Speed Dating for Writers and Publishers!

December 7, 2025, 2 – 3 pm
Archives room, basement level
Casa d’Italia

Writers, bring your pitch and get ready to present it to a range of local publishers. Introduce yourselves, and then you’ll have three minutes to tell your publisher “date” what your book is all about. Don’t forget to leave time for questions or a little discussion. When the bell dings, move to the next available seat and do it again. Whether you find a home for your manuscript or not, you’ll make contacts and gather information that may serve you now and in the future.

How to Participate

This event has limited capacity. Registration will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis at the book fair on the day of the event. Doors to the book fair open at 11 am, so arrive early to ensure your spot. See details and tips for participating.

Featuring:

• Yashaswi Kesanakurthy, Simon & Schuster Canada
• Firoze Manji, Daraja Press
• Leila Marshy, Baraka Books
• Curtis McRae, Véhicule Press
• Shannae Nitti, Crackboom! Books
• Dave Dufour, Flame Arrow Publishing (new addition!)
• Moderated by Lori Schubert, Quebec Writers’ Federation

Yashaswi Kesanakurthy [yush-us-we kay-sah-nah-koor-thi] is the Children’s Editor at Simon & Schuster Canada. She is a graduate of the University of British Columbia’s MA program in Children’s Literature and Toronto Metropolitan University’s publishing program. Her publishing career began as Publishing Assistant at Tundra Books, PRHC. She then joined HarperCollins Canada as Associate Editor where she developed a vibrant list including The Garden of Lost Socks by Esi Edugyan and Amélie Dubois, The Hockey Skates by Karl Subban and Maggie Zeng, and Mortified by Kristy Jackson and Rhael McGregor. At Simon & Schuster Canada, she remains focused on publishing marginalized, Canadian voices that tell entertaining and transformative stories. Yash lives in Toronto with a magical, if unruly, library that just keeps growing.

Firoze Manji, PhD, is a Kenyan / Canadian, resident in Québec. He has spent more than 50 years in international development, health, human rights and political activism. He is the publisher of Daraja Press and is an Adjunct Professor at the Institute of African Studies, Carleton University, Ottawa. He is the recipient of the 2021 Nicolás Cristóbal Guillén Batista Lifetime Achievement Award from the Caribbean Philosophical Association.

Leila Marshy is the author of The Philistine (LLP, 2018) and My Thievery of the People (Baraka Books, 2025), and is editor of the anthology Razing Palestine: Punishing Solidarity and Dissent in Canada (Baraka Books, 2025). Daughter of a Palestinian refugee, Marshy lived in Cairo during the First Intifada and worked for the Palestinian Red Crescent and the Palestinian Mental Health Association. She has been a community and political organizer, including founding a dialogue group with the Hasidic community in her local neighbourhood, helping elect the first Hasidic woman to public office in the world. Marshy is editor at Baraka Books and lives in Montreal.

Curtis John McRae is the fiction editor at Véhicule Press and the Co-Founder/Editor-in-Chief of yolk literary journal. He is the author of Quietly, Loving Everyone (Vehicule Press, 2025). His fiction has appeared in The New Quarterly, Prairie Fire, and others. He won the 2021/22 David McKeen Award, was longlisted for the 2025 DISQUIET Literary Fiction Contest, received an honourable mention in the 2024 Peter Hinchcliffe award, and was a finalist in the 2019 Quebec Writers’ Federation contest for emerging young writers. Curtis teaches English literature at John Abbott College and formerly served as a board member for the Quebec Writers’ Federation.

Shannae Nitti is a marketing and sales professional with a background in communications, business development, and brand strategy. Drawn to the publishing industry for its blend of creativity and purpose, she’s passionate about the business of books—from shaping ideas to understanding readers and trends. Shannae values the craft, collaboration, and evolution that make publishing such a dynamic and inspiring field.

Dave Dufour is the founder and publisher of Flame Arrow Publishing, a bilingual speculative-fiction press based in British Columbia and Quebec. He leads a growing catalogue of hopepunk, fantasy, and science fiction in both English and French, and is dedicated to championing bold, imaginative voices across Canada. With a professional background as an educator and linguist, Dave brings a deep understanding of language, culture, and storytelling to his editorial vision. He also oversees Brins d’éternité, one of Québec’s longest-running speculative-fiction magazines.

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. She has taught written and oral communication at Columbia, McGill and Concordia Universities. She was instrumental in the founding of Quebec’s English-language Arts Network (ELAN) and has served two terms on its board of directors. Through QWF, Lori co-founded the National Juries and Awards Working Group in 2021. She has also served in an advisory capacity for YES Montreal, the Blue Metropolis Foundation and the Atwater Writers’ Exhibition, and currently chairs the Education and Skills Development Table for the Working Group on Arts and Culture.