About

At Great Plains Press, we publish stories and that are unique and reflect our region, and Canada, to the rest of the world. We publish new writers alongside literary veterans, and seek out exciting, distinct and challenging topics as we share the stories that bind us.

Our Story

Great Plains was formed in 1992 by Gregg Shilliday and Ingeborg Boyens as Great Plains Publications, to launch a three volume history of Manitoba to coincide with the province’s 125th anniversary. Since those early days, we have been committed to telling the stories of the people and places that make this part of Canada so special.

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Bestsellers

Prairie Oddities

Darren Bernhardt

Take Your Baby and Run

Carol Youngson

On the Road to Abandoned Manitoba

My Left Skate

Anna Rosner

A Daytripper’s Guide To Manitoba Vol. 4

Bartley Kives

Wonder World

K. R. Byggdin

Abandoned Manitoba

Gordon Goldsborough

More Abandoned Manitoba

Gordon Goldsborough

The Lesser Known: A History of Oddities from the Heart of the Continent

Darren Bernhardt

Awards & Accolades

(IN ALPHABETICAL ORDER)

    Our Staff

    Meet the small but mighty team at Great Plains Press!

    Catharina de Bakker

    EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
    BIO

     

    Catharina started with Great Plains in 2007. She enjoys reading fiction that explores ideas, features unique perspectives, and plays with style and structure; non-fiction that examines the history of this region and its impact on our current culture; and memoirs and literary non-fiction books that expand perspectives and build empathy. A former bookseller, Catharina’s love of books and reading has evolved into a passion for working collaboratively with writers to polish their stories and connect their message to readers.

    Mel Marginet

    PUBLISHER
    BIO

     

    Mel is a lover of stories and how they create compassion and understanding between people from all over the world. She grew up in rural Manitoba and inherited her love of reading, and her insatiable curiosity, from her dad. Mel has an honours arts degree and is a theatre creator, professional actor and sustainable transportation advocate. She fell into publishing when Catharina went on her first maternity leave, and has never left! She’s the past president of the Association of Manitoba Book Publishers and looks forward to learning more from all of the fantastic authors who take a risk and submit their writing each season.

    Angeline Javier

    MARKETING DIRECTOR
    BIO

     

    Angeline is a filmmaker and digital marketer from Winnipeg, Manitoba. As a child Angeline fell in love with storytelling through both movies and books. After graduating from Red River College Polytech’s Digital Film and Media Production program in 2023, she continued to share stories through her narrative and documentary work. Now, with Great Plains Press, she hopes to utilize her communication and marketing skills to uplift other people’s stories.

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