Jennilee Austria-Bonifacio is a writer, speaker, and founder of Filipino Talks-- a program that builds bridges between Canadian educators and Filipino newcomer families. After working with over 1200 Filipino high school students, she was inspired to write her debut novel on the impact of forced Filipino family separation due to Canada’s caregiver program. Reuniting with Strangers (Douglas & McIntyre) was longlisted for Canada Reads, a finalist for the Toronto Book Awards and the Jim Wong-Chu Emerging Writers Award, and the silver medallist for multicultural fiction at the Independent Publisher Book Awards. Jennilee is the 2025 recipient of the Golden Balangay Awards for Excellence in Arts and Culture, a tour guide in Toronto’s Little Manila, and a proud member of Salaysay, a collective of over 85 Filipino authors based in the Greater Toronto Area.