Canadian Writers Group

Find a Writer

Subject Experience » Restaurants »

• Barbara K. Adamski

  Vancouver, British Columbia

  A writer, editor, and certified proofreader, Barb has worked on educational manuals, annual reports, brochures, newsletters, and web copy. She writes for several magazines and trade publications and has written and recorded for CBC Radio. A stickler for facts, she is a regular contributor to The Canadian Encyclopedia. Barb has a B.A. in French Literature, a diploma in professional writing and editing, and an M.A. in Integrated Studies (specializing in cultural studies). An avid lacrosse fan, Barb's thesis is on the history of lacrosse, a topic she has written about extensively. She also speaks Japanese.

• Erica Alini

  Toronto, ON

  Erica Alini is a Toronto-based journalist at Maclean’s, where she focuses on international politics and business, but also pens the occasional culture and society feature. She has written for The Wall Street Journal’s economics desk, and Foreign Policy magazine, among other media outlets, and for the Council on Foreign Relations, a think-tank based in New York.

  She grew up in Milan, Italy, and is bilingual. She has a master’s degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service, in Washington, DC. She has also lived in Iran and speaks, reads, and writes intermediate-level Farsi.

• Leslie Anthony

  Whistler, B.C. and Toronto, ON

  Leslie Anthony is a writer, editor, and filmmaker with interests in popular science, environment, action sports, and adventure travel. His PhD in Zoology belies a career that includes Managing Editor of Powder, Creative Director of Skier, and Editor of internationally acclaimed Peak Performance Journal. He resides on the masthead of several North American ski and outdoor magazines, and his work appears annually in twelve countries in seven languages. He writes broadly about subjects ranging from imaginary monsters to fossil smuggling, invasive species to China’s nascent ski industry. His forthcoming book, The Body Birchbark, is a meditative canoe journey examining the father-daughter relationship.

• Julia Belluz

  Toronto, ON

  Julia Belluz is a Toronto-based journalist, researcher, and editor with experience at newspapers, newswires, and magazines in Toronto and London, England. Her writing on current affairs, culture, social issues, food and the arts has appeared in Maclean’s, The Globe and Mail, Chatelaine, Canadian Business, Azure, Yonge Street, OpenFile, and Design Lines in Canada, as well as The Times and The Economist's Intelligent Life in England. A graduate of the London School of Economics and Ryerson University’s journalism school, she has also been known to pen in-depth obituaries after training on the historic obits desk at The Times of London newspaper.

• Suzanne Boles

  London, Ontario

  Suzanne is an award-winning freelance journalist/writer. She has been freelancing for over 15 years. A former assistant editor of London Magazine, her work has appeared in numerous magazines and newspapers. Suzanne also works with business clients providing ghostwriting, advertising copy, editing, website copy, and other writing needs, as well as some design. She teaches writing courses at The University of Western Ontario and mentors writers. A member The Professional Writer's Association of Canada (PWAC) since 1995, Suzanne was on the organization's national Board of Directors for six years serving as Ontario Regional Director, Vice President, President and Past President.

• Andrew Braithwaite

  Boston, MA

  Andrew Braithwaite specializes in such topics as deliver happiness – writing about cool stuff you can eat, or drink, or visit, or live inside. He also covers sport, which every season breaks the heart of nearly all its followers. A graduate of Harvard University in History and Science, Andrew is a former Associate Editor at Azure, the Toronto-based magazine of architecture and design. He is a member of the AIPS (International Sports Press Association), and is a Certified Sommelier with the Court of Master Sommeliers. Originally from British Columbia, Andrew has lived and worked in Toronto, Boston, Paris, Chicago, Dublin, Johannesburg, and Washington, D.C.

• Kevin Brooker

  Calgary, Alberta

  Ever since he began professional writing in 1979 with the then-still-vital, P.J. O'Rourke-edited National Lampoon, Brooker has forged a voice that is at once wry, playful and authoritative. Known for his first draft excellence, he is a resolute generalist, equally able to develop captivating ideas on his own or deliver the precise package hoped for by the editor—in virtually any genre. Brooker is also an outspoken broadcaster with extensive CBC experience, and has co-hosted The Road Pops Program on CJSW Radio since 1985. Mad for skiing, surfing, cooking and growing food in his downtown back yard.

