Who’s Who

Anna Byrne

A is for Anna
Death has been Anna Byrne’s most exacting teacher, shaping a life devoted to tenderness, community and end-of-life care. In Last Caravan (Caitlin $26), a memoir rooted in lived experience and spiritual inquiry, Byrne chronicles how she and two friends accompanied her close friend Mary Morgan through a home death with Medical Assistance in Dying, transforming loss into a communal act of care, ritual and beauty. Drawing on her background in gerontology, psychology, theology, hospice work and her own cancer diagnosis at 32, Byrne argues for a return to community-led deathcare—one grounded in presence rather than urgency. She is also the author of Seven Year Summer (self-published, 2019), a Whistler Independent Book Awards finalist used in hospice training, and lives in qathet, BC, where she coordinates hospice services and co-founded Community-Supported Dying qathet. 9781773861821

Brandi Bird

B is for Bird
Eating disorder, depression. These are the raw starting points of Pitiful (House of Anansi $22.99), Brandi Bird’s searing second poetry collection, which confronts mental illness, body sovereignty, sexuality and survival with unflinching clarity. An Indigiqueer Saulteaux, Cree and Métis writer from Treaty 1 territory, Bird brings a fiercely personal lens to questions of care, power and harm, particularly as they affect Indigenous girls, women and two-spirit people. Drawing on forms that feel at once confessional, interrogative and diaristic, Pitiful examines how patriarchy, medical sexism, religion and surveillance culture shape both illness and recovery. 9781487014087

Collin Varner

C is for Collin
Horticulturalist and arboriculturist Collin Varner brings more than four decades of experience to Plants of Greater Victoria: A Wanderer’s Guide (Heritage House $26.95), a full-colour guide to hundreds of wild plants found across the capital region, from Victoria and Oak Bay to Sooke, Metchosin, Langford, Saanich and Sidney. Covering wildflowers, berries, ferns, shrubs, marine plants and selected invasive species, the book provides identification details, taxonomic origins, traditional uses and viewing locations. Varner previously worked at UBC’s Botanical Garden, where he helped conserve 25,000 trees and taught native plant studies. 9781772035667

Diana Hayes

D is for Diana
In Hawking the Surf (Silver Bow Publishing $23.95), Diana Hayes returns to the coastal landscapes that shaped her earliest poems, weaving photographs and lyrical meditation into a layered exploration of memory, belonging and the natural world. A longtime Salt Spring Island poet, photographer and publisher, Hayes blends decades of creative practice into this immersive collection rooted in the Pacific coast’s tides, fog and shifting light. Her work spans poetry, photography, chapbook publishing and a debut novella, all shaped by her deep connection to place and the quiet revelations of the shoreline. Hawking the Surf  captures a lifetime of seeing—and seeing again—with clarity and devotion. 9781774033890

Elaine Su

E is for Elaine
Elementary school teacher, librarian Elaine Su spends her days surrounded by books, questions and rooms full of curious young readers. Working at the intersection of literacy, imagination and community, she sees her library as a lively space where stories are shared out loud and favourites are enthusiastically declared—often more than once a day. Her debut picture book, Love, Panda (Scholastic Inc $27.99), tells the story of a snarky, letter-writing panda stuffy who feels abandoned after the arrival of a new baby. As Panda pleads to be rescued by her original owner, the story gently explores sibling relationships, change and unexpected affection. Illustrated by Charlene Chua, the book blends humour and warmth, offering rich reread value for both children and adults. 9781546179580

Darlene Foster

F is for Foster
With ten books in the Amanda Travels series, featuring a spunky young girl who loves to travel, Darlene Foster is an award-winning children’s author who divides her time between the west coast of Canada and Orihuela Costa, Spain. Her latest book in the series is Amanda in Ireland: The Body in the Bog (self-published, 2025 $10.99), which takes 12-year-old Amanda Jane Ross to the emerald isle for a cousin’s wedding. The plot takes a dark turn when Amanda joins the search for a missing horse and stumbles upon a world of screaming banshees, peat bogs and alarming secrets, wondering if she will become “another body in the bog”. Foster was brought up on a ranch in southern Alberta, where her grade three teacher encouraged her to write. She is a retired employment counsellor and ESL teacher. 9781069552600

George M. Abbott

G is for George
George M. Abbott brings both historical depth and policy experience to Unceded: Understanding British Columbia’s Colonial Past and Why It Matters Now (UBC Press $29.95), a clear-eyed examination of how colonial decision-making continues to shape the province today. Drawing on extensive archival research and his experience as a former BC Liberal MLA and cabinet minister, Abbott traces more than 150 years of BC–Indigenous relations, from the refusal to negotiate treaties to the confinement of First Nations on small reserves while settlers gained access to land and resources. Now serving as a BC treaty commissioner, he situates modern reconciliation efforts—including court decisions, treaty negotiations, and legislative change—within their historical context, showing why “unceded territory” remains a lived political reality rather than a symbolic phrase.  9780774881159

