Jessica is Vice President of Yukon Words, responsible for Communications.

Jessica is a passionate advocate for community engagement and the power of storytelling. With a diverse background in public relations, graphic design and project management, she has dedicated her career to fostering connections and creating platforms for voices to be heard. She is a self-professed cinephile who lives with an excessive amount of plants and believes that gardening is the best thing next to therapy.

Ben is the President of Yukon Words.

Ben Charland is a writer and creative communications consultant. He hosted the weekly podcast, What On Earth is Going On?, which featured guests such as poet and biographer Rosemary Sullivan, fantasy author Guy Gavriel Kay, Canadian actor Aurora Browne and many more. Ben lives in Whitehorse with his wife and two kids. Learn more about Ben and his writing at bencharland.com.

John is a Director of Yukon Words, responsible for Fundraising and Sponsorships.

John Firth was raised in Dawson City, Yukon, where the Klondike Gold Fields were his backyard and Tr'ochëk, a traditional Hän fish camp, was just down the road past Pierre Berton's childhood home. Dick North lived a block away and Robert Service's cabin was a 10-minute walk from his front door. John graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Creative Writing and worked as a Whitehorse-based freelance journalist, documentary film/audiovisual scriptwriter, editor and feature writer before his first non-fiction book was published in 1990. Since then he’s published five more books and collaborated on another three.

Adri is a Director of Yukon Words.

Adri Lera was born and raised in Juneau, Alaska she currently lives in Mount Lorne. She attends Yukon University and is of Tlingit, Unangax, and Swedish heritage. She won the Active Voice Contest and has been published in CBC North. She is a multimedia artist who works in poetry, short fiction and non-fiction, beading, drawing, painting, and anything else she can get her hands on.

Erin is a Director of Yukon Words, responsible for Programming and Grants.

Erin has always loved a good story. From sharing local history as a walking guide, to exploring connections between people and places in Antarctica, she has spent her life pursuing the ways we use stories to share who we are and where we have been.

After some time spent in Academia, Erin turned to organizing and running community arts projects in the different places that she have lived - Aotearoa and Yukon. These projects generally reflected her interest in storytelling, the most recent of which have been a series of self-published zines. She is now working on a book exploring the strange world of grief.

She lives in Whitehorse with her husband, three kids, dog, and cat.

Magdalena is a Director of Yukon Words, responsible for Membership.

Magdalena, a Yukon-raised writer, social justice activist, former humanitarian worker and current legal assistant, has a great passion for Yukon Words. Having lived and worked in the Yukon for her entire life, her reach in the community is extensive. Magdalena has been a board member of several LGBTQ+ organizations working to create safer and more inclusive environments. When not working Magdalena enjoys reading, crafting, painting and spending time with her friends and family.

Silvia is the Secretary of Yukon Words, responsible for Administration and Policy.

Although Silvia is not a writer, she has a passion for the word arts! Based out of Whitehorse, Yukon, she has 10 years of HR experience and keeps busy supporting clients as an independent HR Consultant. When she is not working, she loves to spend time with her husband, family, 3 fur babies and reading!! Silvia's love for literature spans across many genres and as long as she has a book with her, she will never be bored.

Jerry is the Treasurer of Yukon Words, responsible for Finance.

Jerry is a Taiwanese-Canadian writer whose work explores themes of identity, belonging, family and culture. Born in Taiwan, raised in Canada, and educated in China and Japan, he blends multiple cultural aspects with unique angles of the immigrant experience, the clash of traditions, and the search for self in a multicultural world.

Although most of his readers read Mandarin, Jerry also writes in English upon request. His works capture the complexities of diaspora and family dynamics, offering readers a window into both Taiwanese and Canadian cultures.

He manages a Facebook blog with his wife and daughter.