• Lynn Coady

  Edmonton, AB

  Lynn Coady is a Canadian novelist, editor and journalist living in Edmonton, Alberta.  She has published four award winning works of fiction and has acted as editor on novels and anthologies published by Doubleday Canada, House of Anansi Press, and Brindle and Glass Publishing.  She is also a writing teacher and mentor and regularly contributes non-fiction to magazines and newspapers across Canada.  She writes a weekly advice column for the Globe and Mail, and is the co-founder and senior editor of a the magazine Eighteen Bridges.  Her new novel, The Antagonist, will be published by House of Anansi in Fall 2011.

• Trevor Cole

  Hamilton, ON and Toronto, ON

  Editor Gary Salewicz has called Trevor “a consummate professional” endowed with “prodigious talent,” a writer who is fearless in his pursuit of the story and serious about his craft. Trevor worked as a magazine editor at The Globe and Mail for a dozen years before turning full-time to writing. In addition to his journalism he has won awards for his satire. And as a novelist he has garnered national acclaim, praised for fiction that is both funny and profound, and for prose “as clear as a mountain stream.”

• Christy Ann Conlin

  Halifax, NS

  Christy Ann Conlin is a bestselling novelist, essayist, speech writer, ghost writer, editor, motivational speaker and educator.  Her writing has appeared in newspapers, magazines, anthologies and journals in Canada and the United States. She holds a MFA in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia and an Education Degree from Acadia University.  She works with a broad range of clients in a creative capacity, providing writing services, writing workshops, coaching and mentoring.

• Pamela Cuthbert

  Toronto, Ontario

  Journalist Pamela Cuthbert is recognized for her regular columns on food issues and food trends. Her work has appeared in publications such as Macleans, The Economist, Saveur and Common Dreams. She also writes about culture, the arts and travel and has profiled a wide range of notables from leading scientists to celebrity chefs, pioneering farmers to influential advocates. Additionally, her skills are tapped for editing, speechwriting and developing marketing materials.

• Amy Jo Ehman

  Saskatoon, SK

  After a career in broadcasting at the CBC, Amy Jo turned to freelance writing in 2000. Corporate work pays the bills, but freelance journalism fuels her curious and creative urges. She is a food columnist at the Saskatoon StarPhoenix, which bubbled over into the book, Prairie Feast: A Writer’s Journey Home for Dinner. Loves reporting on courtroom dramas for their humanity (The Queen vs. Robert Latimer; Percy Schmeiser vs. Monsanto) and new agricultural achievements for their novelty (lemons for the prairies!). Recent assignments: How is technology changing the practice of law? and Why is Saskatchewan booming while its neighbour isn’t?

• Christopher Frey

  Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Toronto, Canada

  Christopher Frey is a print and radio journalist who writes about culture, politics, environment and technology in a globalizing world. A two-time National Magazine Award winner, in recent years he has reported from Russia, Ukraine, Turkey, Ghana, Cuba, Guyana, Guatemala and Brazil.

• Don Genova

  Vancouver and Victoria, British Columbia

  Don Genova is a writer and broadcaster currently based in BC, and has worked in Alberta, Ontario and Newfoundland. He has a BA in Environmental Studies from the University of Waterloo and Master in Food Culture from the University of Gastronomic Sciences in Italy. A former CBC Radio host, producer and reporter, Don is most known for his "Pacific Palate" and "Food For Thought" food columns heard across Canada and he also works in print, online and television.  Don teaches food and travel writing courses at UBC, and food culture and cooking classes at a variety of outlets in Victoria.

