Aaron Feldman
A resident of Toronto, Aaron is a writer and longtime sci-fi enthusiast. He was a contributor and eventual co-editor of the Toronto Comics Anthology, and his work can be found in various books and anthologies, including Strange Romance and Hogtown Horror. More recently, Aaron has written the superhero series Northguard for Chapterhouse Comics, and has been spending lockdown finishing his first novel. He holds a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Windsor and is thrilled to be working for Story Planet!
Augusto Bitter
Augusto Bitter is a Venezuelan-born, Dora Award-winning performer, writer, and facilitator based in Toronto. He is a Resident Artist at Aluna Theatre, and has also been in-residence at Canadian Stage, hub14, and Theatre Passe Muraille. He has trained with Teatro delle Radici, Manifesto Poetico, Canada’s National Voice Intensive, Aluna Theatre’s Interpretation Lab, and the University of Toronto. He is a youth educator with Soulpepper and Story Planet. His one person amazing play, CHICHO, has been adapted into a short film with Pencil Kit Productions, now in post-production.
Favourite quote:
“Not everyone likes Beyoncé.” – Makambe K. Simamba
Bilal Baig
Bilal Baig is a queer muslim playwright, actor and workshop facilitator. Their first play, Acha Bacha, had its world premiere at Theatre Passe Muraille in association with Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in February 2018. As an actor, they have worked with Factory Theatre, Theatre Centre, and Tarragon Thatre. Bilal is also part of a collective that creates in-person hangout spaces for queer and trans south asians as well as an online space to connect called A Colour Deep. Bilal is also the creator, co-writer and star of the fabulous CBC series, Sort Of!
Nathalie Cortes
Nathalie Cortes is a Colombian born social service work graduate and multidisciplinary artist based out of Tkaronto. Through her different forms of work such as poetry, theatre, visual arts, journalism, and photography Nathalie expresses curiosity for the strength found in human vulnerability and acceptance of oneself.
Carina Nasturzio
Carina is a former two-time Story Planet placement student who started back in 2017. Since then, she has officially joined the team as a facilitator, earned a Social Service Work diploma from Sheridan College, and has recently completed her Bachelor of Social Work from Ryerson university. She is a hobbyist artist, writer, and podcaster, and loves taking care of her many plants. Outside of Story Planet she teaches swimming to children in her town and plans to go back to school for a Masters of Social Work.
Cedric Lary | Story Data Analyst
Cedric Lary graduated with a degree in Biology and Education. After graduating, he worked as a tutor, helping students prepare for high school admissions. One of his lifelong goals is to provide academic resources for students in underserved communities.
Chris Green
Christopher Green, also known as “MUMBLETHIEF,” is a cartoonist and fictional character who comes from the Alaskan wilderness. His professional work includes comics, illustration, animation, and children’s books for clients such as Carousel Magazine, the University of Alaska Fairbanks, Take Action Films, and the band Black Kids. Since landing on the Story Planet, he has taken great pleasure in cataloging with pen and paper an astonishing variety of flora and fauna discovered by the planet’s many young explorers.
He also serves as resident cartoonist aboard the Turtle Library, where he chronicles the adventures of everyone’s favorite gigantic turtle with a library in its belly and the group of young librarians who live in its shell.
Dave Hurlow
Dave is the author of the short story collection Hate Letters from Buddhists and the forthcoming novel Deep Sea Feline. He plays bass in a band called Nightshades and performs solo as Decafwolf.
Dave has been a Story Wizard at Story Planet since 2017, he lives and works in the east end of Toronto.
Patrick Pfeiffer
Patrick Pfeiffer (he/him) is a Brazilian-born screenwriter. He is an international student at Seneca College and is currently in his last year of the TV Broadcasting program. He’s been previously involved with minor TV-related productions at Mohawk College for the past two years, producing and writing for news stories, PSAs, variety shows, and short films. His love for writing flourished at a young age when he understood there were no boundaries for your creativity when crafting a story.
Josh Rosen
Josh spent most of his childhood either (a) drawing or (b) running in circles and making explosion noises while inventing more things to draw. As a professional cartoonist and illustrator, not much has changed (though the explosion noises have lessened). He has a BA in Comparative Literature and an MFA in making comics from the Center for Cartoon Studies. As a freelance artist he has had work featured through Slate Magazine, Carousel Magazine and the University of Iowa, among others, and his debut graphic novel “The Good Fight” with author Ted Staunton released through Scholastic Canada in 2021. He relishes the work he does with Story Planet, where he can share his love of telling stories through pictures with kids of all ages.
Kseniya Tsoy
Kseniya is a community-engaged visual artist originally from Uzbekistan. Her favourite way to tell stories is through colourful murals, but she also enjoys drawing comics occasionally.
