Staff

Lori Schubert is the executive director of the Quebec Writers’ Federation, where she has worked since 2003. From 1998 to 2017 she was also a member and general manager of VivaVoce, a professional chamber choir. Prior to her work in arts management, Lori was a singer and corporate communications trainer in the New York metropolitan area, then taught written and oral communication at McGill and Concordia Universities. She was instrumental in the founding of the English-language Arts Network of Quebec, and is currently serving on its board for the second time. Lori also serves in an advisory capacity for YES Montreal, the Blue Metropolis Foundation and the Atwater Writers’ Exhibit, and is a co-leader for the Working Group on Arts, Culture, Heritage organized by the Montreal office of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

John Wickham is the communications officer of the Quebec Writers' Federation. Prior to joining the team, he worked for several years in digital media and content strategy and as a lecturer in English and history. A QWF member since 2020, John spends much of his free time writing poetry. He holds a Bachelor of Arts and Master of Arts in history from McGill University.

Riley Palanca is an arts organizer, theatre creator, and spoken word artist based in Montreal. A lover of books since childhood, Riley has been involved with several artists' collectives across Canada. As an emerging writer, they have contributed to several publications, performed in open mics, and self-published a novel. Riley is passionate about helping young and marginalized writers in Quebec develop their voices.

Rachel McCrum is a poet, performer, event organizer, and workshop facilitator. Originally from Northern Ireland, she lived in Edinburgh, Scotland between 2010 and 2016, where she was the first BBC Scotland Poet in Residence and recipient of a Robert Louis Stevenson Fellowship. She is the editor of Font magazine. In Montreal, she has worked as co-director of the Mile End Poets' Festival (with Ian Ferrier), curator of the Atwater Poetry Project, and is currently Vice-President on the board of Espace de la Diversité//Diversity District. She teaches poetry and spoken word workshops to youth with ELAN Artists Inspire, Poetry in Voice, and Writers in the Community. She was Communications & Membership Coordinator for Quebec Writers' Federation 2017-2019, set up the Shut Up & Write writing sessions, worked as project manager for StoryScaping and the Chronicling the Days project, and is the current project manager of the Max Margles Writing Residency. Her debut collection, The First Blast to Awaken Women Degenerate, was published in a bilingual edition with Mémoire d’encrier in Fall 2020.

 

Sarah Haggard has been program coordinator of Writers in the Community (WIC) since its inception in 2007. She began her career in book publishing and production, first in the UK and Italy, then in Montreal. In recent years she has focused her energies on managing programs, projects, and events for cultural and community organizations. Sarah has seen the WIC program grow from a handful of workshops per year in just two venues to a busy schedule of projects, employing up to 15 writers annually in over a dozen community organizations. She believes passionately in the value of giving young people a chance to explore their emotions and ideas through writing, and feels privileged to work with the talented writers whose creativity and commitment are at the heart of the program’s success.