• Don Gillmor

  Toronto, ON

  Don Gillmor is the author of a two-volume history of Canada, Canada: A People’s History, and two other books of non-fiction, The Desire of Every Living Thing and I Swear by Apollo. He has also written eight books for children, including The Fabulous Song, which won the Mr. Christie Award and was nominated for a Governor General’s Award, and Yuck, A Love Story. His children’s books have been published in eight countries. He has worked as a journalist and was a senior editor at Walrus magazine, and contributing editor at both Saturday Night and Toronto Life. His journalism has appeared in those publications as well as The Globe and Mail, Rolling Stone, and GQ magazines. He has won nine National Magazine Awards. His novel, Kanata, was published by Penguin last year.

  He lives in Toronto with his wife and two children.

• Malwina Gudowska

  Calgary, Alberta

  Malwina Gudowska is an award-winning journalist who contributes to a variety of online and print publications. After a stint as an associate editor for Avenue, Calgary’s city magazine, she was the inaugural Alberta editor for FASHION before launching the Calgary edition of VitaminDaily.com. She has also moulded impressionable minds as an instructor at the University of Calgary and often appears on television and radio providing commentary on lifestyle trends. In addition to freelance writing, she is also currently a city editor for Canadian online lifestyle guide Sweetspot.ca.

• Robert Hercz

  Toronto, ON

  Robert earned a degree in engineering at the University of Toronto in 1979 and spent a decade in the computer industry, based in London (England), Toronto, and finally Los Angeles. During this time, he worked with a fascinating range of clients including the Vatican, the Los Alamos National Laboratories (home of the atomic bomb), and the National Library of France. Finding himself more interested in his clients’ backstories than their computer systems (and unfulfilled by corporate life), he became a full-time writer in 1990. Robert is also an avid photographer and regularly sells photos that illustrate his writing.

• Paul Johnston

  Toronto, ON

  In his relatively short freelance career, Toronto-based journalist Paul Johnston has written on topics including resource warfare in the Congo, the impact of counterfeiting on the Canadian economy and the resurgence of puppetry as an art form in mainstream media for publications ranging from the Toronto Star and Sharp to Vice.

  His interviews and profile pieces have examined individuals ranging from Canadian athletes and celebrities to adult talent agency owners and Kids Help Phone counsellors.

  A graduate of Acadia University and Centennial College's Fast Track Journalism program, he most recently worked as news editor at Post City Magazines in Toronto.

• Ilona Kauremszky

  Toronto, ON

  Follow your dream job. That’s what travel journalist Ilona Kauremszky has been pursuing full-time for 10-plus years.  Ilona travels the world and reports on destinations and the next big travel trend for major publications across North America. She works with leading guidebook companies, writes a weekly travel column and co-produces mycompass.ca and its digital tv channel, mycompasstv. A consummate traveler who enjoys meeting new cultures and people, Ilona has ample story ideas to suit any publication. She’s worked with blue-chip companies, custom publishers, and tourism boards and is actively working with digital media.

• Benjamin Leszcz

  London, UK

  Benjamin Leszcz is a freelance writer and editor living in London, UK. Leszcz worked as an associate editor at Saturday Night, once Canada’s oldest consumer magazine, and Toro, a men’s magazine where he edited the style section, before joining enRoute, Air Canada’s in-flight magazine, as senior editor. Most recently, Leszcz co-launched the award-winning online men’s magazine DailyXY.com.

• Brooke Lockyer

  Toronto, Ontario

  Brooke Lockyer’s short stories, copywriting, reviews, and features on contemporary culture and the arts have been published in numerous publications in Canada, England, and the United States. A graduate from Columbia University (BA) and the University of Toronto (MA), she has also mentored children, teens, and women in literacy and creative writing programs such as Let’s Get Ready, Neighbourhood Diaries, and Sister Writes. An intrepid traveler with a penchant for adventure, Brooke has penned rejection letters for Esquire magazine in New York City, taught high school English in rural Japan, and participated in fiction workshops in Kenya, Bristol, and Montreal.

• Jason McBride

  Toronto, ON

  Jason McBride is a former editor at Toronto Life and Coach House Books, where he was co-editor of the popular uTOpia series, among other books. He is currently a full-time freelance writer and editor.