Haley Healey

H is for Haley
Young readers are at the centre of Haley Healey’s work, which brings overlooked histories to life through accessible, inspiring storytelling. A high school counsellor and registered clinical counsellor, Healey is the bestselling author of books celebrating trailblazing women across Canada, including So She Went Ahead: 50 Trailblazing Women of the Canadian Prairies (Heritage House $22.95), a collection of concise biographies highlighting women from Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba who challenged norms and shaped their communities. Written for the next generation, the book introduces artists, activists, politicians, innovators and community leaders whose courage and resilience continue to resonate today. 9781772035728

Anosh Irani

I is for Irani
In Behind the Moon (Talonbooks $21.95), award-winning playwright, Anosh Irani, explores the character of Ayub, a man haunted by his past and isolated in a cold, unfamiliar Toronto. Ayub works in a Mughlai restaurant, where his routine is disrupted by a late-night visit from a mysterious stranger, forcing him to confront the family he left behind and the dreams he abandoned. Through this lens, Irani delves into themes of love, loss, brotherhood and the complexities of starting anew. The play reflects Ayub’s emotional struggles, intensified by the harsh winter, as Irani examines the inner lives of his characters, embracing their strangeness and woundedness to uncover deeper truths about identity and resilience. 9781772016383

Jack Plant. Photo credit: Brian Aikens.

J is for Jack
Adopted by Hereditary Chief Charlie Mason of the Kitasoo/Xai’xais First Nation in Klemtu, Jack Plant has spent the past decade using photography as a bridge between art, conservation and human connection. A wildlife and culture photographer, conservationist and author, Plant is known for his sustained work in British Columbia’s Great Bear Rainforest. His upcoming book, Spirit of the Great Bear (Figure 1 $60) is the culmination of years spent observing the rare white-furred Kermode bear—the spirit bear, a creature woven into First Nations oral traditions and found only in this coastal rainforest. Obsessed with nature, Plant presents intimate encounters not only with spirit bears, but also with grizzlies, wolves, orcas and humpback whales. Alongside its breathtaking photography, the book is an urgent reminder of the need to protect this vulnerable ecosystem. 9781773272856

Koula Hadjitooulou

K is for Koula
“She tried to steer away / From the chambers of pain / That were supposed to hold / Only love on their walls.” These lines open Water Your Flowers With Love: A Collection of Poems (Tellwell $22.99), the debut poetry book by writer Koula Hadjitooulou. Drawn from both personal experience and the social realities shaping today’s world, the collection moves between darkness and light, grief and compassion, fear and hope. Hadjitooulou writes with emotional clarity about the human spirit, inviting readers to reflect on shared vulnerability, resilience and the quiet strength found in love. A lifelong reader who rediscovered her passion for writing in 2023, she uses poetry as a way to raise awareness, foster empathy and remind us of the light that persists within us all. 9781834185521

Lorinda Spooner

L is for Lorinda
“To try to find meaning out of all this suffering,” is the impulse behind Examining Room: Within the Walls of the Opioid Crisis (Friesen $9.99), a raw and compassionate poetry collection by Dr. Lorinda Spooner. A specialist in addiction medicine with three decades in frontline care, Spooner has worked everywhere from Baffin Island and Haida Gwaii to Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside, drug court, jail system and hospital addiction services. Her poems emerge from the exam room as witness—honouring the pain, dignity, resilience and humanity of those living with addiction in the shadow of an escalating opioid crisis. Both unflinching and humane, Examining Room reflects Spooner’s lifelong commitment to underserved communities and her belief that even amid profound loss, meaning can still be found. 9781038316493

Marion McKinnon Crook. Photo Duke Morse.

M is for Marion
From Victorian drawing rooms to gold-rush saloons, Marion McKinnon Crook has long been drawn to lives shaped by courage, curiosity and reinvention. In Bloomsbury to Barkerville: The Life of Florence Wilson (Heritage House $26.95), Crook turns her meticulous research and narrative flair to the extraordinary true story of Florence Wilson, a poet-turned-entrepreneur who became the cultural heartbeat of Barkerville as a saloon owner and founder of the Theatre Royale. An award-winning historian and storyteller, Crook brings Wilson’s transatlantic journey vividly to life, revealing a frontier heroine whose influence on BC’s cultural history deserves renewed attention. 9781772035643

Rosalie Nyce. photo credit: James Nyce.

