Please join us in welcoming our wonderful Defenders! Each Library chooses a defender who presents their favourite Canadian titles to debate at our Georgian Bay Reads evening.
Welcome to our 2025 Defenders!
Wasaga Beach Public Library – Melanie Case defending The Birth House by Ami McKay
Springwater Township Public Library – Brian Adduono defending Estates Large and Small by Ray Robertson
Brian Adduono was born and raised in Thunder Bay, Ontario. Following a year as a newspaper journalist in Alberta, Brian returned to Ontario Ontario to become an English teacher in Thunder Bay, Fort Frances and eventually Barrie. In 2017, after 31 years of teaching, he retired to beautiful Oro-Medonte. As a teacher at Barrie North Collegiate, Brian developed a 3-credit program focused on Literature, Creative Writing, Journalism and Philosophy, all integrated and combined. For 9 years, students of this program designed and ran Ontario’s largest Literary celebration, the “L3: Writers Conference,” hosting thousands of young people and adults and showcasing Canadian authors, journalists, publishers and activists, including Margaret Atwood, Nino Ricci, Eleanor Wachtel, Alistair McLeod, Sen. Romeo Dallaire and dozens more. In retirement, Brian is a drummer in a big-band jazz band, a singer/songwriter, an avid hiker and paddler and all-around patron of the arts. He is married to a delightful Music teacher (Laura) and is father to a 32 year old son (Lewis) living in Kelowna, BC.
Meaford Public Library – Bill Loucks defending The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway
Bill was born and raised in Toronto and spent many summers in Meaford with his grandparents, exploring and falling in love with the area.
After graduating Humber College in 1973, he spent the next 38 years working for the CBC, mostly in the news service and primarily with The National. He was a news cameraman/video editor, based in Toronto, Calgary, Ottawa and for the last 20 years of his career, in Washington, DC. A two-time Gemini Award winner, he travelled the world covering major news and current affairs events including war zones, natural disasters and political unrest.
In 2012, after retiring from CBC he and his wife Sheryl settled in Meaford to enjoy the next chapter of their lives. Sheryl passed away in May of 2024. He has two married sons, one in Ottawa and the other is in Singapore. Bill lives with his faithful companion, Cooper, in a home, bought by his great grandfather in 1871, that has remained in the family through four generations.
Hours spent in airport lounges and long flights led Bill to his love of reading, and although he keeps busy now as President of Meaford Rotary, a board member for both the Meaford Culture Foundation and Christmas on the Bay, Bill still finds time every day to immerse himself in a good book.
Collingwood Public Library – Amy Arsenio defending How to Survive a Bear Attack by Claire Cameron
Amy Arsenio has a B.A. in Creative Writing from York University and a Masters Degree in Information Studies from the University of Toronto. In 2018, Great God Pan, a television series that she co-wrote was optioned by Buck Productions in Toronto. Amy is the Supervisor of Acquisitions and Programming at Collingwood Public Library and is currently working on several writing projects. She lives in Meaford with her two children.
Clearview Public Library – defending Washington Black by Esi Edugyan
Born of immigrants, and blessed of these lands, and earthen treasures of Canada- I am- Beth Seaborne Harte. Like the sands of time, grains as upon which our main character stands upon as his first memory, and those of his last…I am that fluidity of life and experiences. I am a child, a parent of two children and many animals, wife, sister, lover of gardens, stories, maker and baker of foods, poetry and fiber arts. I am a teacher of arts-open ended and process oriented, community leader and a current Master’s student. This story draws on our sensibilities of belonging and connection, with the lands, the people and the openness that it brings forth that I am personally, joyously enchanted with. Journey with me, with the tides of fate, and the sands of time