The Speakers

Kristine den Boon she/her

Director of Service Delivery, Marigold Library System

As the Director of Service Delivery at Marigold Library System in Strathmore, Kristine oversees the distribution of materials to libraries and the overall collection development for our member libraries. Prior to this role, she was a Library Services Consultant at Marigold, a library assistant at Edmonton Public Library, and in a previous career prior to receiving her MLIS, she was the Purchasing Manager for the Blessings bookstore chain. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening, baking, spending time outdoors, and reading (of course)! And you will ALWAYS find her advocating for the use of the Oxford comma.

Marilyn Desrosiers she/her

Director, Supporting Artistic Practice, Canada Council for the Arts

Born in Saguenay, Québec, Marilyn Desrosiers is a Program Director at the Canada Council for the Arts where she leads the delivery of the Supporting Artistic Program and the Council’s Strategic Innovation Fund since 2020.

Before joining the Canada Council for the Arts, Marilyn worked at the Canadian Institutes of Health Research for 14 years where she led teams within the Strategic Program Design and Delivery and the Partnerships and Stakeholder Engagement Divisions.

Holder of a Bachelor of Arts in Criminology and a Master’s in Social Work from the University of Ottawa, she has a keen interest in public policy, social justice, social innovation, and complex systems change.

Don Gorman he/him

Publisher, Rocky Mountain Books

Don Gorman is the publisher at Rocky Mountain Books and the National Sales Director at Heritage Group Distribution. He has worked in the book trade for more than 30 years, including two decades at Rocky Mountain Books. His experience spans bookselling, sales, marketing, publicity, and human resources. In addition to his publishing and sales roles, Don regularly collaborates with other publishers and sales professionals on key industry priorities such as advocacy, distribution, marketing, metadata, project management, and sales strategy.

He has served on the boards of the Association of Canadian Publishers (ACP), the Book Publishers Association of Alberta (BPAA), and Pubwest in the United States. He is a member of the College of Fellows of the Royal Canadian Geographical Society and currently serves as Past President of the Association of Book Publishers of British Columbia (Books BC). Don lives and works in Victoria, British Columbia.

Hailey Halberg she/her

Marketing Specialist, Parkland Regional Library System

Hailey is the Marketing Specialist for Parkland Regional Library System where she supports member libraries with attracting and retaining library members by promoting member library and system services. She advises member library staff in social media, marketing strategies, and campaign planning. Hailey has a Bachelor of Commerce from MacEwan University and has experience with sales, marketing, and internal communication strategies. At home, she enjoys camping, reading, and spending time with her family.

Mark Ham he/him

Executive Director, Cultural Industries, Ministry of Arts, Culture and Status of Women

Mark Ham had been with the Government of Alberta for 22 years, and in his current role for the past 8 years. Mark and his team support the cultural industries in Alberta, which includes book and magazine publishing, film, and music. Mark always welcomes the opportunity to meet with Alberta's book publishers and talk about how we can work together to continue to grow the sector.

Jack Illingworth he/him/they/them

Executive Director, Association of Canadian Publishers

Jack is the Executive Director of the Association of Canadian Publishers. He has worked in book and magazine publishing for over 25 years, most recently in senior roles at the Ontario Arts Council and the Literary Press Group of Canada. He lives in Toronto/Tkaronto and Neebing/Niibing, Ontario.

Ellen Kartz she/her

Executive Director, LitFest Alberta

Ellen holds a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia and a professional writing certificate from Mount Royal University. She was the Communications and Partnerships Coordinator for the Writers’ Guild of Alberta from 2015-2023. In 2018, she self-produced a one-person stage show and poetry/nonfiction chapbook, both titled The Tenderness of Stone. In 2020, Ellen founded a small poetry chapbook press, Armistice Press, and launched a quartet of chapbooks by emerging queer Edmonton authors. Ellen performed a second stage show, If I Was Fearless, in November 2024, and launched a poetry chapbook, Gravity, through Agatha Press in the same month. Currently, she is the executive director for LitFest, Edmonton's nonfiction festival.

