In a largely primarily anglophone and Anglo-centric publishing industry, Laberinto Press has won the recognition of its peers for delivering outstanding works from writers whose first language is not English, and World Literature in translation. Their books have received rave reviews. This “Little Press That Could” continues making strides. Meanwhile, they continue tapping into diaspora authors living in Canada.

Featuring: Luciana Erregue-Sacchi, Mila Philipzig, Kathryn Lennon, Sandro Silva, Cedric Usman, and Phany Peña T

Mila Bongco-Philipzig is a writer, visual artist, and community organizer. She has published five bilingual (Filipino-English) children’s books. She also translated two children’s books from Filipino to German, which were included in the Frankfurter Buchmesse (2022), the largest book fair in the world. Mila has poetry, short stories, and essays published in various magazines, anthologies, and podcasts in the Philippines, Canada, and Germany. In 2021, Mila was a featured artist for Edmonton Arts Council’s Asian Heritage Month, and the first featured reader for Edmonton Public Library’s Multilingual Storytime. She is currently the coordinator for the Writer’s Guild of Alberta’s Horizon Writers Circle mentorship program for BIPOC writers and serves as the lead for the People of Colour Committee in Stantec. In addition to writing and painting, Mila organizes cultural community events, runs long distance, and is an active advocate for inclusion, human rights, and social justice.

Luciana Erregue-Sacchi is an award winning publisher (Laberinto Press), art historian, translator, author (Of Mothers and Madonna, Polyglot 2023) and cultural worker. Luciana has presented at LitFest, Edmonton Poetry Fest, and Banff Centre. Her work and translations have appeared in academic publications, Polyglot Magazine, AGNI, and others and she has been featured on CBC Edmonton, Radio Canada, Quill and Quire, Literary Review of Canada, Westword, and Edmonton Journal. She is an activist for freedom to read and an advocate for hyphened Canadian literature.

Kathryn Lennon 君妍 is a poet, community planner, and the co-founder and co-editor of Hungry Zine. She was born and raised, and resides in Edmonton/Amiskwacîwâskahikan. Her poetry has been published in Canthius, Polyglot Magazine, Living Hyphen, and the Globe and Mail, and included in anthologies: Reimagining Fire: the Future of Energy (Durvile & UpRoute), Back Where I Came From (Book*hug Press), and Beyond Touch Sites (Laberinto Press).

Sandro Silva is a Brazilian & Canadian citizen. Co-founder of Dona Ana Films & Multimedia, he produced international award-winning documentaries and acted as a local producer for the Brazilian components of international productions. Before working in the arts, Sandro worked as a copyright lawyer in São Paulo.  After moving to Canada, Sandro has written, directed, and produced various documentary shorts for CBC’s Creator Network since the fall of 2021. He was part of the 2021 Hot Docs DOC Accelerator program, the 2023 Hot Docs Podcast Creators Lab, and a selected protégé for the 2021 Own Voices Alberta mentorship designed by the Alexandra Writers’ Centre Society. Sandro was also selected as part of the Telus Storyhive 2021 Black Creators Edition, where he wrote, directed, and produced his latest documentary short “Retraining the Brain” (2023). Sandro is working on his first memoir book and has several podcasts and feature documentary projects in production for 2025.

Cedric Usman is a Filipino-Canadian self-taught contemporary abstract artist from Sherwood Park, Alberta. He draws deep inspiration from nature, particularly bodies of water. His art invites viewers to reflect, feel inspired, and perhaps even meditate on the fluid movements and flow within his creations. Cedric loves to make colours blend and dance by harnessing the forces of air and gravity. He is also a self-taught musician, intuitively exploring the handpan to create space for contemplation, reflection, and emotional self-expression.

Estephanía Peña-Torres (she/her): Phany, an Edmonton-based artist, immigrant, and member of the BIPOC community, is determined to immerse herself in her dancing skills and artistic creation. She has practiced several dance techniques, prominent among them are: Polynesian dance, classical ballet, and a few contemporary styles. She understands art as a communication channel that the artists use to express themselves, make a point, or encourage the audience to wonder about a topic. Having said this, she is committed to using her artistic knowledge and talents to tell stories and draw attention to topics that are important in today’s context.

To reserve tickets to this event, please email our Ticket Coordinator, Cait Yaga at events@litfestalberta.org