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Packaging Your Imagination (PYI) Conference 

Registration opens in JULY for Packaging Your Imagination 2025.

Join us IN PERSON: Saturday, October 25 2025 in Toronto . 

OR

Connect with PYI RECORDED:  Professionally recorded PYI sessions will be available in November.

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Photos from PYI 2023 by Caroline Fernandez

CANSCAIP’s Packaging Your Imagination Conference 

CANSCAIP has hosted this highly regarded professional development conference for 40 years. You are welcome to join us for this inspiring day of learning, business and networking.  Be part of the community of Canada's children's writers, illustrators, performers and publishers, who gather together annually for Packaging Your Imagination (PYI). 


REGISTRATION opens in JULY!

PYI 2025 IN PERSON 

Saturday, October 25, 2025

9:00 am to 5:00 pm 

Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute
209 Victoria Street, Toronto


PYI 2025 RECORDED

Videos of PYI sessions and keynotes 



PICK YOUR OWN PYI 


You choose 4 of the 12 in person (or recorded) sessions. 

ALL registrations include both keynote speakers.

RECORDINGS OF ADDITIONAL SESSIONS

After selecting four sessions for PYI IN PERSON or PYI RECORDED,
you can order additional recorded sessions for just $10 each.

PYI 2024 SESSIONS & SPEAKERS  

1. Un-Stick Your Picture Book Manuscript: Tell It What It Is - ERIN ALLADIN
2. Face the Facts: Crafting the Nonfiction Proposal - HEATHER CAMLOT

3. Illustration as Productive Rebellion - JACK WONG

4. Turning Up the Volume: The Story Behind So Loud! SAHAR GOLSHAN, SHIVA 
DELSOOZ, KHARY MATHURIN

5. Reading by Flashlight: Using Suspense to Hook Young Readers -

CHRISTINA KILBOURNE

6. Set Your Silly Goose Loose! Writing Early Chapter Books That Delight - 

ANNA HUMPHREY

7. Breaking In Panel - JILLIAN DOBSON, ROSENA FUNG, PRITI MAHESHWARI, 

ANDREW KATZ (Moderator)

8. The Unforgettables: Crafting Memorable Characters in Fiction and Nonfiction - WANDA TAYLOR

9. Collage 101 - ASHLEY BARRON

10. Publishing Panel – SARAH HOWDEN, KAREN LI, SAMANTHA SWENSON, 
NASEEM HRAB
(Moderator)

11. Writing the Tough Stuff - VIKKI VANSICKLE

12. The How-to of Humour: A Serious Study of Hilarity - MARCUS CUTLER


OPENING KEYNOTE: The Importance of Storytelling | MELANIE FLORENCE
CLOSING KEYNOTE: Staying Creative for the Long Haul | KATHY STINSON (The Claire Mackay Memorial Lecture is sponsored by the Peter and Eleanor Daniels Foundation)

ONE-TO-ONE EVALUATIONS

Add a One-to-One to your PYI IN PERSON registration for $75.  

A One-to-One is a 15-minute  meeting with a publishing professional who has evaluated 1,000 words of your manuscript, or 10 images from your online illustration portfolio.  

One-to-One meetings are in person at the PYI venue on Sat Oct 26between 5:00 and 8:30pm ET.  (Sorry, SOLD OUT)

One-to-Ones are verbal evaluations without written notes.

PYI 2024 ONE-TO-ONE EVALUATORS

Erin Haggett, Scholastic Canada
Naseem Hrab, Kids Can Press

Kathleen Keenan, Kids Can Press

Jieun Lee, Annick Press

Karen Li, Groundwood Books

John Martz, Tundra Book Group (portfolios)

Khary Mathurin, Annick Press

Patricia Ocampo, Kids Can Press

Peter Phillips, Tundra Book Group

Ella Russell, Owlkids Books

Emma Sakamoto, Groundwood Books




WHAT ATTENDEES ARE SAYING

"I always come away from PYI having learned something, having been inspired, and feeling more confident about my writing."

"Always amazing--I recommend it to EVERYONE."

"So well organized with great variety of presenters. I felt welcomed to this writing community as soon as I entered the building."

"Thank you so much for this fantastic conference, for the speakers who know their stuff,  and for the editors who give their time for the always-valuable One-to-One sessions." 


THANK YOU!

Your registration for our conference helps support CANSCAIP and our PYI speakers.

Learn more about CANSCAIP

    

CANSCAIP
720 Bathurst St., Suite 412, Toronto, ON M5S 2R4

Email: office@canscaip.org
Phone: 1-416-515-1559

Copyright 2025 Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators and Performers

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