Amy Brandon

Jazz guitarist

Born in Charlottetown, grew up in Ottawa; now lives in Nova Scotia.

Graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in music from Carleton University (Ottawa) in 2006.

Is a regular on the Maritimes jazz scene and has appeared at the Ottawa International Jazz Festival.

Her haunting melodies blend jazz, classical and folk influences.

Works as a guitar teacher and performer.

Was recently awarded a Nova Scotia Culture and Heritage grant to study in New York with leading jazz guitarist Sheryl Bailey.

www.amybrandon.ca

www.ysb.on.ca

Natalie Maclean

Sommelier, wine writer

Born in Halifax; lives in Ottawa.

Writes a wine column with more than five million followers.

Author of two books: Unquenchable: A Tipsy Quest for the World's Best Bargain Wines and Red, White and Drunk All Over.

Named the world’s best drinks writer at the World Food Media Awards in Australia in 2011.

Member of the National Capital Sommelier Guild and the Wine Writer’s Circle in Ottawa.

Won four James Beard Foundation Journalism Award and multiple other awards.

Her articles have been published in over 60 newspapers and magazines.

Offers a free e-mail newsletter to help people choose wines in restaurants.

www.nataliemaclean.com

STYLE magazine, December 2011

Kellylee Evans

Jazz vocalist

Born in Toronto; lives in Ottawa.

Creates her own original compositions, which seamlessly fuse jazz and her unique style of "soul pop”.

Began her career in 2004 after garnering a 2nd place win at the Thelonious Monk Jazz Vocals Competition.

Has three albums Fight or Flight, The Good Girl, and her latest Nina, which was recorded in France and is a tribute to one of jazz's greatest vocalists and pianists, Nina Simone.

Nominated for a Juno and a Gemini Award in 2007 and won a Juno award in 2010 for Nina.

Has been invited to open for music legends Tony Bennett, Maceo Parker and George Benson along with Chris Botti, Derek Trucks and Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings.

Has studied and recorded with Janis Siegel of Manhattan Transfer and co-wrote and performed on saxophonist Jane Bunnett’s 2009 Juno Award winning release, Embracing Voices.

http://jazztimes.com

www.kellyleeevans.com

Gabriella Goliger

Author

Born in Italy, grew up in Montreal and has lived in Ottawa for the past 30 years.

Obtained a B.A. from McGill University and an M.A. in English literature from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Her first book, Song of Ascent, won the 2001 Upper Canada Writer's Craft Award, was co-winner of the 1997 Journey Prize for short fiction, finalist for this prize in 1995 and won the Prism International award in 1993.

Has also been published in a number of journals and anthologies including Best New American Voices 2000 and Contemporary Jewish Writing in Canada.

Her second book, Girl Unwrapped, was published in 2010; it won the City of Ottawa Book Award in the English Non Fiction category in 2011.

http://www.gabriellagoliger.com

http://www.arsenalpulp.com

http://www.ottawa.ca

Merna Forster

Author, historian (with a particular interest in women's history)
Naturalist, photographer

Born in Alberta; lives in Victoria, B.C.

Wrote the books 100 Canadian Heroines and 100 More Canadian Heroines. You can visit her website at www.heroines.ca

Earned a B.A. at the University of Alberta and an M.A. in history from Laval University in Quebec City.

Worked with national parks and national historic sites across Canada in the areas of public education programs, outreach and visitor services.

Also worked in the field of Canadian Studies; while based in Ottawa she received the 125th Anniversary of the Confederation of Canada Commemorative Medal and served as vice-president of the Ottawa Independent Writers.

Was awarded The Lieutenant Governor's Celebration of the Arts Pin by Dr. Lynda Haverstock, Lieutenant Governor, Province of Saskatchewan.

Currently works at the University of Victoria as Executive Director of the Great Unsolved Mysteries in Canadian History Project, which received the 2008 Pierre Berton Award.

www.heroines.ca

http://www.dundurn.com/

Constance Backhouse

Professor, researcher

Holds the positions of Distinguished University Professor and University Research Chair at the University of Ottawa.

Teaches in the areas of criminal law, human rights, legal history, and women and the law.

Author of many books including De la couleur des lois : Histoire juridique du racisme au Canada, 1900-1950 (Ottawa:  University of Ottawa Press, 2010) and Her Carnal Crimes: Sexual Assault Law in Canada, 1900-1975  (Toronto: Irwin Law, 2008) and The Secret Oppression: Sexual Harassment of Working Women (Toronto: Macmillan, 1979), the first book published in Canada on the topic, and the second in North America.

Is the recipient of multiple awards honouring her work and her research including the Augusta Stowe-Gullen Affirmative Action Medal by the Southwestern Ontario Association for the Advancement of Learning Opportunities for Women, the Law Society Medal, the President’s Award by the Women and the Law Association of Ontario, the Ramon Hnatyshyn Award for Law.

Has received a series of research grants from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, the Law Foundation of Ontario, the Osgoode Society, and the Department of Justice.

In 2011, she has won the SSHRC Gold Medal for Achievement in Research.

Has served for many years as a mediator and adjudicator of human rights complaints.

Co-founded the Feminist History Society in 2009, an organization dedicated to compiling and publishing books about the history of Second Wave Canadian feminism.  www.feministhistories.ca,

Is currently writing a biography of the Hon. Madam Justice Claire L'Heureux-Dubé, as well as a cohort biography of one hundred Canadian feminist lawyers who entered the profession in the 1970s and '80s.

http://www.commonlaw.uottawa.ca/en/constance-backhouse.html

http://www.constancebackhouse.ca/

Pat Logan

Dedicated to preserving Hinterland Who’s Who

Hinterland Who’s Who is the longest-running series of 60-second educational public service announcements in Canada today. – www.hww.ca

Born in Florida in 1946; grew up in Amherstberg, ON; died in Ottawa in 2011.

Graduated from the University of Windsor with an MA in English literature.

Worked for the Canadian Wildlife Service for 20 years; played an instrumental role in preserving the original series of Hinterland Who’s Who dating pack to the 1960’s; also played a key role in launching a new generation of Hinterland Who's Who announcements in 2003.

Note on Hinterland Who’s Who

First created in the early 1960s, Hinterland Who’s Who is a series of vignettes that brought Canadian native wildlife into living rooms using excellent film footage and simple narration They became, and remain, an enduring part of Canadian culture. The television spots encouraged viewers to contact CWS to obtain fact sheets about the wildlife presented. People wrote to CWS, at a rate of hundreds a week!

www.hww.ca
www.ottawacitizen.com