About

Alison Isaac is a Caribbean-Canadian writer, editor, and educator based in Toronto. As a storyteller, her work explores identity, culture, and the nuances of lived experience. She has lived and worked in Canada, Mexico, Ecuador, and Colombia, shaping a diverse perspective that informs her writing and teaching.

Her short story "Legacy" was longlisted for the Brooklyn Caribbean Literary Festival’s Emergent Writers short story competition and later named the winner of Rewrite Reads' inaugural issue. Her children’s book, Kookumbah, was published in December 2020, and her narrative essay, "Speech Patterns," appeared in Living Hyphen magazine 2.2 Healing Across Generations.

Projects & Contributions

Beyond her own writing, Alison actively uplifts diverse voices and narratives, particularly those from the African diaspora and the broader Caribbean-Canadian literary community. Her work includes:

• Global Narrative – A bookish lifestyle brand celebrating writers of the African diaspora with a focus on diverse CanLit through curated content and meaningful gifts. Listen to her interview about Global Narrative on the Voices Less Heard podcast with Dr. PMak . 

• Editorial Work – Contributed to bringing diverse books to publication, including And the Walls Came Down by Denise Da Costa, Suite as Sugar by Camille Hernández Ramdwar, and Black Cake, Turtle Soup, and Other Dilemmas by Gloria Blizzard.

• Judging & Literary Engagement – Served as a judge for the Ripple Foundation’s annual Kids Write 4 Kids Creative Challenge. Hosted the By the Lake Book Club with authors Antonio Michael Downing and Amy Stuart (organized by the Toronto International Festival of Authors and Humber College).

• Published Work – Featured in The Globe and Mail with her personal essay, Dad's Bookshelf. 

• Other Appearances  – Personal Essay, "Speech Patterns," was showcased in Living Hyphen's podcast (Season 1, Episode 5: "Word Limit"). 

Alison is passionate about fostering literary spaces where underrepresented voices are heard and celebrated. Whether through writing, editing, or simply sharing the love, she remains committed to storytelling that resonates, challenges, and inspires.