, she hopes to shine a light on the need for all rescue animals to find their forever homes. Find her online at elizabethretter.com
Tom Ryan is the author of the internationally bestselling The Treasure Hunters Club, which was a 2025 Edgar nominee for the Lilian Jackson Braun Award, We Had a Hunch, which Publishers Weekly called “criminally good fun”, and the upcoming Return to Breakneck Island, which will be released in October. Tom, his husband, and their dog live in Nova Scotia.
Mike is an accomplished performer and creator who is proud to be from Prince Edward Island. He began his career in the Feast Dinner Theatre, then transitioned to The Jive Kings, and finally to The Charlottetown Festival before making the big move to Toronto. There, he became the founding Slaight Family Director of Music at the Soulpepper Theatre Company, creating a new wing of the company that would create a unique space for interdisciplinary artists. A space where concert, story, design and dance all crashed into each other. He was also an international fellow at Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre in London, England. Mike has won 7 Dora awards and has the distinction of being the only Canadian ever to win best new musical three different times. In 2020, Mike and his wife Nicole Bellamy purchased Harmony House in Hunter River where they continue to follow their passion of creating joy in audiences and treating artists like the heroes that they are.
Alicia Toner is a multi-award winning singer/songwriter and a multi-instrumentalist from the East Coast of Canada. Her latest album, Joan, was released in June 2021 and was nominated for two East Coast Music Awards (Rising Star and Solo Recording of the Year) and won Solo Artist of the Year at the Canadian Folk Music Awards. She also spent a decade working in theatre, and some selected credits include – for Mirvish: Once; The Charlottetown Festival: Million Dollar Quartet, Jesus Christ Superstar, Anne of Green Gables, Evangeline, Spoon River, Ring of Fire; For Soulpepper: Chasse Galerie; For the Blyth Festival: A Huron County Christmas Carol. Lately she has regularly been onstage at Harmony House in Inside American Pie, Inside the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald and co-creating Ladies of the Canyon and Behind the Veil.
Bren Simmers is the author of four poetry collections and a wilderness memoir. She is the winner of the Latner Griffin Writers’ Trust Poetry Prize, the CBC Poetry Prize and The Malahat Review Long Poem Prize. Her latest book, The Work (Gaspereau Press, 2024), won the Pat Lowther Memorial Award and was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Awards and the J.M. Abraham Atlantic Poetry Award. She lives on Epekwitk/PEI where she is the current Poet Laureate.
Sue Slade has a Bachelor of Child Study from Mount St. Vincent University in Halifax. After working with children and adults with special needs, she now has her midlife dream job of working with books. Sue manages the Dartmouth Book Exchange, and is known for planning and executing amazing, engaging book events, creating an interactive cornerstone for authors, customers, and book lovers of all ages. As the East Coast Advocate for The Miramichi Reader, Sue champions Atlantic Canadian literature by featuring the diverse works and unique communities that define her home region.
Joanna Thurlow
Joanna Thurlow is a Halifax-based writer & editor, yoga teacher, and professionally trained baker who proudly claims to make the world’s best chocolate chip cookies. A lover of books, sunsets at the family cottage, and “pie-in-a-bathing-suit” season, Joanna is happiest with her husband, their two children, and the dog she never expected to adore. Forever Is the Sweetest Con is her debut novel. Find her online at www.joannathurlow.com
Mary Walsh
Mary Walsh created and starred in This Hour Has 22 Minutes , CBC’s wildly popular take on current affairs. The series earned her many of her numerous Gemini awards and showcased her dynamic range of characters, including the flagrantly outspoken ‘Marg Delahunty’.
Walsh wrote, produced and starred in the Gemini award winning series Hatching, Matching and Dispatching, which returned to CBC in 2017 as a feature length presentation called A Christmas Fury, with Walsh and the original cast reprising their roles. In 2017 she released her debut novel, a Canadian best- seller, Crying For The Moon. She currently writes, directs and stars in The Missus Downstairs, for which she has been nominated for multiple Canadian Screen Awards.
Walsh’s recent TV credits include recurring roles on MGM’s The Institute, Syfy’s Resident Alien, CBC’s Hudson & Rex, and Little Dog, for which she was nominated for a 2020 Canadian Screen Award, as well as numerous guest appearances on This Hour Has 22 Minutes.
Select feature film credits include The Grand Seduction and Closet Monster (Official selections at TIFF 2014 and 2015, respectively), Mambo Italiano, Happy Place (dir. Helen Shaver), for which she won the Canadian Screen Award for Best Supporting Actress in 2021, Deaner ’89 (alongside Paul Spence, Will Sasso, and Kevin McDonald), and Dancing On The Elephant (alongside Sheila McCarthy), for which she won the 2025 Joan Orenstein Award for Outstanding Performance at the Atlantic International Film Festival.
Outside of the film, TV and theatre world, Mary is an outspoken advocate for mental health and addiction awareness as a spokesperson for Bell Let’s Talk. She’s a staunch supporter of the Wabano Centre for Aboriginal Health in Ottawa, and lends her time and voice to the CNIB, St. Joseph’s Hospital and CAMH.
