Emily Ava Gillespie (they/she) is an author, disability activist, and professional daydreamer.  They won the 2021 Dr. James Jamieson Influential Alumni Award from Nipissing University. Gillespie has a BA in Gender Equality and Social Justice and an MA in Critical Disability Studies. They earned a certificate in Creative Writing from Concordia University.   They have volunteered and worked in the disability community as an activist, researcher, peer support and facilitator for fifteen years. Gillespie is also an author and performance artist. Her work explores themes of memory, identity and mental health journeys. They enjoy working in community spaces and examining individual and collective experiences.  Dancing with Ghosts (Leaping Lion Books, 2017) is her first novel. Their poetry and short-stories can be found in several journals and anthologies. She co-edited Mighty: an Anthology of Disabled Superheroes by Renaissance Press published fall 2023. Her most recent novel is titled Wait With Me and was released in 2025.


Emily's contact: https://www.facebook.com/Gillespie.Em/ Instagram: ava.emily.gillespie https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/16337475.Emily_Gillespie?fbclid=IwY2xjawQ07tRleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETEwa1BURDZHYk5zRG5rNHhNc3J0YwZhcHBfaWQQMjIyMDM5MTc4ODIwMDg5MgABHp2CWBW74Ai9dVz7oWfEDfSOqZR1Bp3hZiFTZLm4EESAx5im2_QMdnreLz_k_aem_HG_afAuaBqaY8vCnxfOJyA
https://www.indigo.ca/en-ca/mighty-an-anthology-of-disabled-superheroes/9781990086533.html
https://www.amazon.ca/Wait-Me-Emily-Ava-Gillespie/dp/1069635103

Ghofran Alyass is a disabled woman with Spina Bifida and Hydrocephalus and is the Founder of Beyond Abilities International, formerly known as Beyond Abilities. She is also a part-time professor at George Brown College, teaching in the Community Worker program. She holds a Master's of Education in Social Justice Education, specialising in Disability educational policy from OISE, University of Toronto. She also holds an Honours Bachelor of Arts in Disability Studies from the Toronto Metropolitan University, a college certificate in preparatory in Liberal Studies, and a college diploma in Community Services from George Brown College. She is a disability advocate, program facilitator, and author committed to advocating for equity, equality and inclusion of people with disabilities.

Ghofran Alyass contact https://www.instagram.com/ghofran_author?igsh=MjdheGRvaXFtb3l5 https://www.facebook.com/share/1CW7dNEmce/
https://www.wroteby.me/ghofranalyass-author23
https://www.amazon.ca/You-have-24-Hours-Live/dp/1068916702/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1KL8IC9BA7RO6&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.pe99ve9UmuBVhqR3Ufje0w.7OxR5xzJ0Xg7MBRMTScYznAaEwhgaLO-KSs-vQvse8w&dib_tag=se&keywords=ghofran+alyass&qid=1775518003&sprefix=ghofran+alyass%2Caps%2C820&sr=8-1
 
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