Kelly Lauzon she/her

Deputy Director, Airdrie Public Library

Kelly is the Deputy Director at the Airdrie Public Library. She has been with the organization for 15 years, and is committed to free, open, and accessible public library service. Prior to Airdrie, she worked as the Information Technology Consultant at Northern Lights Library System, and the Provincial Archives of Alberta. Kelly earned a diploma is Journalism from SAIT, followed by a BA at the University of Lethbridge, and a Master of Library and Information Science from the University of Alberta.

Sarah Mayes she/her

Director, Book Publishing Policy and Programs

Sarah Mayes has been with the Canada Book Fund since January 2019 and in her current role since April 2024. She was previously the manager of the Support for Organizations component and also managed the delivery of the temporary Support for Booksellers component and collective projects under the Accessible Digital Books Initiative. Sarah has worked with the Department of Canadian Heritage in a variety of roles since 2003 and including working in film and television and magazine and newspaper policy. She holds a Master of Publishing degree from Simon Fraser University.

Karlene Nicolajsen she/her

Manager and Buyer, Shelf Life Books

Karlene Nicolajsen is the manager of Shelf Life Books in Calgary, where she has worked since it opened in 2010. She studied creative and professional writing at the University of Victoria and publishing at Toronto Metropolitan University. She also works as a freelance editor and proofreader and serves on the board of directors for the Canadian Independent Booksellers Association. She likes to read weird books.

Corin Raymond he/him

Corin Raymond is a full-time Juno-nominated singer-songwriter who’s only turned to storytelling for the, uh… financial security. Born in Winnipeg, MB, Corin spent his “deformative years” in ON, where he just moved back to Toronto.

Corin’s first “memoir-o-logue,” Bookworm (“intimate, open-hearted and evangelical” – Georgia Straight), was named Pick of the Fringe in Vancouver and Victoria, 2012. His follow-up, The Great Canadian Tire Money Caper, told the story of how Raymond managed to pay for the making of an entire double-album (Paper Nickels, 2013) with Canadian Tire money.

His latest album Dirty Mansions was released in 2019. His latest story-show, called BOOKMARKS, was awarded Storytelling/Spoken Word Favourite at the 2022 Victoria Fringe.

“Corin Raymond is a storyteller who by the end of the night you’ll have known your whole life” – Brad Wheeler, The Globe and Mail.

Dave Reynolds he/him

Category Manager, Nonfiction, Indigo Books

Dave is the Indigo Category Manager for several Nonfiction Categories nationally, as well as for Local Interest & Local Authors in Western Canada. Dave started with Chapters as a bookseller in 1997 and has held various positions in the stores and Home Office since that time.

Before becoming a bookseller, Dave received a Diploma (Hons.) in Film & Video from the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology. Dave has written original short- and feature-length screenplays and has also directed and produced several short films. In his spare time, he likes to travel by bicycle.

Ryan Smith he/him

Co-owner, Owl's Nest Books

Ryan was introduced to the world of publishing when he was asked to run the creative writing magazine, Whetstone, at the University of Lethbridge. From there, he decided, "Who needs a pension?" and dove head first into the world of books. He has a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from the University or Lethbridge and a Publishing Certificate from the Toronto Metropolitan University. After working as an editor for several years, Ryan joined the the team at Owl's Nest Books in 2020. The owners of the store approached Ryan about taking over for them, and Ryan became a co-owner of the store in 2022. Also a published author and poet, Ryan's favourite pasttime is reading to his daughter, Alice.

Shelley Youngblut she/her

CEO & Creative Ringleader, Wordfest

Shelley Youngblut is the CEO & Creative Ringleader of Wordfest. She was the recipient of the 2020 Calgary Award for Community Achievement in the Arts and the 2018 Rozsa Award for Arts Leadership. She also won the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award at the Western Magazine Awards. Youngblut was the founding editor of Calgary’s award-winning Swerve magazine and has created magazines for ESPN, Seventeen, Cosmopolitan, Nickelodeon, Western Living, and The Globe and Mail. She is also a former pop-culture correspondent for ABC World News Now and Canada AM, and a frequent contributor to CBC Calgary. She thinks of Wordfest as a general-interest magazine in three dimensions and is so grateful to be working with the team, board, volunteers and community to create a better Calgary. Follow her on Instagram/Threads @youngblutshelley and Facebook @ShelleyYoungblut.

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