Among her many awards and doctorates, Mary is the recipient of the Order of Canada, the Governor General’s Lifetime Achievement Award in the Performing Arts, and the CSA’s Earle Grey Award for lifetime achievement in television acting.
Brady Wells is a writer based in Prince Edward Island, Canada, who works in accounting and finance. His detail-oriented approach to storytelling creates narratives that are engaging, accessible, and emotionally resonant. Drawing from personal experiences of feeling “different” while growing up, Brady explores themes of identity and self-acceptance in his work. His writing reflects a journey of embracing authenticity, inspiring others to let their true colors shine.
Frankie Scott is the romance-writing pen name of bestselling novelist and award-winning TV writer Zoe Whittall. Her most recent novels are The Fake, The Spectacular, and The Best Kind of People, which was a finalist for the Giller Prize and named Indigo’s #1 book of the year. She won a Lambda Literary Award for her second novel, Holding Still for as Long as Possible. She has worked on the Baroness von Sketch Show, Schitt’s Creek, Degrassi, and other TV shows. She lives in Prince Edward County, Ontario.
Vos modérateurs
Donna Jones Alward
Donna Jones Alward is the author of Ship of Dreams, set aboard Titanic and concluding in Halifax, NS, and When the World Fell Silent, a novel of the Halifax Explosion that spent over 40 weeks on Canadian bestseller lists. While her third historical fiction is scheduled for 2027, in her former life she was a romance novelist with 65 titles to her credit. Her romance titles have won awards, hit bestseller lists, and have been translated into over a dozen languages. She lives in Fall River, NS.
Dr. Laurie Brinklow
Dr. Laurie Brinklow is an Assistant Professor at the University of Prince Edward Island and Chair of the Institute of Island Studies, where she researches, teaches, and supervises graduate students. Laurie was a co-founder of the PEI Writers’ Guild and the PEI Literary Awards, and she founded the Island publisher, The Acorn Press. She is President of the International Small Islands Studies Association (ISISA) and is Iceland’s Honorary Consul to PEI. In addition to editing and contributing chapters to several books focusing on Island Studies, she has three books of poems: Scars (Saturday Morning Chapbooks), Here for the Music (Acorn Press, 2012) and My island’s the house I sleep in at night (Island Studies Press/Walleah Press, 2022), which won the PEI Book Award for Poetry.
Laura Chapin
Laura Chapin is an award-winning journalist who worked with CBC for 30 years, in Vancouver, Prince Rupert, Halifax and Charlottetown before retiring last year. Her monologue The Pants was performed in Winnipeg and published by the former feminist theatre company Sarasvati Productions. She has a couple of current writing projects on the go. As an avid reader, Laura is thrilled to be a moderator with the Cavendish Literary Festival.
Dominique Chouinard
Dominique Chouinard has been an Islander by Choice for nearly 25 years. A professional in the provincial civil service and a dedicated volunteer, she has been working with and for the Acadian and Francophone community since 2003. Most recently, Dominique had the opportunity to take the stage during the first edition of the show Veillée acadienne et francophone. As part of this storytelling evening, she performed her monologue about the journey that brought her to Prince Edward Island and her deep connection to her adopted province. A self-described “word nerd” and passionate reader, Dominique has also served as vice-president of the Salon du livre de l’Î.-P.-É.
Dominique Chouinard est une Insulaire par choix depuis près de 25 ans. Professionnelle au sein de la fonction publique provinciale et bénévole engagée, elle travaille avec et pour la communauté acadienne et francophone depuis 2003. Tout récemment, Dominique a eu l’occasion de monter sur scène lors de la première édition du spectacle « Veillée acadienne et francophone. » Dans le cadre de cette soirée de contes et de récits, elle a interprété son monologue au sujet du parcours qui l’a menée à l’Île-du-Prince-Édouard et de la connexion intime avec sa province d’accueil. Passionnée de mots et de lecture, Dominique a d’ailleurs été vice-présidente du Salon du livre de l’Î.-P.-É.
Jenna Harvey
Jenna Harvey was raised in Borden-Carleton, Prince Edward Island and is proud of her Route 10 upbringing. She currently resides in Summerside and teaches Language Arts, Drama, and Social Studies at Summerside Intermediate School. She is a proud member of the Valley Pearl Players and auntie to her nieces Havin and Sage. She is a playwright, director, actress, and author who lives to raise the frequency of laughter in real life, on the stage, and in her writing.
Dr. Trevor Jain
Dr. Trevor Jain is an emergency physician, military veteran, and award‑winning leader in disaster medicine whose career bridges science, service, and storytelling. Raised in Nova Scotia and trained at Dalhousie, he served in the Canadian Armed Forces, earning the Meritorious Service Medal for his pivotal role in the Swissair Disaster response. His experiences in conflict and humanitarian missions shaped his research into virtual‑reality and UAV‑based training, work that has received national recognition including the Order of Military Merit and CAEP’s Emergency Physician of the Year. A frequent voice on CBC and CTV, Dr. Jain is known for translating complex medical challenges into compelling narratives—making him an ideal guide for conversations at the Cavendish Literary Festival.
