Carrie Biner (She/They) is a non-binary, transfem Butch poet and spoken word artist living and creating in Regina, Saskatchewan, in Treaty 4 territory. Her poetry focuses on themes of queer identity, love, and resistance. She is inspired by the oral traditions of loudmouth transsexuals and spoken word poets, and the radical politics of the punks, butches and trans activists who came before them. They have contributed to Spring, The Lilac Journal, Guilty Butch zine, and have poems forthcoming in SLIT and Queer Toronto Literary Magazine. Carrie lives in Regina with her cat and chosen family.
Dr. Jenna Butler (she/her) is a queer BIPOC poet, teacher, and editor. She is the author of six collections of poetry and essays. Revery: A Year of Bees, essays about beekeeping, climate grief, and trauma recovery, was a finalist for the 2021 Governor General’s Literary Award and was longlisted for CBC Canada Reads. A professor of creative and environmental writing, Butler teaches for Sage Hill Writing and the University of Victoria. She works on the land on the unceded traditional territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples.
After immigrating to Canada, Angie Counios attended school in Regina’s core before earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts and an after-degree in Education from the University of Regina. Teaching in rural Saskatchewan and later with Regina Public Schools, she taught drama, directed theatre productions, coached improv, and eventually found her home in the visual arts. Her love of storytelling led to a long creative partnership with David Gane, producing feature-length scripts and the award-winning Shepherd and Wolfe mystery series. Most recently, she published My List, My Rules: The Year a Checklist Changed My Life. When she isn’t writing, creating, or teaching, she travels, taking photographs, chases new experiences, and tackles the next item on her ever-growing goal list. She believes life is one big adventure.
Chelsea Coupal’s second poetry collection, U Alive, was released in 2026 with Thistledown Press. Her first poetry collection, Sedley, was selected for an Indigo Exclusive Edition and shortlisted for three Saskatchewan Book Awards. Her work has won the City of Regina Writing Award, been nominated for the Pushcart Prize and appeared in more than a dozen publications, including Arc, EVENT, The Fiddlehead, Literary Review of Canada, The Malahat Review and Best Canadian Poetry.
Jesse Desjarlais is an academic, poet, and creative writer from Regina, SK. In 2024, he was awarded an SSHRC to pursue an MA in English with a focus on Cree and Métis literature. Desjarlais’s film criticism essays have featured in Splice Magazine, and his poetry has been published across Canada in PRISM, [SPACE], Echolocation, and The Lamp. He has an upcoming chapter on Métis fixed-form poetry in a University of Manitoba Press anthology, and is also working on his first chapbook. He is of mixed Ukrainian, French, Saulteaux, Cree, and Métis heritage and is a band member of Cowessess First Nation.
Ibukun Fasunhan is a dynamic playwright, director, producer, stage manager, and researcher with over 15 years of experience spanning children’s, African, and musical theatre. His writing credits include Prairie Farm and Off Guard, while his directing work features Death and the King’s Horseman and Annie the Musical, among others. Behind the scenes, he has stage-managed over 50 productions and 600 performances. He received the 2025 SKArts Award for Emerging Professional Artist, and his play Beertanglement was second runner-up at the 2021 Beeta International Playwright Competition. His practice explores race relations, spectatorship, and socially engaged performance. He is a PhD candidate at the University of Regina.
Aniasonwa Ebuka Favour is a Nigerian-born poet, creative, and changemaker based in Canada whose work blends art with activism. Through spoken word and written poetry, he explores themes of identity, migration, resilience, gender equality, mental health, and global development. Known for his emotional depth and lyrical style, Favour uses poetry as a tool for healing, education, and social impact. He has shared his work in community spaces and international platforms like UNITE 2030, where he served as an SDG Counsellor. Combining creativity with engineering and innovation, he champions storytelling as a force for change.
David Gane is a writer from Regina, Saskatchewan. He co-writes the internationally award-winning Shepherd & Wolfe YA mystery series about two teenage boys who chase serial killers—with the fifth and final novel arriving this winter. On his own, he writes stories and poems about death, memory, grief, and the edges of ordinary life. Some are sad, some odd, some humorous—all short, compressed, and stripped down to what matters. He regularly publishes his new work on davidgane.com.
Tara Gereaux is the author of three books, including the recently released Wild People Quiet. Tara holds an MFA in creative writing from UBC and has worked as a writer and story editor for film and television. She is a citizen of the Métis Nation-Saskatchewan and lives in Regina on Treaty 4 territory and the homeland of the Métis.
Alison Lohans has been writing since childhood and was first published at age 12. Since 1983, she has published 31 books ranging from children's picture books (most recently, The Wind and Amanda's Cello with Shadowpaw Press, 2024); young reader novels for kids aged 7-9; middle-grade fiction; several young adult/teen novels; and two romance novels. She has also published multiple works of short fiction, creative nonfiction and poetry, and has won awards for her short works as well as for several of her books. Alison has given over 1000 author readings in schools and libraries across Canada. She has taught writing (as well as teaching beginner band for Regina Public Schools in the 1970s and, more recently, an advanced recorder class for a seniors' group, until the pandemic). Alison has mentored several now-successful writers. She frequently takes on editing jobs and has given many writing workshops. Alison served as Writer-in-Residence at Regina Public Library in 2002-03. Her forthcoming book, The Best Little Sister in the World, is a tough-topic picture book with Lilac Arch Press. Alison also plays several different instruments in Regina music groups
Dash Salt-Reimer is an artist and educator based out of Treaty 6 territory in Saskatoon. With over a decade of professional experience in the arts, he makes his living within the worlds of poetry and hip hop, performing on stages across Turtle Island, North Africa, South Africa and Turkey. Dash has been lucky to have been able to premiere original plays at Fringe Festivals, share stages with spoken word greats like Buddy Wakefield, use his Arabic to work with acclaimed Tunisian Jazz musicians and perform in front of crowds of thousands as well as empty rooms. He was Saskatchewan's 5th Youth Poet Laureate and is looking forward to whatever step comes next in his artistic journey.
Melanie Schnell spent one year in East Africa researching her first novel, While the Sun is Above Us. It was shortlisted for two Saskatchewan Book Awards, and it won the City of Regina Award and the First Book Award. Her second novel, The Chorus Beneath Our Feet, which centers on the history of the British Home Children, was recently shortlisted for three Saskatchewan Book Awards, and it won the City of Regina Award. Melanie has written for television and has published poetry, fiction, and nonfiction.
Shayna Stock (she/they) grew up on the shores of Lake Huron and now lives in Regina/Treaty 4. They write about queer lineage, belonging, family and deviance. Shayna has performed spoken word at venues across the country, and their poetry has been published in Room, Foglifter, Grain, CV2 and elsewhere. When she’s not writing poems, she’s writing policies, swimming anywhere, cuddling dogs, and loving big.
2026 John V Hicks Long Manuscript Award in Nonfiction winners
Stay tuned - we will announce in September!
