Joan Baril, a native of Thunder Bay, Ontario, is a short story writer with ninety pieces published mainly in Canadian literary magazines. She has won many awards for her stories and was nominated for the Journey Prize by The Antigonish Review. She has lead an active literary life including a long running blog, Literary Thunder Bay, and several newspaper columns, including “The Northern Gardener”. The Northwestern Ontario Writer’s Workshop awarded her the Khoui Award for “Outstanding contribution to the literature of Northwestern Ontario.” The federal government awarded her with a citation for her columns on immigrant issues.

Olivia Amoah is an artist born and raised in Northern Ontario. She completed her studies at Sheridan College where she received a BFA in Animation and proceeded to work as an animator and designer for TV. In recent days, she also pursues a career in illustration — aiming to create humorous stories and illustrations, as well as an art business to share her handmade products.

Jean E. Pendziwol is an award winning Canadian author. Born and raised in northwestern Ontario, she draws on the culture, history and geography of the region for inspiration for her stories.

Marion Agnew is the author of a personal essay collection, Reverberations: A Daughter’s Meditations on Alzheimer’s (Signature Editions, 2019). It was shortlisted for the Louise de Kiriline Lawrence award for nonfiction. Her essays have been nominated for a Pushcart Prize and a National Magazine Award. She lives in Shuniah, Ontario, mere yards from Lake Superior, on Anishinaabe/ Robinson-Superior Treaty territory.

Adrian Lysenko is a writer, editor, and journalist who has worked in Ontario, Alaska, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. He is the winner of the Taras Shevchenko Emerging Writer’s Competition and editor of the arts and culture alternative The Walleye Magazine.

Eleanor Albanese is an award-winning writer, artist, playwright and filmmaker living in Thunder Bay, Ont. Her work has been published by Innana Publications, Playwrights Canada Press, Burning Books Press, Arctic Journal, as well as numerous journals and magazines. Many of her plays have been produced and/or toured extensively throughout Canada. The Novena Sisters was produced and aired nationally by CBC radio and her recent play Night Wings was produced by Superior Theatre Festival. If Tenderness Be Gold is her first novel.

4 Thunder Bay postcards created by C&F Paper Creations, including Black Bay Bridge, Breakwall Lighthouse, James Street Bridge and the James Whalen Tug

Heart/Soul.Co is a female Indigenous-owned business on the traditional territory of Fort William First Nation. ​​​​​​​​​

The Pagoda is a part of our Chelsea Virginia Landmarks Paint Kitz Collection and comes complete with everything you need to paint anywhere!