• Paul McLaughlin

  Toronto, ON

  Paul is a highly experienced writer, communications specialist, interviewing and performance trainer and university teacher. He writes for both the journalism and corporate markets, and has produced virtually every kind of publication (as well as a few videos), including magazine and newspaper features, books, scripts, trade articles (ghosted at times), brochures, ad campaigns and plays.

  The author of Asking Questions: The Art of the Media Interview, he’s trained interviewers at the CBC and in private practice, and has lectured extensively on interviewing.

  He teaches in the Professional Writing program at York University, and previously at the schools of journalism at Ryerson and Carleton universities.

• Jesse McLean

  Toronto, ON

  Jesse McLean is an award-winning humorist and culture commentator whose disciplines include technical writing, screenwriting, film and television criticism, humour articles and sketch comedy.  These varied talents conspire to deliver incisive, thoughtful and creative copy.  He has written process documentation for BMO, dialogue punch-up for Joe Flaherty and Brigitte Nielsen, ruminations on Wilhelm Reich’s “orgone accumulator” for PopMatters, how Rainer Maria Rilke might have negotiated Facebook for Yankee Pot Roast, and the inherent difficulties interviewing zombies for Eyes on Toronto with Stephen Eyes. Impromptu dance numbers lack technical grace but brim with “pizzazz”.

• Jane Mundy

  Vancouver, BC

  Before launching her writing and photography career Jane Mundy was a successful entrepreneur, including the largest film catering company in Canada, which provided much fodder for food writing.

  Snappy, witty, and direct describes her writing style, along with versatility and tenacity to get the job done. Due to a wealth of life experience to draw from, Jane’s interests are varied and she has a level of confidence and understanding that makes for insightful interviews. Her passion is food and travel, and she has also interviewed hundreds of people-- from personal injury plaintiffs to advocacy and litigation lawyers--on many legal subjects.

• Jeff Nield

  Vancouver, BC and Calgary, AB

  Jeff Nield is an award-winning writer specializing in profiles, food and beverage, agriculture and sustainability pieces. He has written about his junior high school guidance counselor/convicted pedophile for The Walrus, social entrepreneurs in Vancouver’s Downtown East Side for BC Business, and BC’s food history for The Tyee.  He triangulates his time between Calgary, Vancouver, and Nelson. He spent 15 years writing proposals, press releases and stakeholder communications for BC-based non-profits including the 100 Mile Diet Society, FarmFolkCityFolk, Local Food First and Vancouver Food Policy Organization.

• Genevieve Paiement

  Montreal, PQ

  Genevieve is a freelance writer and editor with over 10 years’ experience specializing in travel, food and other lifestyle topics. She has lived and worked in Sydney, London and Paris, and writes mainly for magazines, newspapers and the Web. Whether investigating green architecture in Las Vegas for the Globe and Mail or interviewing Gordon Ramsay about his Montreal chicken shop for the New York Times, Genevieve brings a sense of irreverence and an eye for detail. She lives in Montreal with her husband and son.

• Diane Peters

  Toronto, ON

  Diane is a full-time freelance writer and part-time journalism instructor. To all her work she brings creative story ideas, strong research skills, top-notch writing and curiosity for new topics. Her extensive experience writing health and science stories, and for the children’s book market, have given her additional skills in making dense material a great read.

• Adrien Sala

  Victoria, BC

  Adrien Sala is a freelance writer/broadcaster with a background in radio, print, and new media.

  Currently, Adrien works as producer, story developer and co-director of a television documentary series (15 episodes) that explores the meaning of home to the people who live in BC’s north. He is also the owner of Adrien Sala Writing & Media, a dynamic communications office that includes Shoebox Studio, a sound studio designed specifically for radio voice work and podcasting.

  Adrien has long had a fascination with people and places, and he continues to be interested in new methods of telling stories.

