Long before a piece appears in Geist, it has already found its first readers and generated a lot of conversation in the office. From across Canada, members of our Reading Collective spend countless hours reading submissions to help us discover the best, weirdest, Geist-iest work that deserves to be shared. We’re excited to introduce you to a few more of the volunteers who help shape each issue of the magazine.

Thalia Stopa is a writer and editor from Montréal who spends much of her time boulangerie-hopping across the city. She is on a self-assigned mission to perfect the art of walking and reading. Her (un)holy trinity: bread, beer and books.

Natasha Tar lives in Burnaby, BC, where she studied English and creative writing and works at the library. She enjoys identifying plants, reading, and perusing alleyways in search of cool garbage. She’s volunteered at Geist since 2023, and is delighted, astounded and sometimes terrified by the pieces she reads.

Malaika Mitra is a writer and researcher from Toronto, ON. She loves ecology, philosophy and experimental fiction, and has previously written for Spacing Magazine and Geist. In her spare time, she likes to learn languages and explore the local ravines.  

Cornelia Mars is a Swedish-Canadian writer who lives north of Montréal, QC. She holds a degree from Concordia University in English literature and creative writing, and is working on a memoir. Her writing has appeared in the Humber Literary Review, the Capra Review, the Keeping Room, Chicken House Press, and is forthcoming in Riddle Fence.

A big thank you to all our Reading Collective members past and present.