Friends, Family & Aliens
There are other writers, artists and creators out there who are producing some incredible work.
I hope they inspire you as much as they have me!
The almost original line-up for the Cecil Street Irregulars Writers Group circa 1988
Kristina Moyor
Kristina Moyer - Artist
Her goal is to possess the power of influence over the viewer, to bring more light and joy into all living spaces. With continual practice and the need to constantly cultivate her craft and expand her abilities, she opens her heart and mind to the world, hoping to captivate her audience with her positivity and love for all creations.
Brain Lag Publishing
Publisher of fantasy and science fiction novels based out of Milton, Ontario. With a focus on personalized attention and custom design elements to our books, Brain Lag strives to bring mainstream publisher quality to the small press.
Publisher of Extreme Dentistry and Why I Hunt Flying Saucers and Other Fantasticals.
Cory Doctorow
Cory Doctorow (craphound.com) is a science fiction author, activist, and journalist. He is the author of RADICALIZED and WALKAWAY, science fiction for adults, a YA graphic novel called IN REAL LIFE, the nonfiction business book INFORMATION DOESN’T WANT TO BE FREE, and young adult novels like HOMELAND, PIRATE CINEMA and LITTLE BROTHER. His next book is POESY THE MONSTER SLAYER, a picture book for young readers. He maintains a daily blog at Pluralistic.net. He works for the Electronic Frontier Foundation, is a MIT Media Lab Research Affiliate, is a Visiting Professor of Computer Science at Open University, a Visiting Professor of Practice at the University of North Carolina’s School of Library and Information Science and co-founded the UK Open Rights Group. Born in Toronto, Canada, he now lives in Los Angeles.
A.C. Nechita Fine Art
"I want to reach across the abyss that separates us and pierce your heart."
I am an artist, and a museum & archives professional.
My passions in life are art, history, and the fantastical. Much of my work belongs within the genres of science fiction and fantasy.
I specialize in abstract expressionist and minimalist artwork.
The Hugh A.D. Spencer Collection
by A.C. Nechita
Andrea writes:
"Hugh and I quickly became friends over our shared backgrounds and interests including the museum field, and a love for history, art, and science fiction. Hugh commissioned me to create original artwork for one of his books. Titled, “Why I Hunt Flying Saucers And Other Fantasticals”, this book is a collection of 13 of his best loved short stories. I created 13 pieces of original artwork, one for each story. This project was completed in the summer of 2017, and we have continued to work together since!
Simon A.G. Spencer
Simon A. G. Spencer lives in Toronto and is currently a copy-editor for numerous scientific and scholarly journals.
"In his debut novel Soul, Light and Wings, Simon A. G. Spencer spreads his own wings, bearing the reader along on a break-neck chase through a frozen apocalypse. This is one you won't want to miss, a tour de force that reveals Spencer as a writer to watch." -David Nickle, award-winning author of Volk: A Novel of Radiant Abomination.
On Spec Magazine
SF with a uniquely Canadian Perspective.
Our little quarterly journal, On Spec adheres to a strong mandate that has served us well over the years. We discover and showcase quality works by predominantly Canadian writers and artists, in the genre we call “Fantastic” literature.
Emily Andrews, Jen Pogue & Laura Nordin
Filmcoop
Filmcoop inc. is a Toronto based film collective & production company that focuses on fostering our passions and others.
We work collaboratively to provide a platform for both emerging and established voices, bringing compelling stories and unique perspectives to screen. established in 2010 by co-founders Emily Andrews & Laura Nordin; we are producers, filmmakers, teachers, students, artists, & creators.
Terri Favro: Fiction & Truth
Terri Favro is the author of three novels: Sputnik’s Children (a Globe & Mail 100 book, Quill & Quire Book of the Year and CBC Books Top 10 book for 2017, shortlisted for the Sunburst Award for Excellence in Canadian Literature of the Fantastic), Once Upon A Time in West Toronto, and The Proxy Bride. Her popular science book, Generation Robot: A Century of Science Fiction, Fact and Speculation, received a starred review on BookList, the review site of the American Library Association. A CBC Literary Prize for Creative Non-fiction finalist,
Terri’s essays and short fiction have appeared in numerous journals and anthologies including the Humber Literary Review, Hamilton Review of Books, Broken Pencil, Geist, Prism, and the anthology Clockwork Canada: Steampunk Fiction. Terri also collaborates on comic books and graphic novels with visual artist Ron Edding.
Shoestring Radio Theatre
Shoestring Radio Theatre is a nationally-syndicated radio drama program featuring original radio plays by contemporary writers as well as adaptations of traditional favorites — everything from classic murder mysteries, "radio noir," and historical dramas to contemporary comedies, thrillers, and science fiction.
