Dancer-in-Residence – Bri Clarke
Bri Clarke is a dance artist, producer, choreographer, movement teacher and dramaturg. Her early training was in Ottawa before she moved to Toronto. It has encompassed modern, contemporary, ballet, jazz, tap and hip hop styles, as well as acting, singing, acrobatics, dramaturgy and choreography. Bri gained her Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree from Ryerson University (now Toronto Metropolitan University) in 2020. Bri’s credits include TOES FOR DANCE, Transcen|Dance Project, Frog in Hand, Dance Arts Institute, Guelph, Dance Film Festival and the Toronto Fringe Festival. In 2021, she choreographed a work for 12 third-year students at Dance Arts Institute for the Common Ground Dance Festival. Bri Clarke is the Artistic Associate for Near & Far Projects. Her website can be found here: www.briclarke.ca, and follow her on Instagram @brianna_clarkee.
Dramatist-in-Residence - Kate Kelly
Kate Kelly is a multi-faceted artist with finely honed skills in Drama, Music, and Literature. She was active in the Peterborough Theatre Guild as a major actor, attended workshops and further developed her craft while working with the Guild. Kate has been writing poetry most of her life including original music lyrics. She developed her spoken word talents to the point that she became a National Slam Poet for three years, performing at the Canadian National level. She is currently part of a musical duo called “High and Lonesome” and frequently sings and plays guitar for live performances. Kate Kelly has published A Harsh and Private Beauty, a literary fiction, short-listed for two awards and The Meadowlands, a young adult fantasy put forward for a Governor General’s Award. She’s currently working on a third novel, Tara Hope. Kate Kelly holds a Masters in English degree from Queen's University and is a high school English teacher. Gifted with dramatic, musical, and literary skills, Kate looks forward to working with the Drama Section to develop spoken word presentations and with any Club sections interested in working with her. Her website is called The Soulful Side and you can also follow her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/kate.kelly.946.
Musician-in-Residence – Stephanie Martin
Composer, educator and musician, Stephanie Martin is committed to creating music that brings people together. Her recent compositions include an opera and two oratorios highlighting themes of conflict resolution, environmental stewardship, and unsung health workers. Stephanie’s smaller choral works have been performed across North America, Europe and Asia. As a conductor Stephanie has led full orchestral performances of the oratorio repertoire and commissioned several new Canadian works. She presently leads the women’s ensemble Schola Magdalena in performances of both medieval and modern music. Associate Professor of music at York University, Stephanie holds degrees from the University of Toronto, Wilfrid Laurier University, and is an Associate of the Royal Canadian College of Organists. Visit her website for a complete catalogue of works: www.stephaniemartinmusic.com or find her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/stephanie.martin.752.
Visual Artist-in-Residence – Tanya MurdocH
Tanya Murdoch is a collaborative multi-media artist and storyteller: she draws online with a life drawing club in Scotland, makes videos with community (as Homemade TV productions) and hosts clothing swaps and makes art with Works-in-Progress, an eco art collective she co-founded in 2018. Tanya spent the 1990s at art school in BC (at Camosun College) and Nova Scotia (at NSCAD) and the rest of the decade in Japan working as a teacher, artist and editor, including four years at Reuters TV. She has shown in galleries, juried shows and film and video festivals in Canada and Japan. Tanya moved to Toronto in 2000 where she joined Trinity Square Video, directed a documentary for CARFAC Ontario and began working as an editor in the Citytv newsroom, and then for Cityline. During this time Tanya also served two times as Artist-in-Residence in an elementary school (with support of an OAC grant) and then at the U of T Law faculty. Tanya currently works as a freelance video producer, runs clothing swaps and workshops with www.Works-in-Progress.ca, and draws all the time, always curious about new approaches; she plans to attend ALL the life drawing sessions at the Heliconian club this year. Check out video work www.homemadetv4all.weebly.com or other artwork on Instagram @seeing.things.clearly.
Writer-in-Residence – Elizabeth Ruth
Elizabeth Ruth is the author of four novels and one novella for adult literacy learners and the editor of the anthology Bent on Writing: Contemporary Queer Tales. Her newly published novel, Semi-Detached has been touted as a “must read” by the CBC, The Toronto Star and The Globe and Mail. Elizabeth has a debut poetry collection, This Report is Strictly Confidential, forthcoming in September 2024. She holds a BA in English Literature & Women's Studies, an MA in Counselling Psychology & an MFA in Creative Writing and is a graduate of the Humber School for Writers. Elizabeth has been the writer-in-residence for several libraries including the Toronto Public Library. She was selected by the Writers' Trust of Canada for the prestigious residency at Berton House in Dawson City, Yukon. Elizabeth has taught creative writing for over 20 years at the U of T School of Continuing Studies. She has often been asked to MC at events, including the IFOA. Elizabeth has mentored all ages and stages of writers with the Humber School for Writers, Diaspora Dialogues, Writers in Electronic Residence and privately. She says that her "commitment to aspiring writers, particularly women, is foundational to (her) practice as an artist". Her website is: https://www.elizabethruth.com; and she can be followed on Instagram at: @elizabethruthauthor.
