Roland Gulliver (Chair) is the Director of the Toronto International Festival of Authors, taking up the position in February 2020. With over 12 years’ experience at the Edinburgh International Book Festival, Roland Gulliver is one of the leading international figures in the literature sector. In addition to the August Festival, he has led, alongside a fellow programme director, on the development of a year-round programme of residencies, mini festivals and standalone events working with a range of communities to offer access and empowerment through the arts. From graphic novel and hip-hop projects with school students, prison visits with authors, to producing a Muriel Spark celebration for 2000 people in 2019. At the British Council in Brussels (2000-2006) he created and delivered a range of multilateral programmes exploring Britain’s role in Europe with projects, festivals and commissions engaging British, Belgian and European artists and organisations. This included European conferences on science, politics and arts, and high-level bilateral conferences involving ambassadors, business leaders and the UK & Belgian prime ministers.
Jennifer Alicia (she/they) is a queer, mixed Mi’kmaw and settler (German/Irish/Scottish) multidisciplinary artist originally from Elmastukwek, Ktaqmkuk (Bay of Islands, Newfoundland), now residing in Toronto. She is a two-time national poetry slam champion and her work has been featured in Canthius Magazine, NOW Magazine, CBC and imagineNATIVE Film + Media Arts Festival. Jennifer Alicia co-edited an Indigenous poetry anthology titled The Condor and the Eagle Meet and has a debut chapbook titled Mixed Emotions. She is a current participant in the Animikiig Creators Unit through Native Earth Performing Arts, working on her debut play titled To Go Home.
Barâa Arar is a Toronto-based community organizer, writer, and editor. She holds a Bachelor of Humanities from Carleton University and a Master’s in History from the University of Toronto. As a student, she served as editor of In/Words Magazine and the Hart House Review. Her writing has appeared in This Magazine, Canthius, CBC, and the Globe and Mail, among other Canadian and international publications. Currently, she works for a federal government department, advising on matters of equity, diversity and inclusion. Barâa is an editorial committee member of Between the Lines, an independent Canadian press and is the recipient of the Carleton Provost Scholar Award for community engagement and immersive research.
Kristyn Dunnion is a fiction author whose books include “Stoop City” (Biblioasis), “Tarry This Night” and “The Dirt Chronicles” (Arsenal Pulp Press), and young adult titles including “Mosh Pit” (Red Deer Press). Her work has been celebrated by the ReLit Award, the Acker Award, the Metcalf-Rooke Award, and as a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award. She earned a B.A. at McGill University and an M.A. in English at the University of Guelph. A multi-disciplinary artist by nature, Dunnion continues to integrate mixed media and musical/theatrical performance with her writing. Born and raised in the southern-most tip of Canada, she now resides in Toronto, where she works in the field of community mental health support.