The Alternate Reality News Service
by Ira Nayman
Ira Nayman is a science fiction writer of humorous aspect. His sixth novel, Good Intentions, was recently published by Elsewhen Press. He has just published his eleventh collection of Alternate Reality News Service articles, Idiotocracy for Dummies.
The Gernsback Machine
from Amazing Stories
An Amazing Podcast
A spirited discussion of the world of speculative fiction and beyond by three people who oughta know better. (Ira Nayman, Gisela McKay and, oh yeah, Hugh Spencer
Nart Sagas
by John Colarusso
Nart Tales
Edited by John Colarusso and Tamirlan Salbiev
Nart Sagas from the Caucasus: Myths and Legends from the Circassians, Abazas, Abkhaz, and Ubykhs
The Nart sagas are to the Caucasus what Greek mythology is to Western civilization. This book presents, for the first time in the West, a wide selection of these fascinating myths preserved among four related peoples whose ancient cultures today survive by a thread. In ninety-two straightforward tales populated by extraordinary characters and exploits, by giants who humble haughty Narts, by horses and sorceresses, Nart Sagas from the Caucasus brings these cultures to life in a powerful epos.
Tales of the Narts: Ancient Myths and Legends of the Ossetians
The ancestors of the Ossetians once roamed freely from eastern Europe to western China, and their myths exhibit striking parallels with ancient Indian, Norse, and Greek myth. The Nart sagas may also have formed a crucial component of the Arthurian cycle. Tales of the Narts further expands the canon of this precious body of lore and demonstrates the passion and values that shaped the lives of the ancient Ossetians.
John Colarusso is a professor of languages and linguistics and anthropology, specializing in languages of the Caucasus region. In the course of his career, he served as an adviser to the U.S. government, including the White House, on matters of Russian affairs
John is also the greatly loved mentor to many of us.
Candas Jane Dorsey
Candas Jane Dorsey is a Canadian poet and science fiction novelist who resides in her hometown of Edmonton, Alberta. Dorsey became a writer from an early age and works across genre boundaries, writing poetry, fiction, mainstream and speculative, short and long form, arts journalism and arts advocacy. Dorsey has also written television and stage scripts, magazine and newspaper articles, and reviews.
Dorsey currently teaches and holds workshops and readings. She has served on the executive board of the Writers' Guild of Alberta and is a founder of SF Canada. In 1998, Dorsey received the Prix Aurora Award.
Dorsey was editor-in-chief of The Books Collective (River, Slipstream and Tesseract Books) from 1992 through 2005.
“As brilliant as William Gibson, as complex as Gene Wolfe, with a humanity and passion all her own, Candas Jane Dorsey isn't just a comer, she's a winner.” —Ursula K. Le Guin
Orpheus Choir of Toronto
We have made our mark in the Canadian choral community by championing new and rarely performed choral works and celebrating the ‘Expect Something Different’ experience.
We perform a vast repertoire of sacred and secular music, from the Renaissance to the 21st century, from the classic to the experimental. Adding to the richness of the choral art form, Orpheus continues to commission new works from Canadian and international composers.
Chloe Watkinson
Music has always been as much a part of Chloe as her red hair. Blessed with a voice that can be soft and sweet, or full of power and rasp, she transcends genres with ease.
Her singles are easily listenable, but she alludes to something deeper. Cosmology, astronomy, biology, and cultural diversity find their way into her lyrics. "Crystal Pistol" (Aporia Records) suggests that she has an inner activist; while "A Universe" (produced by Grammy-winning legend George Massenburg) shows a glimpse of a vulnerable lover.
Allan Weiss
Writer, scholar and my co-curator on the National Library of Canada;s exhibition on science and fantasy writes:
"Rigid ways of viewing the world lead to moral blindness or willed self-delusion, and I think it's vital for everybody's sake that we all do everything we can to educate ourselves, and be open to having our misconceptions and assumptions exploded. I do understand why people build comforting mental structures, but I have no patience with those (including myself) who refuse to let them go when the time comes.
...Expanded vision leads to clearer understanding of others, and therefore less egotistical or rigid perspectives."
Dr. Mamta Mantri
City and Protests:
Perspectives in Spatial Criticism
“It is a delight to read with ease (a book to take on the train, or in the park to read) and without unnecessary jargon; it is poetic, and each chapter fits together neatly, synchronically. […] [If] Lefebvre (concerned with socio-spatial and urban theory), had been able to read the book, he would have delighted in its political, place-based grit, and its spatial poetics. The sketches are wonderful and the narrative throughout takes the reader behind the barricades and onto the compact streets of urban places; to the “protestors’ city”. […] [It is] a highly recommended text for students, scholars and anyone interested in the sociology and politics of protest in urban India.”
