Reading List

The city of Greater Sudbury’s 7th Poet Laureate, Kyla Heyming (KPH) is a bilingual Canadian writer with a yearning to set her soul in ink and paper. Fiercely driven to ensnare all of life’s little moments, she works tirelessly for her passion so that she may someday lead others to find their own meaning in her words.

Beth is a player in Sudbury’s arts scene as a former filmmaker, and then the founding Executive Director and Lead Programmer at Sudbury Indie Cinema. When it comes to literature, she considers herself a non-reader, and therefore the long shot to win this years Local Canada Reads competition.

Alex is a francophone theatre creator, clown, freelance communicator, and queer community activist born and raised in Sudbury. He is a graduate of Laurentian University’s late French-language Theatre and Political Science programs.

A dabbler in playwriting, poetry, and acting, Alex’s first full-length self-directed project, Nickel City Fifs, a celebration of Sudbury’s queer and francophone communities, will be coproduced with Théâtre du Nouvel-Ontario in June 2023.

Alex has worked for and with many local francophone arts organizations and currently serves as President of Théâtre Action, a service organization supporting all members of Ontario’s francophone theatre community.

Over sixteen years ago, Zoi immigrated to Canada from Venezuela to begin an exciting new journey. Over the past nine years, she has been successful in
establishing three businesses across various industries, one of which is teaching Salsa Dance.
She is the Salsa Queen of Sudbury, and the only Salsa dancer who teaches Salsa and
Bachata style dancing in the city. She empowers people through dancing because she believes no matter
what age, gender or cultural background, dancing is a universal language people can share together and
find their inner power to express themselves.

Negar Saeidi currently holds the position of President for the WISE Sudbury chapter. Negar was born and raised in Iran and moved to Sudbury in 2013 to attend Laurentian University, where she received her MSc degree in Mining Engineering funded by MIRARCO. In 2015, upon finishing her studies, she established her career in the mining industry as a researcher and worked her way up. Negar is passionate about promoting mining and encouraging the engagement of broader skill sets in the industry. Currently, she is a professional engineer with Vale’s North Atlantic Base Metals – Ventilation Design Team.