Dennis Foon, labeled as "unquestionably Canada's best young people's playwright" by the Children's Literature Journal, was artistic director of Vancouver's acclaimed Green Thumb Theatre for 12 years, where he produced a body of plays that continue to be produced internationally in numerous languages that include New Kid, Mirror Game, The Short Tree and the Bird that Could Not Sing and Seesaw. He has received the British Theatre Award, two Chalmers awards, the Jesse Richardson Career Achievement Award and the International Arts for Young Audiences Award, and in 2007 he was made a lifetime member of the Playwrights Guild of Canada for his outstanding contribution to Canadian playwriting and theater. Foon's screenplays include the Gemini Award-winning Little Criminals, White Lies (International Emmy finalist) and Torso (WGC Award). He also co-wrote Mina Shum's feature Long Life, Happiness and Prosperity (starring Sandra Oh), which played at the Toronto, Vancouver and Sundance Film festivals. His novels for young adults include Double or Nothing, Skud (Sheila A. Egoff Award), and the three books of the Longlight Legacy: The Dirt Eaters, Freewalker and The Keeper's Shadow. The trilogy is published in Dutch, French and German.
