For decades, Alma Lee has been a passionate and effective champion of Canadian authors. Founding executive director of both the Writers' Union of Canada and the Writers Development Trust, she is also the driving force behind the Vancouver International Writers and Readers Festival, one of North America's premier literary events. The Festival promotes both seasoned and undiscovered writers and is known for Spreading the Word, the largest children's literary event in Canada. Her contributions, which have been broadly recognized, have earned her the respect and admiration of her peers and the reading public.