Alycia Two Bears, author of The Feast
Alycia Two Bears, a mixed-blood iskwew from Mistawasis Nêhiyawak First Nation, calls Mohkinstsis home. Alycia holds degrees in General Studies and Education from the University of Calgary. She combines her expertise as a certified yoga instructor with Traditional 2 Spirit Métis-Cree teachings in her Land-Based Yoga practice, fostering a connection between body, breath, and ceremony.
A mother of five, she is a passionate advocate for birth sovereignty. Alycia practices Birthing as Ceremony and aspires to become a midwife. She supports pregnant and birthing bodies, working to ensure accessible, dignified care. Through grassroots initiatives and collaboration, she co-created the Moon Time Bag Initiative. To end period poverty, Alycia redistributes donated menstrual health products to houseless and housed kin.
An award-winning poet and writer, Alycia has contributed to publications such as Red Rising Magazine, MBC Magazine and New Tribe Magazine. Her work often centers on decolonization, mental health, and Two Spirit advocacy. Recognized for her community impact, she received The Advocate for Equality Award from the Calgary Single Mother’s Society and USAY Change Makers award. Alycia’s passions include decolonizing systems, uplifting her community, and nurturing her family’s connection to nêhiyawân language and culture.
Instagram: @your.moon.woman
Headshot credit: Studio Lumen
Alexis Marie Chute
Alexis Marie Chute is a creative force with a distinguished career as an award-winning artist, photographer, filmmaker, curator, and bestselling author.
A prolific author, Chute’s first book was the poignant memoir Expecting Sunshine: A Journey of Grief, Healing and Pregnancy After Loss (2017), with the accompanying international-screened documentary film. Her Amazon-bestselling young adult novels in “The 8th Island Trilogy” include Above the Star (2018), Below the Moon (2019), and Inside the Sun (2020). She has also penned four non-fiction books, blending her research, writing, and artwork, including: Prairie Spirits (2021), The Eternal Summer of Alberta’s Herbarium (2022), Memorable Murals (2023), and Moments in Focus (2024).
Chute received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Art and Design from the University of Alberta (2007) where she was recognized as a distinguished graduate with the Horizon Award (2018). She also earned her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA, USA, graduating class valedictorian.
Bev Fowler
Beverley Fowler has a BA in Literature and an MA in Communication & Technology. She lives with her husband, Rick, and Oakley the cat in Alberta, Canada. Her second novel, The Sorceress of Lansheer, won a 2023 Cadmus Book Award for Action and Adventure. She is one half of the Ancient Jammers (a medieval duo), on Celtic harp, mandolin and vocals. Other hobbies include stained glass, leatherworking, pyrology, and other handicrafts.
Brenda Gunn
Brenda Gunn resumed two passions—creative writing and family history—when she retired in 2017 after more than thirty years teaching elementary and special education with Edmonton Public Schools. Brenda’s first ever submission won the Parkland Poets’ 2019 Haiku contest and was painted on the sidewalk outside Stony Plain City Hall, and her most recent prose poem is featured on the back of a beer can!
Since she completed a certificate in creative writing with the University of Toronto, Brenda’s poems have won the Polar Expressions and Dr. William Henry Drummond national poetry contests, and appear in local, national and international journals and anthologies, including South Africa’s Quilled Ink Review; Human to Human Pandemic Anthology, UK; tsaunders publications, UK; POETRYXHUNGER online; the San Francisco Creative Writing Institute’s Dispatches from Quarantine, Canadian Stories; and the Edmonton Public Library’s Capital City Press. Two collections were long listed for the Palette Poetry and Meadowlark Books Birdy chapbook prizes, and Brenda’s full-length collection, Florilegia, twice charted on the Audreys Books Edmonton weekly poetry bestseller list after its release in 2024.
Brenda is a member of the Writer’s Union of Canada, the League of Canadian Poets, the Ontario Poetry Society, the Alberta and Saskatchewan Writer’s Guilds, Parkland Poets and the Edmonton Stroll of Poets.
Teren Hazzard
Continuing to grow and learn, Teren Hazzard writes about his observations from living in Sherwood Park and Edmonton, Alberta. His choice to write place-based poetry about his perspective as a queer Canadian is inspired by other writers who were brave enough to share their personal worlds in the books he reads.
Teren is pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Environmental and Conservation Sciences at the University of Alberta. His love for sciences and nature is often woven into his work. His poetry is featured in the Queer Toronto Literary Magazine, Beyond Queer Words, and Transit in Motion bus art. His poem, Dance with Us, Girly Girl, is the 1st place winner of the 2025 Centre for Literature in Canada Poetry Contest. He frequents open mic nights in the Edmonton-area, and was the 2024 and 2025 Strathcona County Pride Flag Raising featured poet. Outside of poetry, he writes for the YouAlberta blog and The Gateway student newspaper.
