Mountain Culture

Joanna Croston grew up and went to university in Eastern Canada and moved to the Canadian Rockies permanently in 1998. She has climbed many of the classic 11,000 ft peaks in the area and is an avid backcountry skier having toured throughout North America, The Alps, Japan, Kashmir and the Indian Himalaya.    As a voracious reader of mountain literature and a die-hard film enthusiast, she is the Director for the Banff Centre Mountain Film and Book Festival and World Tour.  Her writing has appeared in Highline Magazine, Gripped, The Canadian Alpine Journal, The Canadian Rockies Annual, Mountain Life and Alpinist. She is the author of Breaking Trail: The Chic Scott Story and her work is part of the Waymaking anthology, an award-winning collection of women’s adventure writing published in Autumn 2018. She is the former North American representative for the International Alliance for Mountain Film. Her book Mountaineering Women will be released in September 2025.

Madeline McCaffrey is the Program Manager for Literary Arts and Mountain Writers Intensive at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, where she develops and oversees residency programs and events designed to support writers at all stages of their careers. She works closely with faculty and the Centre’s resources to create opportunities for literary exploration, community building, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Prior to joining Banff Centre, Madeline worked with leading Canadian arts organizations including the Association of Canadian Publishers, the Toronto International Festival of Authors at Harbourfront Centre, Campbell House Museum, and Massey Hall & Roy Thomson Hall. She has contributed to some of the largest literary events in Canada, including Toronto Lit Up, Word on the Street, Forest of Reading: Festival of Trees, TIFA, Common Readings, and Book Summit, and has managed programs such as Top Grade: CanLit for the Classroom and 49th Shelf. Her professional background spans published works, curatorial projects, advocacy initiatives, fundraising, and literary arts programming supporting both emerging and established voices. 

When she’s not helping writers settle into the mountains, you might spot Madeline on a multi day hike with a questionably heavy backpack - because she forgot to charge her Kindle, again.