N is for Nyce
Navigating grief and friendship as a neurodivergent kid is the core inspiration behind the picture book The Crow and the Garden (Orca $21.95), by author and educator Rosalie Nyce. Nyce, a mother, teacher, school counselor and writer, currently lives on Gitxsan territory. Her book tells the story of Maeve, an autistic girl who loves crows and talks to the ghost of her late aunt and her friendship with Fern, a new student mourning the loss of her father. Through their connection, Maeve’s origami crows and Fern’s drawings of her father’s favorite plants bloom into living magic, cultivating a magical garden and an even more magical connection. Nyce has formal degrees in music, psychology and education and previously spent several years on the spoken word poetry festival circuit. 9781459840072

Elizabeth Oldham

O is for Oldham
In her second novel Shadows on the Heart (Doppia Press $17), Elizabeth Oldham explores what happens when life forces you into roles you never expected. This character-driven story follows three generations of women as they navigate love, memory and the long reach of grief. Oldham’s storytelling is gentle, offering a compassionate look at family bonds and personal transformation. Through shifting perspectives, the novel highlights how connection can grow in even the most complicated circumstances. Shadows on the Heart is a testament to resilience and the ways we carry both pain and hope across generations. 9781738822638

Dan Pontefract

P is for Pontefract
“We’re not here to see through each other; we’re here to see each other through.” Leadership strategist, keynote speaker and author Dan Pontefract brings that philosophy to his sixth book, The Future of Work Is Grey: The Untapped Value of Age in the Workforce (Page Two $29.95), a timely examination of how demographic change is reshaping modern organizations. Drawing on two decades of senior leadership roles at SAP, TELUS and Business Objects, alongside extensive consulting work with global organizations, Pontefract challenges age-based assumptions embedded in today’s workplaces. He introduces the concept of “age debt” and argues for a new model that recognizes the experience dividend—unlocking the value of skills, insight and mentorship across generations. An adjunct professor at the University of Victoria’s Gustavson School of Business and a frequent contributor to Forbes and Harvard Business Review, Pontefract is known for translating complex leadership challenges into practical, human-centred frameworks. 9781774586440

Christine Quintana

Q is for Quintana
Set in a Mexican resort, the lives of Sarah, a cynical Canadian wedding guest, and Adriana, a perfectionist hotel floor manager, intersect in unexpected ways in Christine Quintana’s latest play, Espejos: Clean (Playwrights Canada Press $19.99). Sarah’s pessimism and Adriana’s quest for order mask deeper anxieties, which come to light as their parallel realities collide. Through poignant and often humorous monologues, the bilingual play delves into themes of female strength, solidarity, and the struggles each woman faces in navigating her world. Speaking directly to the audience, their stories reveal both contrasts and commonalities, magnifying their shared pain and resilience. The play was adapted and translated into Spanish by Paula Zelaya-Cervantes. 9780369104588

Royce William Warren

R is for Royce
A lifetime working toward solutions to the climate crisis has shaped every chapter of Royce William Warren’s career, from years spent in forestry, mining, agriculture, fisheries and energy to a decade of advanced study in sustainability and political science. Drawing on experience across university teaching, government, consulting and environmental advocacy, Warren confronts the political contradictions that keep meaningful climate action out of reach in Climate and the Courage of Leadership (Friesen Press $34). Written with future generations firmly in mind, the book outlines four concrete actions governments can take while challenging democracies to move beyond short-term gain toward long-term environmental stability. Warren now lives on Vancouver Island with his wife, Christine, where his commitment to climate leadership remains rooted in responsibility to his children and grandchildren. 9781038325990

Pat Sullivan

S is for Sullivan
When art world egos collide, no frame can contain the fallout. In Pat Sullivan’s debut novel, In the Frame (Iguana Books $20.99) the fictional Toronto Art Gallery has just undergone a re-branding exercise. Now TAG is gearing up for a pivotal fund-raiser when disaster strikes–a rambunctious kids’ camp and a tour of art-loving naturists wander into the picture on the very same night. As chaos spreads through every corner of the gallery, clashing ambitions and fragile reputations hang in the balance. Now each staff member must confront the turmoil, outmaneuver the madness and salvage what they can in this behind-the-scenes art-world caper. Sullivan grew up in Cornwall, Ontario, and studied English at York University, later obtaining her master’s in art history from Queen’s, which led to her career as an educator at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto, and at the Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Kingston. She lives in Vancouver. 9781771807333 

Troy Wilson

T is for Troy
A lifelong storyteller, Troy Wilson brings quiet humour and emotional insight to Still Friends (Orca $21.95), a tender picture book about an unlikely bond between a dog and a silent stone girl in the park. Told from a dog’s point of view, the story gently explores friendship, difference, patience and the comfort of simply being there for one another. What begins as dismissal turns into trust, as the dog learns that companionship doesn’t always look the way we expect it to. Wilson grew up immersed in books, comics and drawing, a love that carried him through an eclectic working life that has included everything from radio production and library work to caregiving and education. 9781459842571