Almost always busy, with a packed calendar of classes, work, and volunteering, he always makes time for writing.
Aukje Kapteyn
Aukje Kapteyn was born in the Netherlands in 1948 and immigrated to Alberta with her family in 1960. She is the oldest of eight children and she became adept at telling bedtimes stories to her younger siblings. As adolescent she journalled and wrote stories winning first prize in a high school contest. She has published poetry and non-fiction articles. She recently published two non-fiction books.
Besides her love for writing, she is mother to three children and grandmother to seven grandchildren. She loves the outdoors, hiking, snowshoeing and photography, often taking part in these activities accompanied by her animal companions over the years. From 2003 – 2013 she owned and managed a retreat centre in Northeastern Alberta. She lives in Edmonton and has visited or lived in all the provinces and territories in Canada.
For Aukje, writing is a daily practice that brings beauty, resilience and imagination to her life.
Headshot: Ace Hicks Photography
Cézanne Laurette
Cézanne Laurette is a photographer, videographer, and artist currently based in Edmonton, AB. She earned a Bachelor of Design from MacEwan University in 2024, focusing on photography, typography, and publication design through a hands-on, research-driven program.
In late 2023, she began creating The Delicate Art of Planning for the Inevitable—an idea inspired by a desire to explore human mortality more closely. Cézanne has a passion for alternative photographic processes, often working with fresh, decaying, or dried florals. Her work explores themes of death, decay, and transformation, offering a perspective that beauty and intimacy can be found in death.
She feels most at peace when moving slowly through nature, wandering among trees with pockets full of nuts and seeds to feed the birds and squirrels. She often howls at the moon when it is overwhelmingly beautiful, and watches clouds dance above her while listening to music, lying in open fields. She is a loving sister, aunt, and friend who cherishes moments of genuine connection with those she cares for deeply and is driven by a desire to exist wholeheartedly as herself.
IG: @cezannelaurette
Website: cezannelaurette.com
Headshot: Hello Public (Peter Haughland) @hellopublicstudio
Mathew Levitt
With a deep appreciation for the weirdness of humanity, Mat Levitt is a cultural anthropologist who works in museums, teaches university courses, and hosts the podcast Intangible Alberta. A natural born storyteller, he’s been writing fiction for family and friends since he was old enough to spell. To keep himself balanced, Mat looks for every opportunity to be outdoors – hiking, exploring, and spending time near water. Another favourite hobby is digging through thrift stores for things to add to his horror and vintage action figure collection. He lives with his family in a suburban home built in the 70s that used to be haunted but isn’t any more (they are pretty sure).
Louise MacGregor
Most events and emotions that hit Louise MacGregor, flow through her and come out as songs. But in 2025 while at an artist residency in France, it was time to put her 20 years of seeing singing transform lives into a book.
Louise joined the Victorian Children’s choir at the age of ten and never looked back. Bands, theatre performances, solo shows, making albums, music festivals, you name it. She stumbled into a career of teaching singing when it was a requirement of her studies in music college and her business Little Lungs came to fruition when her own children were small.
Being entranced by the written word, poems, classic stories like Anne of Green Gables and Little Women, a love of the great bush poet Banjo Paterson, and an obsession with Australian music made her stint as a music journalist in 2010’s one of the more exciting times of her life!
But singing: the study of it, the sharing of it, teaching it and performance, is her souls work and has moved with her throughout her life.
As a mother, as a choir leader, as a woman living in a small town in Australia, Louise felt her worlds collide in a sudden and desperate need to communicate the amazing impact of singing on our well-being which has resulted in her debut book Sing Up Boo! It’s Good for You!
Kim Mannix, author of Confirm Humanity
Kim Mannix (she/her) is a journalist, poet and short fiction writer who lives and creates on Treaty Six territory in Sherwood Park, Alberta.
Born and raised in Saskatoon, she is a graduate of both the University of Saskatchewan and the University of Regina and has lived and worked across Canada. Her passion for climate justice issues, the importance of art, feminism and parenthood intersect in both her creative and professional pursuits.
Mannix is a contributing editor of Watch Your Head, a climate crisis anthology, and an entertainment and lifestyle writer for MSN. She currently serves as the Vice President of the Edmonton Poetry Festival and is an avid believer that everyone, everywhere has a little poetry in their soul.
Her poetry and prose have appeared in numerous Canadian and American journals and anthologies. Confirm Humanity is her first book of poetry.
Laurie Lynn Muirhead, author of Coyote Snow
Laurie Lynn Muirhead lives in beautiful North Central Saskatchewan and is a creator of poetry and children’s literature. She writes what she lives and is especially inspired by the extreme simplicity of the natural world about her. Her work has appeared in numerous periodicals such as The New Quarterly and The Society and has been broadcast on CBC Radio. Her first collection of poetry, Bone Sense, was selected for Thistledown’s New Leaf Series and a children’s book, Lullaby Lilly, published with YNWP.
