Geographies of the Heart

Raymonde Tickner recently retired from teaching English language studies at the University of the Fraser Valley (UFV). She has also taught in UFV's TESL teacher training program and is an Instructional Skills Workshop (ISW) facilitator. Raymonde has taught internationally in China and in India, and worked with Somalian refugees in Dubai during the first Persian Gulf War. She has also worked with refugees and immigrants in the Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada program in Surrey, British Columbia. She lives in Abbotsford.

Amea Wilbur is an assistant professor at UFV. She led Vancouver Coastal Health's Access Community through English program, which helped people with chronic mental health issues learn English. She also developed a trauma-informed English as an Additional Language program at the Pacific Immigrant Resources Society that received national recognition. Amea is the co-author of The 6 Principles for Exemplary Teaching of English Learners. She lives in Vancouver.

Zahida Rahemtulla is a playwright and short story writer. She has worked in the immigrant and refugee non-profit sector for several years. Her father came as a refugee to Canada from Uganda, and her mother as an immigrant from Tanzania. Her stories have been shortlisted for the Alice Munro Award and longlisted for the CBC short story prize. She lives in Vancouver.

Kerry Johnson was an associate professor at UFV and now teaches professional English language development at the British Columbia Institute of Technology. She has also taught in UFV's TESL teacher-training program and Vancouver Community College's TESOL Certificate and Diploma program, and has developed classroom programs for students and produced workshops for instructors that provide practical strategies for teaching multilingual learners. She lives in Vancouver.