Keir Lowther
Keir Lowther is the author of Dirty Bird, winner of the 2013 Margaret and John Savage First Novel Award at the Atlantic Book Awards, shortlisted for a Relit Award, a PEI Book Award for Fiction, and the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Prize. He is a former nationally ranked junior tennis player and provincial tennis champion. He lives in Prince Edward Island with his wife, daughter, son and dog.
Karen Mair
Delivered by Dr Stuart MacDonald, Lucy Maud Montgomery’s son, Karen Mair was destined to live on PEI. She moved to work for CBC: Prince Edward Island and stayed, enjoying a productive 35-year broadcasting career. First working as a news and current affairs reporter/reader then moving into host, co-host and producer roles on Island Morning and Mainstreet. Karen’s journalism and community work won multiple awards including a Gold International Gabriel and PEI Writer’s Guild Lifetime Achievement Award. Karen supports community organizations volunteering as a host/emcee, with fundraising and communications. She served on the CBC EAP National Board for 15 years contributing to the organization’s wellness programs. Karen also sat on the FilmPEI Board and is on the PEI Museum and Heritage Foundation’s Board of Governors. Karen has no spare time, but spends it with her family and friends and dog.
Jillian O'Halloran
Jillian O’Halloran is a Charlottetown-based marketing and communications entrepreneur holding a BA in English from UPEI. A lifelong reader and devoted fan of LM Montgomery, she has spent the last six years as a member of @a.novel.idea.bookclub.pei, a beloved community of 12 mothers and professionals from all walks of life and all corners of PEI. It is the same community joining her during the Great Big Book Club to help moderate. For Jillian, books have always been a way to connect, reflect, and find common ground, and there is no better place to celebrate that than during the Cavendish Literary Festival.
Theresa Redmond
Theresa Redmond has worked as a senior executive with the Canadian government and consultant on Indigenous rights issues. In 2022, Theresa published her debut novel, Bound, a fictionalized account of a tumultuous year in St. John’s Island, a British North American colony. Bound has received both popular and literary success, garnering a Heritage Recognition Award (P.E.I. Museum and Heritage Foundation), a Silver Medal for Best Fiction in the Canada-East category (Independent Publishers Book Awards), and the 2024 PEI Book Award for Fiction. The Governor’s Granddaughter, Theresa’s second novel, tells a fascinating story of a young woman living under the shadow of her family’s shameful past who becomes determined to atone for their misdeeds. Theresa lives in eastern PEI with her husband, their Golden Retriever and a couple of rescued cats.
Tom Ryan
Tom Ryan is the internationally bestselling author of an adult mystery, The Treasure Hunters Club, in addition to the YA mystery Keep This to Yourself, winner of the 2020 ITW Thriller Award for Best Young Adult Novel, the 2020 Arthur Ellis Award for Best YA Crime Book, and the 2021 Ann Connor Brimer Award. It’s currently being adapted for television. His follow-up YA mystery, I Hope You’re Listening, was the winner of the 2021 Lambda “Lammy” Award for Best LGBTQ Mystery. Tom, his husband, and their dog live in Nova Scotia.
Bren Simmers is the author of four poetry collections and a wilderness memoir. She is the winner of the Latner Griffin Writers’ Trust Poetry Prize, the CBC Poetry Prize and The Malahat Review Long Poem Prize. Her latest book, The Work (Gaspereau Press, 2024), won the Pat Lowther Memorial Award and was a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Awards and the J.M. Abraham Atlantic Poetry Award. She lives on Epekwitk/PEI where she is the current Poet Laureate.
Amy Stuart
Amy Stuart’s fourth novel, A Death at the Party, emerged as a longstanding #1 bestseller. She is the author of three other bestselling novels—Still Mine, Still Water, and Still Here. All of Amy’s novels have been optioned for film and television. Amy’s other love is hockey. She is one of only a handful of women head coaches in the Greater Toronto Hockey League, the world’s largest youth competitive hockey league. In 2024, she co-wrote Hall of Fame NHL player Mats Sundin’s #1 bestselling memoir, Home and Away. Amy was born in Toronto, where she still lives with her husband, their three sons and two dogs. They also spend much of their time on Prince Edward Island, where Amy’s family is originally from.
Teresa Wright
Teresa Wright is an award-winning journalist and writer with two decades of experience in local, regional and national news with a focus on politics and policy. She began her career at The Guardian in P.E.I. where she covered politics for over a decade. She went on to cover national politics in Ottawa with The Canadian Press, Global News and iPolitics. Teresa also taught journalism at Holland College and was published as a freelance writer in The Globe and Mail, the Toronto Star, The National Observer and other national and regional media. For the last two years, she has been using her love of writing to advocate for women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights as a communications and public affairs specialist for a national women’s health non-profit.
Musiciens
Kari Lyn and Olivia Blacquiere are a sister duo blending traditional Island folk with a cottage-core edge. Their music moves between reflections on life’s beauty and stories of travel, time, and personal growth. Kari Lyn’s songs carry an honesty shaped by her lived experience, while Olivia’s writing pairs everyday moments with hidden depth. Together, they create an intimate yet expansive sound, inviting listeners into a shared story of sisterhood and connection