Laurie Lynn is a long-standing member with sans nom poetry group, is a Creative Writing Coach for youth and a current member with the Saskatchewan Writer’s Guild. She enjoys sharing her work at themed poetry readings, poetic gatherings and creative writing workshops. Besides writing, she works part time as a librarian at the Shellbrook Elementary Public School, and helps out on the family ranch in the rural area of Wild Rose.
Kristine Scarrow
Kristine Scarrow is the author of four young adult novels: Throwaway Girl (2014), If This Is Home (2016), The 11th Hour (2018), and The Gamer’s Guide to Getting the Girl (2019) all published by Dundurn Press. Her fiction has been shortlisted or won numerous awards.
Her short fiction, creative non-fiction, and poetry have appeared in several publications. She has also served as an editor for book-length manuscripts and has served as a mentor through The Writers’ Union of Canada and the MFA in Writing program at the University of Saskatchewan, where she also holds an MFA in Writing.
She has worked as a five-year hospital writer-in-residence and has served as writer-in-residence in 2022-2023 for the Saskatoon Public Library. She also teaches creative writing and communication classes at the post-secondary level.
Kristine has spent several years researching the power of creativity and art in our lives, specifically how engaging in the arts can be a therapeutic and enriching experience. With a special interest in writing as a healing art, she offers a safe, gentle approach to writing and wants others to discover how writing can be a useful tool to help heal and grow.
Terrie Shaw, author of Garden Journey
After earning a degree in Commercial Art, Terrie Shaw envisioned a dynamic career in the art world. However, life took her on a different path. She fell in love with a minister, and together they traveled across Canada, building a life filled with adventure and raising five wonderful children.
Despite stepping away from a traditional art career, Terrie’s passion for creativity never wavered. She studied with renowned artists, honing her skills in journaling, pen and ink sketching, watercolor, portraiture, still life, landscapes, and plein air painting using various mediums. Her five energetic children often served as her inspiration, providing countless opportunities to sketch and paint their lively antics.
Now, with her children grown and leading their own lives, Terrie dedicates her time to creating art in beautifully hand-bound Coptic stitch journals, which she fills with sketches, paintings, and personal stories. She aspires to publish several of these collections, including 22 Houses I Have Lived In, Children Learn What They Live, Gardening, and Teaching Art, Sharing What I Know.
Drew Walker, author of Closer to Closure
Born and raised in Edmonton, Canada, Walker has spent her young adulthood striving to obtain wealth in experiences. International travel, deep connection to nature, and the navigation of complex relationships inspire Walker’s poetry. Outside of her writing, Walker is a professional Landscape Designer, Beekeeper, and community steward. Drew’s poems are a glimpse into her personal journals, sharing honest contemplations, unexpressed feelings, and messages to lovers past.
Since the release of her debut collection, Confines of a Free Spirit (2020), Walker has performed at several spoken word events. She is also the creator of Real Talker with Drew Walker, a podcast which features an inside look at the stories and inspiration behind her poems.
WEB: drewwalkerart.square.site
Insta: @drewwalker_art
Rhonda Webster
Rhonda Webster writes to foster connection and understanding, interwoven with acceptance and awareness. She is a spirited soul who had the privilege of being raised by a nomadic mother. This enabled her to live in various communities with people from diverse backgrounds. She navigated these experiences through staring at the stars, philosophizing life’s purpose, and documenting her thoughts on paper.
As an advocate to celebrate and honour people she has created a podcast, Spirited Wisdom, in honour of women elders, supported commission reports ensuring accessibility for all, and continues to work with organizations that make a difference in others’ lives.
Rhonda lives on the Westcoast where she dabbles in paddle boarding, wanders in old growth forests, and spends long afternoons with family. She is currently attending the University of Victoria furthering her business knowledge to advance her desire to create positive impact within the social economy.
Instagram: @rhondwebsteryeg
Facebook: Rhonda Webster
Shelby Willis
Shelby Willis is a local Strathcona County, AB, painter, writer, environmentalist, and mom of two. Her artwork is largely focused on painting colorful and soulful wildlife renditions and her love for nature and spending time outdoors strongly influences her work. Shelby holds a Bachelor of Science, specialized in Ecology from the University of Alberta, and also currently works in Environmental Sustainability.
Shelby’s work includes acrylic paintings on canvas, and large scale public art installations and murals. She has also curated her own full day painting retreats to help people unlock their creative side, and has experience offering painting workshops to local students. Delving into the world of children’s books has been a long time goal of Shelby’s as she has always enjoyed writing and illustration. With two young kids Shelby has been looking for opportunities to work on pieces of a smaller scale so she can peck away at them as time allows. Her first book is inspired by many nights of telling made up stories in collaboration with her three year old daughter, and is illustrated with gouache.
Insta: @shelbzwillisart
FB: @ShelbyWillisArt
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