Who We Are
The Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers (CANSCAIP) is a national arts service organization dedicated to supporting the creation of Canadian literature and performance for young audiences.A registered charitable organization, we offer members professional development, promotion, and support for the craft and business of creating books for children and teens through a wide range of volunteer-run Events and Resources. Our membership includes Members, who are traditionally published writers and illustrators; and Friends, who include educators, librarians, publishers, journalists, and emerging and self-published writers and illustrators. We are friendly, supportive, inclusive, welcoming and proudly Canadian. | WATCH:
|
CANSCAIP’s activities and resources include:
|
Our History
CANSCAIP grew out of a Canada Day conference in 1977, organized by the Port Colborne Public Library.
Invited to share there expertise were writers Claire Mackay, Jean Little, Madeline Freeman, Audrey McKim, Madeline Kronby, Bert Williams, Mike Wilkins and Nancy Cleaver; illustrators Alan Daniel and J. Merle Smith; and performer C. Sam LaBrecque. Many were strangers to each other, and they all realized they needed (and wanted) to know others working in their fields.
Out of this need for community and professional connections, CANSCAIP was born.
Monthly meetings, a quarterly newsletter, and an annual conference were the main offerings of the organization for many years. As performer member numbers diminished, our activities evolved to focus on those members involved in the creation of books for children and teens.
Since 2020, when the pandemic forced our monthly meetings online, other online offerings have expanded to better serve our members across the country. Always proudly Canadian, we at last feel like a truly national community.
CANSCAIP will be celebrating our 50th anniversary in 2027!
For close to 50 years, CANSCAIP has been dedicated to Canadian children's authors, illustrators and performers and their work.
We provide professional development, promotion, and networking opportunities to over 400 professional Members and 600 associate Friends--we're the largest organization in Canada supporting creative work for children and teens. Canada's creators for young people have achieved great success here and around the world, and CANSCAIP has been an important part of encouraging that success.
CANSCAIP is friendly, supportive, inclusive, welcoming and proudly Canadian.
CANSCAIP
Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators and Performers
Davisville Centre | 1920 Yonge Street, Suite 241 | Toronto, Ontario M4S 3E2
Email: office@canscaip.org
Phone: 1-416-515-1559