Needless to say, moments like now, when the hurdles to becoming a respected author are at their lowest. When the only hurdles to being published are the quality of your writing and your patience to deal with certain less and less important gatekeepers. Moments in history like this, must be acknowledged and celebrated. That's what this anthology is: It's a celebration. A moment to cry out, Look how many of us have a voice! There are stories, and poetry in this country that are about people like me! I am not alone!

Dane Swan's second book, A Mingus Lullaby (Guernica Editions, 2016), was a finalist for the 2017 Trillium Book Prize for Poetry. A past Writer in Residence for the Open Book Foundation of Ontario, Dane has been short listed for the Monica Ladell Award (Scarborough Arts). His first book, Bending the Continuum (Guernica Editions, 2011), was a mid-summer recommended read from Open Book Toronto. Dane is the editor of Changing the Face of Canadian Literature: A Diverse Canadian Anthology. Dane is also an accomplished slam poet and touring spoken-word performer, placing second at the Canadian Festival of Spoken Word, third at the Rust Belt Regional Slam and touring the US Midwest and West Coast regions. He has graced numerous festival stages, including: IFOA, Hillside, Lab Cab, Parkdale Arts, Junction Arts, and Pitter Patter festivals. For four years Dane and Dan D'Onorio hosted Toronto's $100 Slam series. Mr. Swan's poetry has been taught in schools and has been published in France, the UK, Bahamas, and Canada.