Residencies

Collier grew up in Ottawa and Montreal and is a graduate of McGill University. She is the author of Confined Space and Open Secret, both set-in-the-Kootenays mystery novels published by Simon and Schuster Canada. Confined Space was shortlisted for the Arthur Ellis Award for best first crime novel by the Crime Writers of Canada, and was the One Book One Kootenay selection of the Kootenay Library Federation. She is currently at work on a new series of mysteries set in Montreal in 1947, in which she turns one of her ancestors into a fictional sleuth.

• Born and raised in Kamloops
• Was the Vancouver Public Library 2019-2020 Screenwriter in Residence
• Written for networks such as CBC, TSN, & the Comedy Network
• Co-wrote the Opening Essay for the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics (which was narrated by Donald Sutherland!)
• Winner of the Gemini Award for excellence in Canadian television
• Has three feature film scripts optioned by production companies
• Filmed his feature film Outrunners in Kamloops

A composer, songwriter, and Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc band member from Kamloops B.C, Jeremy became a full time musician in 2015. From early beginnings in piano at age 2, Kneeshaw is an established multi-instrumentalist – playing Guitar, Piano, Drums, Bass, Mandolin, Banjo, Accordion and more. Jeremy has played at venues of all sizes throughout western Canada, with bands ranging in genre from funk, to country.

Raised in Toronto and then Vancouver, Margit grew up listening to rock, folk and classical music. Her parents were music lovers. After moving to Kamloops in 1992, she built a successful career as a local musician and hasn’t looked back since her first gig at Sun Peaks Resort.

Raising her two sons in the country, the only thing to do in the evening was to teach herself guitar. Within a year Margit was playing small shows up at Sun Peaks and around Kamloops.

In 2001 Margit begin teaching private guitar, piano, vocal and songwriting lessons out of her home. Through word of mouth, she has been teaching for 26 years. Her love of kids and passion for music has made this a very successful career.

In 2008 Margit met Rod Bandura and there was an instant connection. Rod’s First Nations name is Little Sky. They decided to combine names and became the Margit Sky Project. The two have averaged over 100 shows a year since 2012. They have had the pleasure of opening for Kevin Costner and Modern West, Burton Cummings, Trooper, Barney Bentall, Elliot Brood and Ridley Bent. The connection between the two on stage and in life is instantly recognized. Their music is now being played across North America, the United Kingdom, Austria, Wales, Ireland and Scotland.

Tina has been around music most of her life. She grew up listening to her grandfather play the violin and spent many hours with him in his woodshop, watching him build violins. The songs he played when she was a child still linger in her heart.

She started guitar lessons as a teenager and soon fell in love with classical guitar. Tina furthered her musical education at Capilano University and studied with a variety of guitar teachers afterwards. Although she had ukulele lessons in the classroom as a student in elementary school, she hadn’t played one for a long time. Then she became inspired to pick it up again, and the rest is history!