Speakers Bios for PYI 2012

Richard Scrimger (Keynote Speaker)

Richard has published sixteen books for adults and children. His work has won awards and been translated a lot. Ink Me is the story of a mistake. Richard does not have four childrenundefinedthey have him. For more information, go to www.scrimger.ca.

Sheila Barry

Sheila has worked in publishing for nearly twenty years and has edited children's books for more than a decade. She joined Groundwood Books as co-publisher in January 2012.

Carolyn Beck

Carolyn is the author of an eclectic list of picture books including the censored The Waiting Dog and Blue Spruce nominated Buttercup’s Lovely Day. Wellington’s Rainy Day and Dog Breath, are on the OLA’s 2012 Best Bets List.

Helaine Becker

Before taking the plunge to write full time, Helaine spent 15 years running a small business. Her 2012 books include AlphaBest, The Quiz Book for Spies and How to Survive Absolutely Anything.

Norma Charles

Norma has published eighteen books, with several others on the go. Her latest novel is an adventure for middle-grade Readers, Run Marco Run. The Vancouver writer has won numerous awards, including The Chocolate Lily and The Red Cedar.

Lena Coakley

Lena’s first novel, Witchlanders, was called “a stunning teen debut” by Kirkus Reviews. She is the author of two children’s picture books and has twice won second prize in the Toronto Short Story contest.

Lisa Dalrymple

Lisa is the author of If It’s No Trouble … A Big Polar Bear. She won The Writers’ Union of Canada’s Writing for Children Competition for Skink on the Brink, her second picture book, due to be released in 2013.

Willow Dawson

Willow makes comics and draws at The RAID Studio in Toronto. She teaches Creating Comics and Graphic Novels at U of T and leads comic workshops everywhere else. Her most recent graphic novel is Hyena in Petticoats. For more information, go to www.willowdawson.com.

Clayton Hanmer (CTON)

CTON, an illustrator and graphic artist, has worked with The Globe & Mail, Owlkids, Annick Press and National Geographic Kids. The winner of many industry awards, his latest book is The Secret Life of Money: A Kid’s Guide to Cash.

Vladyana Krykorka

Vladyana trained in Prague and at OCA and began as a textbook illustrator. Since then she’s illustrated over 20 books, had many exhibitions of her art and won numerous awards, including The Alcuin Society Book Design Award for The Littlest Sled Dog.

Christopher Moore

Christopher writes about history for adults and young readers. His 2011 book From Then To Now: A Short History of the World received the Governor General’s Award in Children’s Literature (his second GG). For more information, go to www.christophermoore.ca.

Patricia Ocampo

Patricia was a children's book editor at HarperCollins US and Canada, and is past president of the Canadian chapter of the International Board on Books for Young People. She joined the Transatlantic Literary Agency in 2010, specializing in children's books.

Allan Stratton

Allan Stratton is the internationally award-winning, best-selling author of Chanda's Secrets, Chanda's Wars, Borderline and The Grave Robber's Apprentice. His plays and adult, YA and middle-grade fiction are widely published and taught abroad.

Tim Wynne-Jones

Tim has written over thirty books, published in a dozen languages around the world. He has won the Governor General's Award, twice, and has been nominated five times, most recently for his 2011 Young Adult novel, Blink & Caution.