I am thrilled to be joining the Ampersand team for their inaugural Fellowship program!

I started my bookselling career at McNally Robinson Booksellers in Winnipeg working in their Kid’s and Teen section. During that time, I was also working toward my education degree at the University of Manitoba. Once I moved to Vancouver in 2021, I did some substitute teaching, but I always found myself drawn back to bookstores, first as a patron and then as a bookseller at both Book Warehouse and Upstart & Crow. Somewhere along the way I figured out that publishing and bookselling is the area I want to be in full time, which brought me to the Ampersand Fellowship.

I am very fortunate to be the first person to get the Ampersand Fellowship. I am excited to be able to see more of the behind-the-scenes in publishing and thrilled to be able to do so with the Ampersand team, who have all been very warm and welcoming.

When I’m not slinging books, you can usually find me working on my various ongoing crochet and knitting projects. My current textile obsession is knitting as many pairs socks as I can (shout-out to 52 Weeks of Socks). I also love playing the violin, something I’ve enjoyed doing since I was four years old, and which has taken me across the country touring with various bands. My first few visits to Vancouver were actually with the band I was a part of at the time, Yes We Mystic. The most notorious time being when our van broke down in the middle of an intersection a block away from the venue, The Railway Club. Despite that experience, I was quite taken with the city and ended up moving here a short 8 years later.

Now I live here with my partner and a small dog named Kepler, who’s a little menace but cute enough to make up for it.

I’m looking forward to meeting more bookish people here in Vancouver, so if you see me around, feel free to ask to see pictures of my dog or tell me your favourite random fun fact!