THE CONTRIBUTORS
Volume 3, Issue 1. Winter 2001

David Bouchard It should come as no surprise that the author of the acclaimed If You’re not from the Prairie was indeed “prairie born.”  At the age of 37, David did as so many from the prairie have done before him - he moved to the west coast.

One of British Columbia’s best-selling authors and most sought-after public speakers, David has talked to thousands of educators, parents and students. Through his keynotes and presentations, he champions literacy.

His books have won several prestigious awards, among them: the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry award for Voices from the Wild in 1997, the Red Cedar Award for The Great Race in 1999, and the Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon award for illustration for The Dragon New Year in 1999.  His books have been short-listed many times for Canada’s most outstanding awards in children’s literature.

David is married to Vicki and their combined family totals five: Adrien, Etienne, Todd, Ashleigh, and their very own Victoria.

Gail de Vos, an adjunct associate professor at SLIS, University of Alberta and the author of 5 books on storytelling and folk literature for young adults,  teaches courses on storytelling, young adult literature, Canadian Children’s Literature (online) and Comic Books and Graphic Novels in School and Public Libraries (online). She is a professional storyteller and has told stories and conducted workshops across North America and in Britain.

Celeste Snowber is a dancer, educator and writer who is an Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Education at Simon Fraser University. Her research interests are in the area of embodiment, dance education, arts-based inquiries, and spirituality and education.

Rachna Gilmore is the award-winning author of many children’s picture books, early readers and novels. Her picture books include the 1999 Governor General’s Award winner for Children’s Literature text A Screaming Kind of Day; the highly acclaimed Gita books, Lights for Gita, Roses for Gita, A Gift for Gita; and the popular My Mother is Weird.  Her most recent publication, Mina’s Spring of Colors, a novel for children aged 9 and up, has been short-listed for the 2001 Silver Birch Award.  Her first young adult novel, A Group of One, will be published by Henry Holt, in June 2001.  Her books are sold internationally, with translations in French, Danish, Spanish, Catalan, German, Belgian, as well as eight dual language editions.  Rachna also writes adult fiction under the pseudonym Rachna Mara.  Born in India, Rachna has lived in England, Prince Edward Island, and now lives, works and plays in Ottawa with her husband, two daughters and a talkative cat.

Kent Manning is a computer and science resource teacher in the elementary panel of the Hastings Prince Edward District School Board.  He is also an instructor for Queen’s University, Faculty of Education, Continuing Teacher Education, Computers in the Classroom full distance education.