Dianne Young is, in alphabetical order, an educational assistant in an elementary school, in her fifties, a mother, a wife, a writer and a yodeller. She was born and raised in Saskatchewan, albeit in many different communities. She now lives in Martensville, which is a small city just north of Saskatoon.#Dianne has been writing for children for over twenty years. Her first book, The Abaleda Voluntary Firehouse Band, was published in 1990. Her fifth book, Dear Flyary, is her most recent (and time-consuming) endeavour — she worked on the story for almost nineteen years! Yes, she is persistent. She’s also easygoing and likes to laugh.#Dianne loves reading and writing and learning new things. Recently she learned Braille so that she could work with students who are blind or visually impaired. She has also started photographing birds. So what’s next? Dianne has always wanted to learn to play the banjo, speak Spanish, draw and … and … and … Who knows!

Catherine Rondina is a freelance writer-researcher with over 1,700 published articles and eight books to her credit. Born in Toronto, Ontario, she grew up in a household of avid readers.#Catherine also credits her love of reading to her inspirational elementary school teacher, Mrs. D., at Jackman Avenue Public School. A one time reluctant reader, Mrs. D. was able to select just the right book, E.B. White’s, Charlotte’s Web, that captured Catherine’s imagination and made her want to become a writer herself.#So, it seemed only natural for Catherine to take her love of books, reading and writing with her throughout her life.#She has spent over twenty-six years working with the Toronto Public Library in many different facets from children and young adult services to literacy and film.#She began her own writing career in the late 1980s in the magazine and newspaper trade. Her work has appeared in publications such as the Toronto Star, Canadian Living, Modern Woman, Cottage Life and the Toronto Sun. Catherine has written monthly columns for Good Times, City Parent and Post City Magazines. Her writing for children, from grades 3 to 12, has been published by Nelson Education Ltd., Pearson Education Canada, Prentice Hall Ginn, Gage Educational Publishing and Owl Communications, including two educational workbooks for Nelson Literacy, Literacy Power A and Literacy Power G.#Catherine has also published three children’s books for James Lorimer & Company: Lying: Deal With It Straight Up! (2006), Rudeness: Deal With It If You Please (2005) and Gossip: Deal With It Before Word Gets Around (2004). In April of 2008, she published The 10 Worst Things About the Internet for Rubicon/Scholastic. Kids Can Press published her latest book, Don’t Touch That Toad & Other Strange Things Adults Tell You.#In addition to her writing, Catherine hosts numerous school and public library visits throughout southern Ontario. Her workshops are very well received by students and teachers alike. Catherine takes great pride in being able to curtail each workshop to the audience she is presenting to, whether it’s a public library program with over 150 young adults or a classroom setting of thirty-five grade 4 students.#At present, she teaches creative nonfiction for children at George Brown College in Toronto, Ontario. Catherine lives in Richmond Hill, Ontario, with her husband and three children.

Stacey Roderick is a children’s book editor and the author of Dinosaurs from Head to Tail, Ocean Animals from Head to Tail and Bugs from Head to Tail. She lives with her family in Toronto, Ontario.

Afua Cooper is a celebrated and award-winning poet, author, historian, curator, performer, cultural worker and recording artist. A recent winner of the Planet Africa Renaissance Award and the Harry Jerome Award for Professional Excellence, Afua was also chosen by the editors of Essence magazine (October 2005) as one of the 25 women who are shaping the world. Afua has been featured in the most recent volume of Contemporary Black Biography: Profiles from the International Black Community from Thomson and Gale. Cooper’s poems have been anthologized in national and international publications, and translated in several languages. She has published five books of poetry, including the award-winning Memories Have Tongue. Her newest book of poetry is Copper Woman, a work in which she attempts to bring together the personal and the political, the exoteric and the esoteric. Her first solo recording, Sunshine, is a collection of poems for children. #Afua holds a Ph.D. in history with specialties in slavery, abolition and women’s studies. She is one of Canada’s premier experts and chroniclers of the country’s Black past. Dr. Cooper has done groundbreaking work in uncovering the hidden history of Black peoples in Canada. Her recent history publication, The Hanging of Angélique: The Untold Story of Canadian Slavery and the Burning of Old Montréal, cogently explores the life and death of Marie-Joseph Angélique, a Portuguese-born Black slave woman who was hanged in Montréal in 1734 for allegedly setting fire to the city. #Recently, Afua completed a pair of historical novels for the young adult audience. These novels are based on the experiences on enslaved children from the Black Diaspora. She was inspired to write these books because she was moved by the real-life experiences of Phillis Wheatley and Henry Bibb, both of whom she researched while studying Black history. These two persons were enslaved but overcame slavery and oppression to make their mark in the world and contribute to society. #Afua has also written poetry for children and one can enjoy such poetic expression by reading The Red Caterpillar on College Street. Afua’s inspiration for writing children’s literature stems from the many hours she spent as a child in public libraries reading books and listening to stories told by librarians during the “children’s story hour.”~Dr. Cooper is currently the Ruth Wynn Woodward Endowed Chair in Women’s Studies at Simon Fraser University, British Columbia.

Award-winning author Susan Hughes has written many books – both fiction and nonfiction – for children of all ages, including Lights Day and Night; Walking in the City with Jane: A Story of Jane Jacobs; Earth to Audrey; The Island Horse; and Case Closed?: Nine Mysteries Unlocked by Modern Science. She is also a freelance editor and writing coach.#When she was a child, Susan grew up on a very special street in Toronto, where the neighbors were like one big family. Parents planned events and street parties, and kids of all ages played together, especially during the long summer days and evenings. Susan still enjoys getting together with these important childhood friends. And in recent years, Susan has been fortunate enough to make her home on other special streets with wonderful neighbors.#Susan has always loved writing. When she was in grades five and six, she and several friends had a writing club. They would gather with their poems and stories and read them aloud to one another. After finishing high school, Susan studied English literature at the University of Toronto. During the summer and after graduation, she worked for a short time at a children’s publishing house. Then she began doing freelance editing work, mainly for educational publishers, and also writing commissioned articles and stories, while also working on her own story ideas.#Today, Susan lives with her family in Toronto, Ontario, in a house with a big red door. She continues to enjoy freelance writing and editing, story coaching and creating her own stories!