Janet McNally, MFA, is associate professor of English and Creative Writing and director of the All-College Honors Program at Canisius University in Buffalo, NY. A novelist and poet, she is author of the novels Girls in the Moon and The Looking Glass (HarperCollins), and a collection of poems, Some Girls, winner of the White Pine Press Poetry Prize. She is a longtime studier of storytelling, and her spark bird is the Great Egret, a bird so beautiful and weird it almost seems fictional. Professor McNally is a scholar-in-residence with the Roger Tory Peterson Institute.

My name is Kayla Gajewski, and I’m a second-year student at Canisius University. I’m dual majoring in Digital Media Arts and Creative Writing, and I am passionate about combining storytelling and design to create meaningful and impactful projects. 

My love for storytelling began with books–whether I’m writing, designing, or imagining new worlds, I’m driven by the power of creativity to inspire and connect people. I am so excited to help edit and produce the Spark Bird Podcast.

Hello, my name is Genevieve Fontana, the creator behind the Spark Bird Project logo. I am honored to have been chosen for this project. I am currently in my senior year at Canisius University dual majoring in both Animal Behavior Ecology and Conservation as well as Digital Media Arts with a concentration in graphic design. I am specifically interested in how effective digital art can impact conservation efforts.

My love for birds has come from my relationship with my mom. We would spend all year long in our yard. Some of my most distinct memories are making snowmen during our cold Buffalo winters and filling the brim of their hat with black oil sunflower seeds, watching the wide variety of visitors come, including chickadees and cardinals.

If you are interested in checking out more of my work here is my portfolio.