Uma Krishnaswami

U is for Uma
In Uma Krishnaswami’s final instalment of the Book Uncle trilogy—the middle grade novels set in India about the power of grassroots activism and how kids can make a difference—The Sunshine Project (Groundwood $11.99), the karate-loving Anil and his friends have been championing a solar energy project. Anil doesn’t like speaking up, for, as his karate sensei says, “best fight, no fight.” But when he learns that the new solar panel factory the city is planning will threaten plant and animal species, Anil takes action with help from Yasmin and Reeni (the main protagonists, respectively, of the first two titles). Just how loudly will he have to speak up? Illustrations by Julianna Swaney. 9781779460530

Vikram Vij

V is for Vikram
Vancouver culinary icon Vikram Vij is known for revolutionizing Indian cuisine in Canada. His flagship restaurant, Vij’s, has been praised by The New York Times as “easily among the finest Indian restaurants in the world” and earned a Bib Gourmand designation from the Michelin Guide in 2023 and 2024. Vij’s newest book, My New Indian Kitchen (Figure 1 Publishing $40), features 80 easy-to-follow recipes that marry the vibrant flavors of Indian cuisine with elegant culinary techniques. Recipes are designed for the home chef and include dishes like Chilled Pea Soup with Fried Mint, Gnocchi with Garam Masala Tomato Sauce and Paneer. The book also traces Vij’s culinary journey, sharing stories of the people, travels and ingredients that have inspired him. 9781773272610

William Wodhams

W is for William
Thirty Feet Under: A Mystery (ECW $24.95) follows FBI Art Crimes agent Kate Taylor as she pursues a stolen marble sphinx tied to the lost tomb of a legendary king, uncovering an international smuggling ring where trust is fragile and time is running out. Author, William Wodhams is a crime writer whose work blends art history, international intrigue and high-stakes investigation. Wodhams’s debut novel, Declan Tucker’s Grand Debut (Ace of Swords, 2024) and Thirty Feet Under was named a finalist for the 2024 Crime Writers of Canada Best Unpublished Crime Novel Award. He lives in Vancouver with his wife and an ill-behaved dog. 9781770418547

Mary Fox

X is for Fox
Renowned potter Mary Fox shares her knowledge of glazing in Developing Glazes: Low-Fire Reduction and Oxidation (Harbour Publishing $44.95), a guide that encourages ceramic artists to experiment with confidence. Rather than relying on ready-made glazes, Fox invites potters to explore the use of minerals and clay slips, offering step-by-step instructions and techniques for low-temperature firing. All royalties are donated to the endowment fund for the Legacy Project, which supports the careers of emerging potters through apprenticeships, residencies, studio space and a library of instructional videos. A self-taught exploratory potter, Fox moved with her family to British Columbia in 1966. She has worked exclusively as an artist since then, developing an international reputation for her sculptural ceramic vessels. In Developing Glazes, she extends this mentorship to readers, blending her creative philosophy with practical techniques to help others discover joy and freedom in the glazing process. 9781998526253

Terence Young

Y is for Young
A profound meditation on regret, resilience and the fragile beauty of human connection forms the heart of Give Us This Day (Signature Editions $21.95), a new collection of short fiction by Terence Young. The stories explore the weight of the past through a kaleidoscope of voices and styles, capturing the quiet reckonings of everyday existence. His subjects range from retired grandparents thrust into unexpected childcare and young labourers adrift in mines and road crews to teachers struggling to find meaning and couples at a crossroads. Young is a prolific author who recently retired from teaching English and creative writing at St. Michaels University School and is a co-founder of The Claremont Review, an international literary journal for young writers. In 2008, he was awarded the Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence. 9781773241616

Ziyad Saadi

Z is for Ziyad
Set over a single, chaotic day in Detroit, this debut novel follows queer Palestinian refugee Firas Dareer as he plans to come out to his family at an elaborately staged birthday dinner, only to find his orchestrated reveal thrown into disarray by a chain of escalating crises. Three Parties (Hamish Hamilton $34.95) explores Palestinian diasporic life, generational trauma and the pressure of queer self-revelation with humour and emotional depth. It’s a story of self-presentation, fractured families and the quiet dignity of choosing to be known on one’s own terms. Ziyad Saadi is a Palestinian Canadian writer and filmmaker based in Vancouver. A Nicholl Fellowship semi-finalist and winner of the MPAC Hollywood Bureau pilot writing competition, his writing has appeared in Indiewire, The Independent and The Gay & Lesbian Review. His short story “The Third or Fourth Casualty” appears in the speculative fiction anthology Thyme Travellers (Fernwood, 2024). 9780735250963