Shira Spector is a visual artist, writer, illustrator and community arts educator.

While a member of the 519’s Queer Parenting Programs she coordinated annual events like The Queer Family Fun Fair, The Light Fantastic Children’s Winter Holiday Celebration and The My Family Matters! Schools Project. Shira’s illustrations have appeared in materials for The 519 Community Centre, The Mayworks Festival for Working People and the Arts, and The Toronto YWCA.

She has created and implemented arts based programs for children and youth with and without disabilities for a variety of agencies including: Sketch-A Working Arts Studio for Street Involved and Homeless Youth, Learning Through the Arts/ Toronto District School Board, The 519 Community Centre, The Sherbourne Health Centre, The Bloorview McMillian's Children's Centre- Spiral Garden Program, The Harbourfront Centre, The Latcham Gallery (Stouffville, Ontario), McGill University-Explorations Program (Montreal) and The Halton District School Board. Her workshops encourage art as activism, individual and collaborative work, exploration, freedom of expression, and hands on experience of narrative art making as a tool for social change.

With a BFA (in Fibres)-from Concordia University her background includes performance and costume work for various theatre and independent film companies. Shira’s artwork has been exhibited in Montreal and Toronto and featured in a variety of publications including Lilith, Fireweed and Canadian Women’s Studies. Her writing on queer parenting, infertility and pregnancy loss is included in anthologies like Confessions of the Other Mother: Non Biological Lesbian Moms Tell All Edited by Harlyn Aizley, Who’s Your Daddy? : And Other Writings on Queer Parenting Edited by Rachel Epstein, and the upcoming And Baby Makes More: Known Donors, Queer Parents and Our Unexpected Families Edited by Chloë Brushwood Rose and Susan Goldberg.

Shira is also pro sex high femme dyke drama queen, and co-mama of a brilliant six year old. Recently, she received a Canada Council grant to write a graphic novel. For more on her work visit www.shiraspector.com