Board of Directors

Lorenzo Carrara – Administrator
Lorenzo is a jack of all trades and a master of some. He resides in Montreal, where he completed his Bachelor’s in English Literature and Anthropology from McGill University. After that, he attended a Graduate Certificate program for Creative Writing at Humber College, but you can find him slinging coffees and poems, drawing cats and conclusions, and spinning yarns and pedals all around the 514. For the last few years, throughout forays in various food service pop-ups, he’s been helping out Renaissance press with administration and marketing.

S.M. Carrière – Treasurer
When S.M. Carrière isn’t brutally killing your favourite characters, she spends her time teaching martial arts, live streaming video games, occasionally teaching at the University of Ottawa, and cuddling her cat. In other words, she spends her time teaching others to kill, streaming her digital kills, teaching about historical death, and cuddling a furry murderer.

Jen Desmarais – Administrator
Jen has her BSc double minor in Biochemistry and Chemistry, a BA major Psychology minor Biology, a BEd I/S Chemistry and Math, and a Diploma in Tourism and Travel. All that to say that she has no idea what to do with her life.

However, all that school has taught her how to organize, if not herself, but other people, which makes her an excellent choice for one of the Administrative Positions on Renaissance’s Board of Directors.
Responsibilities on the Board of Directors:

Production Team Lead
General Admin Duties including metadata and emails

Jen is also an author with Renaissance Press, and has published Blush, Assassins! Accidental Matchmakers, Monsters! Incidental Wedding Guests and Crushing It at the time of this bio.

Molly Desson – Vice Chair
Molly Desson is, above all, a person deeply passionate about grammar and the use of the written language for communicating different thoughts, ideas, and emotions. Molly’s day job entails instructing others on how to make themselves understood by choosing the right words and ordering information in an accessible manner. Having joined the Renaissance team as an intern many years ago, Molly quickly became enamoured by the process of turning a manuscript into a polished published book, using words to find the perfect blend of creativity and connection.

April Laramey – Chair
Besides her day job as a public servant, April Laramey is an amateur artist and writer who explores darker themes such as trauma, addiction, poverty and identity politics. Born and raised in Guelph, Ontario, April Laramey now lives and works in Ottawa with her two cats.

Marjolaine Lafrenière – Secretary
Marjolaine has been part of Renaissance since it’s very beginning in May 2013. They studied literature, art history, translation, and creative writing. They been writing for nearly two decades.

Marjolaine’s projects:

Marjolaine is a member of the acquisitions committee and is part of the production team, where they manage the editors. They also serve as secretary on the Board of Director.

Marjolaine also writes under the pen name Aurelia Osborne.