Amanda Hyde

Amanda has been a Pagan for over ten years and hails from the east coast. 
 After moving to Ontario in 1999, she became active in the community and began organizing a variety of pagan events, including open rituals, picnics, hikes and Sabbat celebrations.  In 2003, she became the coordinator for Hamilton Pagan Pride Day, which is entering its 6th year and is becoming known for its active promotion of tolerance and education between the pagan community and the general public.  In addition, she is also a board member of Festivals & Events Hamilton, representing city-wide festivals in the $10 000 and under category.
 Amanda lives in Hamilton, ON with her two cats, two rats, and bearded dragon.  She works as a sign language interpreter in Toronto.  In addition, she has been writing books and poetry for over 15 years and had her first novel published in 2001.

Samantha Wu
Samantha Wu graduated from the journalism program at Humber College in June of 2007 and has previously written for newWitch and The Blessed Bee magazines. She is currently the host of Cerridwen's Mug, a monthly coffeehouse networking social, in Toronto. Raised in a Mahayana Buddhist household, she draws from her cultural spiritual background to incorporate into her Pagan studies which she has pursued for over ten years. Being a rather community minded individual, Samantha spends a good portion of her free time attending various Pagan events and has helped organize Toronto Pagan Pride Day for the past three years.

In her professional life, Samantha is the online editorial assistant for Canadian Family and Gardening Life magazines. She is an avid photographer, writer, web, print layout, and graphic designer drawing from her multimedia journalistic background. A Pagan that embraces the media world wholeheartedly, she has been interviewed in the Toronto Star and has appeared in the CTV news program 21C: Spells and Prayers both on the topics of Wicca and Witchcraft.

Topic:

Canadian Pagan Magazine – Open Discussion

What does it mean to be a Canadian Pagan? What about our national community sets us apart from our brothers and sisters in Europe and the States? To promote and celebrate our own Canadian Pagan identity, we've decided to start a magazine concentrating initially on the communities within southern Ontario, with our goal being to eventually branch out nation wide. This will be a magazine by Canadian Pagans for Canadian Pagans that profiles and celebrates the paths, faces, groups, events, and backgrounds that make up our diverse community. What would you like to see in such a magazine? We want your opinions, ideas and input to ensure that this publication becomes something you would want to read. Interested in putting your own creative touch behind this endeavor? We welcome it. Come join us at our open discussion. We will be handing out surveys and opening the floor to hear your ideas and opinions. Come and be heard.