Hello! My name is Jarin and I’m enchanted to have joined the BookNet team as a research coordinator. Here’s a bit about ME!… Are you ready for it?

I come from an interdisciplinary research background. I did my undergrad at the University of Guelph in an Arts and Sciences program where I studied English literature and biological sciences. I then went on to do a Master of Publishing at Simon Fraser University, where I wrote my thesis on Indigenous publishing initiatives in Canada and Australia, with mentorship from the Indigenous Editors Association.

I’m someone who can confidently wear a lot of hats (I suppose literally … but mostly in the metaphorical sense), and I’ve had many different kinds of jobs from manager of a kickboxing studio, to International English Language Testing System (IELTS) tutor, to editor of an undergraduate scholarly journal. Most recently I've held roles in research, marketing, and event planning in the School of Environmental Sciences and at the Institute for Environmental Research at the University of Guelph. I am also a member of the DEI Pod at Tandem Collective, a book marketing firm based out of the UK.

I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with BookNet this past year through my role as Project Manager at the Green Book Alliance (GBA), which is a team of folks from BookNet, BISG, and BIC, who are passionate about supporting sustainability in the international book supply chain.

When it comes to reading habits I am truly all over the place. Don’t blame me… for disclosing my secrets, here are a few of my favourite books:

Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century book cover.

Lesser Known Monsters of the 21st Century by Kim Fu 🍁

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao 🍁
The Deal by Elle Kennedy 🍁
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
Flawless by Elsie Silver 🍁
Lord of the Butterflies by Andrea Gibson
Ontario Climbing: Vol 2 The Northern Escarpment by Gus Alexandropoulos🍁 and Justin Dwyer 🍁

Outside of work and reading, I am notorious for having just a few too many hobbies:

Yoga - Without this zen I’d be in the tortured poet’s department for sure.
Running - I’m kind of slow but I do parkrun most weeks and am part of a few local run clubs.
Rock Climbing - I’m down bad for climbing, you can often find me at the climbing gym or at one of Ontario’s many beautiful outdoor crags.
Camping/Hiking - Whether it’s hiking in or portaging, I never want to be out of the woods, and +1,989 bonus points if rock climbing is involved.
Aerial Silks - I have loved the circus forever and always, and I occasionally perform.
Salsa Dancing - I used to teach but now I just dance for fun.
Surfing - I’ve had the chance to surf in Canada, South America, New Zealand, and Australia. It’s a cruel summer if I don’t get to catch a few waves!
Roller Skating - I used to play roller derby but these days you can catch me at the skate park.
Music - I sing, play guitar, and piano, and my friends know all too well that I LOVE karaoke.
Diving (off a diving board, not the SCUBA kind) - this is new, I just started because of course this list of hobbies felt too short.

Additionally, I run a bookstagram, a women/LGBTQ+ centric climbing club, and a book club focused on women and diverse voices. Call it what you want, but if I have a blank space, I fill it!

The last thing you should know about me is I am a BIG TIME Swiftie. (Can you spot the 13 Swiftie references in this post?) I had the chance to present on Taylor Swift and book publishing at Swiftposium, a Taylor Swift-themed academic conference in Melbourne, Australia, an experience that I talked about on an episode of the BookNet Podcast.

So that’s me! Here’s to new adventures with the BookNet Canada team — I’m pumped to dig deep into the data, make some discoveries, and maybe even climb a few mountains together. (Figuratively speaking ... unless anyone’s up for a team-building trip they won’t soon forget?)