Dr Jim Taylor
Adjunct Associate Professor, Anthropology and Development Studies, University of Adelaide
Andrew Cartmel
Andrew Cartmel is a British author and journalist. He was the script editor of Doctor Who during the Sylvester McCoy era of the show between 1987 and 1989. He has also worked as a script editor on other television series, as a magazine editor, as a comics writer, as a film studies lecturer, and as a novelist.
Coming in 2022:
The 6th Vinyl Detective novel!
Attack and Decay!
Dave Nickle
David Nickle is an author and journalist living and working in Toronto. His fiction has been published in magazines, anthologies and online, and been adapted for television. In 1997, he and Edo Van Belkom won a Bram Stoker Award for their short story “Rat Food.” In 1993, he and Karl Schroeder co-wrote “The Toy Mill” and won an Aurora Award for short form work in English. Some of his stories are collected in Monstrous Affections, and Knife Fight and Other Struggles.
He is the author of several novels: Rasputin’s Bastards, The ‘Geisters, Eutopia: A Novel of Terrible Optimism and Volk: A Novel of Radiant Abomination all available from Open Road Media. He is married to author and futurist Madeline Ashby.
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F. Jane O'Brien
Brilliant mathematician, musician and writer F. Jane O'Brien writes under the name of Netty Beels and has crafted brilliant works of high romantic humour such as Burlap Beauty, Dare Not Say More My Darling and the ongoing Tales of Basting Twill saga.
She is also the highly regarded author of classic murder-mystery-dinner-theatre plays such as Six Deadly Sins and Little Homicide on the Prairie.
The Winner of the Saskatchewan Award of Knick-Knack Excellence for her comprehensive collection of porcelain frogs, she lives a quiet and fulfilling life in suburban Calgary. F. Jane O'Brien is currently Artistic Director of the Spencer Six Electronic Theatre Company.
Mark Connery Universe
with Rudy the Magic Cat
Rudy, a collection spanning over 20 years of comics and zines by Mark Connery, is a delightfully strange, funny, and metaphysical trip. With pants-wearing fish, shape-shifting triangles, talking eyeballs, rude ugly duckling youths, and of course our titular magic cat, Rudy, Connery’s absurdist irreverence permeates his work. With the turn of every page, Rudy beats with a poet’s heart. Words alone cannot capture the magic that is Rudy. It must be read to be believed!
Third Eye Photographics
Photographer. Writer. Agitator of Excrement. Drunk Whisperer. Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Aficionado.
Kevin Edward Proulx aspired to be a professional photographer from an early age, starting out with a borrowed Diana film camera when he was eight years old, getting his own Kodak camera when he was ten, and eventually a Nikon FM when he started high school in 1983. He maintains what he likes to refer to as a "muggle" career in the public sector, but photography is his passion.
Kevin volunteered as an official photographer for the North Americian Indigenous Games which were held in Toronto in July 2017, and was selected for a feature profile in the University of Toronto at Scarborough's "150 Neighbours" project for Canada's 150th.
Heather Dick & The Sirius Theatrical Company
A vivacious performer, voice artist, director, writer and Designated Linklater Voice teacher, Heather brings energy, joy and a touch of humour to all that she does.
In 1989 Heather founded the Sirius Theatrical Company (Toronto) to explore a diverse range of approaches to performance outside of the traditional theatre structure. From the seed of a dream, Heather built the STC into a flourishing organization. As a part of the Toronto theatre scene for 30 years, the STC has mentored emerging artists, offered professional voice and acting training, and produced critically acclaimed multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural performance pieces that integrated acting, dance, photography, music, visual art and spoken word.
As a writer, Heather has been published in two anthologies and is the winner of the Joseph Smrdelj Short Story Contest 2017.
Heather’s work is rich, instinctual and vibrant with a touch of the Re-DICK-ulous!
Novelist, Journalist, Cartoonist, Foot Nudist
Here's what Sierra Larson (AKA Sierra: The Barfoot Girl) says about herself:
"I hate wearing shoes. I have been living barefoot as much as possible since 2010. I find shoes uncomfortable, a lot of them are ugly, and they are bacteria traps. Plus, walking barefoot feels so good! Join me in my adventures and free the feet!
I self published my first novel, Red 72, in 2015. It is the first in a fictional series about chemical terrorism. The second book in the series, Red 72: Genesis, came out in 2016. Red 72: Exodus, the third book in the series, came out in 2017. The final book in the series, Red 72: Revelation, is currently in editing and will be out soon. I also wrote A Brief Guide to Barefooting, which is pretty much exactly what it sounds like – a short book about how to live barefoot."