• Alec Scott

  Toronto, ON, San Francisco

  Alec Scott is a writer specializing in the arts, travel and the law. He worked as Toronto Life magazine's arts columnist for several years, writing about painters, dancers, composers, film directors, impresarios, novelists, actors, playwrights and one puppeteer. For work, he has travelled to many places including Australia, Germany, the Shetland Islands and California. Before going into journalism, he worked as a lawyer, practicing defamation and air law, and continued to write about developments in the law, interesting lawyers and prominent cases. He has also worked as an editor for Saturday Night and Toronto Life and a producer at the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

• Alexandra Shimo

  Toronto, ON

  Alexandra Shimo studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics at Oxford University, and then did a Master’s on scholarship at The Graduate School of Journalism, Columbia University, New York.

• Russell Smith

  Toronto, ON

  Russell Smith is a specialist in contemporary art, literature and urban culture. His articles have been published in most Canadian and several U.S. journals. He currently writes two weekly columns for The Globe and Mail, one on culture, the other on style. He was the host and writer of the popular CBC Radio 1 program on language, “And Sometimes Y”, for two seasons. He is a co-founder of the online men’s magazine DailyXY.com. He is also novelist: his fiction has been nominated for the Governor General’s Award, the Rogers Fiction Prize and the City Of Toronto Book Award. He won a National Magazine Award for fiction in 1997. His most recent novel is Girl Crazy.

• Heidi Sopinka

  Toronto, ON

  Heidi Sopinka is a Toronto-based writer and editor who is also the thousandth woman in the world to earn a helicopter pilot license. In 2007, she wrote “Footprint,” a weekly column for The Globe and Mail that dealt with ecological issues translated to the realm of the everyday. She writes and edits for newspapers and magazines on culture, social issues, and the environment, and is currently working on her first novel.

• Grant B. Stoddard

  Vancouver, BC and Whistler, BC

  Subcultures, pop culture, sex/relationships, nascent trends and eccentric characters are all grist for British-born Grant Stoddard’s mill. With an eye for the surprising and ridiculous, Stoddard often reports from a participatory perspective; imbuing his stories with an engaging, visceral, dynamic feel and a humanistic focus. Working in newspapers, magazines, blogs, books, film, music, television and theatre has given Stoddard a vast spectrum of experience in working with different clients with wildly varying aesthetic requirements.

• Olivia Stren

  Toronto, ON

  Olivia Stren worked as an associate editor at Toronto Life magazine for three years before embarking on a freelance-writing career in 2003. While she writes for a slew of Canadian and American publications, she also teaches a course in travel-writing at University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Studies.

• Masa Takei

  Vancouver, BC

  Masa Takei is a freelance writer based in Vancouver, BC. Publications he’s written for include Canadian Geographic, explore Magazine, and The Globe and Mail. His writing interests range from outdoor (mis)adventure, travel and subcultures to, apparently, structuring narrative arcs for mutant mercenaries and half-vampires.

• Micah Toub

  Toronto, ON and New York, NY

  Micah Toub is a writer living in Toronto. His first book, Growing Up Jung: Coming of Age as the Son of Two Shrinks, was published this year. After graduating from McGill University, Toub worked in public relations in New York before moving into editorial at an art magazine. In 2002, he moved to Toronto, where he was an editor at Toro Magazine and then at The Globe and Mail’s weekend Globe Toronto section. Recently, Toub has been writing "The Other Half," a biweekly relationship column from a male perspective for The Globe and Mail, as well as blogging for Psychology Today.

• Chris Turner

  Calgary, Alberta

  Chris Turner is an award-winning journalist and one of Canada's leading writers and speakers on climate change, sustainability and the global cleantech industry. He is the author of the bestseller The Geography of Hope (2007), a Globe & Mail Best Book of the Year and a finalist for the Governor General's Award for Nonfiction and the National Business Book Award. He is also the author of the international bestseller Planet Simpson (2004). He is at work on a new book about the global sustainability movement, which will be published in 2011.

Our Portfolio

©2010 Canadian Writers Group.