Netta Johnson, Publisher/Acquisitions Editor
Netta Johnson has always been taken with the written word, and in 2014, her passion for literature led her to take the rash step of opening a publishing house with her dear friend Julie Yerex. Over the years, Stonehouse Publishing has released acclaimed and best-selling books, and Netta Johnson continues as the Publisher/Managing Editor. She is also currently serving on the board of the Book Publishers Association of Alberta.
Netta was one of the founding members of the Waldorf Independent School of Edmonton (www.thewise.ca) a local grassroots school run by volunteer board members of the WESE (the Waldorf Education Society of Edmonton).
In addition to her passion for books, volunteerism and community work, Netta is a builder, a baker, a gardener, and an amateur mason. In her spare time, you will find her in her back yard with her chickens, building experimental pizza ovens.
Julie Yerex, Co-founder/Editing
A deep love for the written word has ensured that a good piece of literature is a staple in Julie's life. Julie served as a board member of the Waldorf Education Society of Edmonton from 2010-2022, holding an executive position from 2015-2022. In 2014 she co-founded Stonehouse Publishing. She co-publishes a semi-annual zine that is distributed around the world, and occasionally does freelance editing work for publications within and outside of Canada.
Anna Marie Sewell, Foreign Rights Development
Anna Marie Sewell’s artistic practice centres collaborative projects at the intersections of culture, language, and modality, no doubt influenced by her pre-TRC upbringing in a defiantly mixed-race (Mi’gmaq/Anishinaabe/Polish) family. She is a member of Listuguj Mi’gmaq First Nation, born in that territory but raised in the Peace Country, and long resident in Amiskwaciy/Edmonton.
Edmonton’s 4th Poet Laureate (2011-13), Sewell has toured widely as a poet, in Indigenous Theatre, and most recently, embarking upon a quest into the world of international, translation and adaptation rights, with trips to Frankfurt and London Book Fairs.
Ms. Sewell is also a cultural educator, co-recipient of the 2022 Principal’s Award for Curriculum Design at Queens University. And while 2019 - 20 Writer-in-Residence at MacEwan University, she began collaborating with choral composer Mari Alice Conrad; their works include Journey Song (Cypress Publishing 2022), and the Chatman Award winning At First Light.
Connect to Ms. Sewell’s written work through prairiepomes.com, via her poetry collections Fifth World Drum (Frontenac House 2009) and For the Changing Moon: Poems & Songs (Thistledown Press 2018), or via her debut novel, Humane (Stonehouse Publishing 2020). Anna Marie previously served on the Writers Guild of Canada’s National Council 2017-20 as Indigenous Member Advocate, Chair of the Equity Task Force, and (2017-19) on the Write Magazine editorial board.
Design Team
Elizabeth Friesens, Designer
Hello! My name is Elizabeth— you can call me Liz. Inspirations from my adventures find their way into my designs. Hungry for travel, music, and cinema, my curiosity pushes me to learn new things. Branding, environmental design, and photography are specialties I love. A project for SNAP Printshop last year re-sparked my interests in screen printing and illustration. Assisting in the industry lets me learn and work on photography and videography.
Elizabeth Friesens became the main contract designer at Stonehouse Publishing in 2023.
Anne Brown, Designer
Anne is a graduate from the University of Alberta's Bachelor of Design program. She currently works as a designer at an Edmonton branding & digital agency, doing work for Stonehouse on the side. Being new to the industry, Anne is a passionate creative who loves to absorb as many different experiences as she can.
UPDATE: After many years of reading, Unsworth the Cat has retired to spend more time basking in the sun. Kiki, Boss Hen, takes over her duties as of submission season 2023-2024.
Kiki, head reader of form/generic submissions: Kiki is new to Stonehouse Publishing, but she fits in well. She enjoys high drama and suspense.