The Heliconian Writing Workshops 2026
Getting Your Book Published with Deirdre Kelly
Thursday June 11, 2026 from 1 to 4 pm- Getting Your Book Published with Deirdre Kelly
Getting Your Book Published: Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Literary Agents, Editors and Publishers but Were Afraid to Ask Get help with draft query letters and submit your questions to the experts in advance of the workshop for the answers you need to map your path to publication! Deirdre Kelly, author, editor and long-time culture critic for The Globe and Mail, will moderate an expert panel comprising an editor, literary agent, publisher and book publishing instructor.
Sarah Miniaci-Davis is the Publisher of Whitecap Booksand Director of Publicity at Sutherland House Books and Fitzhenry & Whiteside. Founded in Vancouver in 1977, Whitecap quickly established itself as a leader in beautifully produced, visually distinctive books focused on food and lifestyle topics such as gardening, travel and regional history. In 2012, Whitecap was acquired by Fitzhenry & Whiteside, strengthening its national reach and distribution. In 2025, Whitecap became part of Sutherland House’s acquisition of Fitzhenry & Whiteside and its family of imprints. The imprint is now being relaunched in 2026 with a renewed editorial mandate, visual identity, and sales strategy, building on nearly five decades of publishing excellence. Sarah worked with Sutherland House Books in a freelance capacity for six years prior to joining them full-time. Sutherland House Books is a dynamic, important and independent publisher of non-fiction books founded in 2017 by Kenneth Whyte author and former Editor-in-Chief of The National Post.
Literary agent Bridgette Kam studied English literature and Art History at the University of Hong Kong and at UCLA, and has a master’s degree from Durham University (UK). After a stint at McClelland & Stewart (Penguin Random House), she joined Westwood Creative Artists in 2019 as International Rights Associate. Over the years, she has grown her client list as an agent and represented authors to publishers in North America. She regularly meets and speaks with writers at events, including those by the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators, SFU’s Master’s of Publishing, Humber School for Writers, and the Festival of Literary Diversity (FOLD). She is looking for non-fiction books for general readership from journalists, researchers and experts on biography, sociology, culture and personal growth, book club/upmarket books with compelling characters and interesting conversations, middle grade/YA books about historical and contemporary stories, and picture books for children.
Dr. Matthew Bucemi is a full-time member of the staff of the York University Writing Department as a book publishing instructor. He holds a PhD in English from Cornell University (2013) and followed that up with a degree in Illustration and cartooning from George Brown. He has had over ten years experience in leadership roles at publishing houses, media studios, and creative agencies, including his tenure as the founding Managing Editor and Associate Publisher at Sutherland House Books. He is also an Associate Member of the Communication & Culture graduate program. Dr. Bucemi specializes in literature, media studies, and editing as well as many other topics related to language and cultural studies. He has been awarded a number of prizes for teaching excellence.
Club Members: $45 Public: $55 Space is limited.
Free Bonus Session: In the fall of 2026. Advance notice to subscribers of a workshop on grant writing with representatives of various arts councils.
Photo credit: McKenzie James
Convenors: Leslie McIntosh & Marianne Miller
Melanie Tutino is a Senior Editor at Doubleday Canada. She is interested in upmarket and book club fiction, literary fiction, and non-fiction (memoir or investigative reporting) that highlights systemic injustice, environmental issues, the natural world, and psychology. Across genres, she is drawn to voice-driven narratives with strong emotional impact. She published the #1 instant national bestseller The Heart of a Superfan by Nav Bhatia; the nationally bestselling Three Days in June by Anne Tyler; and the New York Times bestseller The Husbands by Holly Gramazio. She is proud to work with international and Canadian authors who include Lena Dunham, Susan Fletcher, Sarah Henstra, Rachel Joyce, Minelle Mahtani, Janice Lynn Mather, Sarah Meehan Sirk, Leah Mol, Kate Pullinger, Craig Taylor, C.J. Tudor, and David Wroblewski. Her most recent publications include the coming-of-age novel Liar’s Dice by Juliet Faithfull and Half His Age by bestselling author Jennette McCurdy; upcoming publications include Meredyth Cole’s edgy literary debut, Heatstroke; a historical spy romance by C.C. Humphreys; and a fantasy-romance duology by Norees Gasper.