She still feels quite new to Toronto, and is currently on the mission to make more friends. Say hi to her on her Instagram here:
KayGeni Beneby
Fairly new to the Toronto arts scene, Bahamian born creator/storyteller KayGeni aims to continue building genuine connections with her community through her work. A strong message of self-love and acceptance within her music and artistic expression is fuelled by her own recent life-altering journey of having to undergo an emergency Mastectomy. KayGeni shares her personal experiences through an honest and vulnerable approach to performance, writing and visual arts. She attributes her eclectic style within her work, and artistic influences to her Bahamian heritage
Lisa Srisuro | Operations Director
A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Lisa is a writer and freelance manuscript editor. Her short fiction has appeared in the Colorado Review and Miracle Monocle, and she is forever working on a novel. She loves being involved with Story Planet, which reminds her daily of all the wonder and excitement of creating stories.
Liz Haines | Creative Director
Liz is a children’s media producer who’s developed a variety of award-winning series for TVO, CBC, and Sinking Ship Entertainment. In 2009, she wanted to explore ways to help kids get their stories heard, rather than having adults tell kids stories. And that’s when she discovered 826, an amazing writing program started by author, Dave Eggers in the US. Liz went for a visit and fell in love with the work they were doing – empowering and inspiring kids through writing and art. Determined to start a similar program in Canada, Liz headed home and Story Planet was born. Story Planet became a charity in 2011 and Liz continues to learn and grow through all the work it does!
Masooma Raza
Masooma Raza is a Pakistani visual designer and illustrator now based in Kitchener-Waterloo. She has a bachelors in Communication Design and a PG certificate in Children’s Media. While making art, she is often distracted by all the fun that’s happening in creative learning spaces for kids and in the process, has ended up working for a few including Rahnuma, THEMUSEUM, and now Story Planet. She loves connecting random dots in her brain and ideating, and often accompanies the process with a background score of casual humming or baking.
Some of her work can be found here: behance.net/masoomaraza
Among her favorite pieces of writing is Rudyard Kipling’s poem, ‘If’.
Sabrina Tu
Sabrina, also known as breetwo, is a Toronto based illustrator. She is a tea drinker, podcast listener and animal lover. Her work often features elements of nature and spirituality and she loves playing around with texture. Her love of art stems from a type of magic she felt from drawing during her own childhood, something she hopes to inspire in the young creatives she meets through Story Planet.
Sam
Sam is a multi media artist, who works with zines, illustration , fabric arts, and much more! They are an upcoming artist in Toronto.
They love to play with colors and characters and stories.
They are Brown, disabled, queer, and trying their best!
Their favourite quote is: “Even a worm will turn”
You can find more of their work on their website or Instagram.
Tee Scott
Tee.Scott is a multifaceted creative and licensed medical aesthetician. You’ll almost always be meeting a new person because you won’t catch her in the same hairstyle. As an upcoming artist In a duo called Unlisted Negros she loves being a person POC can be inspired by. She’s currently living her dreams everyday, carefree and slaying.
Tracy Pumfrey | Program Director
Tracy is a graduate of Western University’s Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) program and has worked in strategic planning at the Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan (HOOPP). A lifelong learner, in 2017, she returned to school to study community work at George Brown College. Through her work at Story Planet she is able to bring together her two passions — storytelling and community-building. Her writing has appeared in the Toronto Star. Tracy grew up in rural Southwestern Ontario, but now calls Toronto home.
Sophie Lyons
Sophie Lyons is a writer who immigrated from the UK to Toronto in 2018. She’s been published in HelloGiggles, the BMJ, and LUMINA with writing related to health issues. She is the co-founder of Sick Stories, an online publication by and for writers living with chronic illness and disabilities. She’s working on her second book and dreams of living next to open water.
Vincy Lim
Vincy Lim is a Chinese-Canadian non-binary sapphic illustrator and cartoonist whose work revolves around the themes of self-love, queerness, disability, and abuse. Through graphic memoirs and fictional stories grounded in the realities of today’s marginalized groups, Vincy produces works that emphasize on loving yourself, healing, and the recovery process. Some of Vincy’s achievements include: third place in running long jump in fifth grade out of a total of 5 applicants; being attacked by 12 pre-school children while running at full speed; commanding a group of 30 birds to follow them for a short walk; and a particularly terrible conservation with a sassy duck.
Their artwork and comics are available to read here
Wenting Li
Wenting dreamed of being a cat when she grew up, but instead she currently works as an illustrator. Her clients include The Walrus, The Globe & Mail, Annick Press, and the New York Times, and you can see her work here. She also spends time painting public murals, working on comics, and reading books past her bedtime. Her favourite Story Planet activities include sharing her sketchbook with kids & leading fantastical adventures via roleplay.
Wenting’s favourite poem can be found here.
A graduate of the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, Lisa is a writer and freelance manuscript editor. Her short fiction has appeared in the Colorado Review and Miracle Monocle, and she is forever working on a novel. She loves being involved with Story Planet, which reminds her daily of all the wonder and excitement of creating stories.