A gathering of creative minds from across the Pacific Northwest, from award-winning authors and photographers to design innovators and visual storytellers. Over two days, workshops, panels, conversations, exhibitions, and performances bring the region’s creative community together to share ideas, build relationships, and imagine what comes next.

Whether you’re a #CanLit lover, an amateur photographer, an emerging writer, a designer building your portfolio, or simply curious about the creative world around you, there’s a place for you here.

Join us for the inaugural PNW Creatives Summit. Ticket options are designed to fit different schedules and experiences, from single-day access to the full Summit journey. Get your tickets here.

Presenters and Speakers

Our presenters and speakers include award-winning authors, editors, publishers, artists, and cultural workers rooted in community and practice. They reflect the richness, complexity, and collaborative spirit of the Pacific Northwest—grounded in place, shaped by migration, and connected across borders.

Monique Gray Smith ~ Opening Keynote: April 22

An award-winning, best-selling author, storyteller, and sought-after consultant, Monique is Cree and Scottish and has been deeply committed to healing, resilience, and community for over 34 years. Through her books and her presence, Monique shares wisdom, generosity, and hope across generations, inviting us to listen more deeply, care more intentionally, and lead with love.

Danny Ramadan ~ Speaker: April 23

Danny is a Syrian-Canadian author, storyteller, and LGBTQ+ refugees’ advocate whose work explores identity, migration, queerness, and belonging with honesty, compassion, and humour. From award-winning novels and memoir to beloved children’s books, his writing spans genres while staying deeply rooted in lived experience.

Esi Edugyan ~ In Conversation with Megan Stuart: April 23

Two-time Scotiabank Giller Prize winner, two-time Man Booker finalist, and the brilliant mind behind Washington Black and Half-Blood Blues. Esi has a gift for uncovering untold stories from history’s margins and bringing them to vivid life. Based right here in Victoria, Esi will be joining us at the Summit to share insights on storytelling, craft, and the power of centring voices that history tried to sideline.

Susan Pi ~ Workshop Presenter: April 22

Susan Pi is the founder and publisher of Rebel Goose Books, a children’s publishing house on Vancouver Island. Bringing 15 years of experience across trade, nonprofit, and digital publishing, her work focuses on connecting story and community from the earliest stages of a project to extend a book’s impact beyond launch.

Workshop: Beyond the Book Launch

Kristopher Grunert ~ Workshop Presenter: April 22

Kristopher Grunert is a Canadian photographer, artist, and creator of Photography as Meditation, a framework that uses the camera as a gateway to mindfulness and embodied awareness. Through workshops and talks, he guides participants into deeper presence, curiosity, and creative flow by transforming the act of seeing into a practice of meditation.

Workshop: Photography as Meditation

Casey Milone ~ Keynote Speaker: April 22

Casey Milone is an author and creative director who has spent his career at the intersection of technology and human communication. Today, he’s the founder and CEO of Numonic —  an organization and compliance tool for AI creators and AI agents. Numonic’s mission centers around building trust to the AI industry and bringing memory to computer imagination.

The Program

Day 1 Summit: April 22, 2026

Day 2 Summit: April 23, 2026

And Thursday, April 23, 2026 | 7:00 pm – 10:00 pm

Better Together Gala x Fashion Show ~ An evening celebration featuring cultural performances, a fashion showcase, music, a cash bar, and light fare.

Publishers House

Publishers House brings together an exciting mix of book publishers, magazine publishers, presses, and creative industry partners from across British Columbia, the Yukon, and the Pacific Northwest.

Over two days at the Pacific Northwest Creatives Summit, these exhibitors will showcase the remarkable breadth of storytelling, publishing, and creative production happening in our region. Explore their tables, discover new publications, connect with industry leaders, and celebrate the vibrant publishing ecosystem that makes the Pacific Northwest such a powerful home for stories.

Publishers House happens throughout both days with exhibitions, art installations and performances.