Westmount Window
People, places, and goings-on in Westmount, Edmonton, Canada
Want to contribute?
The Westmount Window is a team effort, made possible by volunteer writers, photographers, researchers, and creatives — some who contribute to the magazine now and then, and some who are involved every issue.
Whether you're an experienced writer or not, there's room for you on the team. If you have something you'd like to submit, let us know at westmount.window@gmail.com. We reserve the right to edit or decline submissions, but our first choice is always to work with contributors to bring whatever polish might be necessary.
Ingrid Garcia
Ingrid Garcia has lived in Westmount for over 11 years. Her house was built in 1929 and it is a money pit, but she loves it. She is a holistic nutritionist and personal trainer. She loves to contribute to and read the Westmount Window. Her favourite thing to do in the area is to grab a pain au chocolat and an oat latte and go for a walk with her two rescue mutts.
Dara Green
Dara is a volunteer junkie and regular contributor to the Window. She has lived in Westmount since 2011 when she became the owner of a very old home. She is a part time science teacher by day and a romper-wearing mom of boys by night. These days she can be found in a variety of Google Meets for teaching, volunteering, or socializing — wishing she was at karaoke. Her favourite things about Westmount are the friendships she’s made, the laughter she’s had, and the cool businesses she’s able to support.
Kara Little
Kara has lived in Westmount since 2015 and has often wondered how a single person without kids or a dog can meet people in the neighbourhood? Enter in: The Westmount Beer Club! And now, taking photo assignments for the Window is another great way to meet people in the neighbourhood both as volunteers and as subjects. Normally a hobbyist landscape photographer, taking pictures of people is a great stretch. So if you see her around with her camera, strike a pose!
Jay Summach
Jay is editor and a regular contributor to the Window. He has been in Westmount since 2015, when he and his wife returned to Edmonton after a ten-year stint in the US. He is the director of delivery for Yellow Pencil, a digital agency that creates websites and digital services for the public sector. Jay’s great loves are dining along 124th Street, Dungeons and Dragons (he’s a ranger, in case you wondered), and walking in the neighbourhood with Skipper, his greyhound pal.
Ian Hosler
Ian is an amateur history buff and has enjoyed contributing stories to the Window for a number of years now. The stories are a spin-off of tales he has learned from doing walking history tours of the neighbourhood as part of Jane’s Walk in Edmonton. Ian is also a leader with the 26th St. Peter’s Scout group in Westmount.
Jarett Stastny
Jarett’s penchant for writing developed through study at the University of Alberta. He moved to Westmount in 2016 (and will likely stay forevermore) and enjoys spending time along the Icefields Parkway and among our beautiful national parks. Jarett is a volunteer Master Composter Recycler with the City of Edmonton, and is interested in community waste reduction. He moderates the Westmount and Inglewood neighbourhood Buy Nothing Group on Facebook.
Joel Magalnick
Whether he’s developing a new podcast series, coaching a client on public speaking, or designing digital products, Joel’s innate curiosity allows him to ask critical questions and approach a challenge from multiple angles. He has consulted with clients ranging from small non-profits to Microsoft, and spent more than a decade as a journalist and news editor. Though he's still pretty new to the neighbourhood, Joel enjoys writing about historical Westmount and the way it has changed over the decades.
Amanda VanderZee
Amanda has been a Westmount Neighbour for the past 16 years. She is an architect, a newbie gardener, and loves milling around the farmer's market on a Thursday night. She has been known to jump for the karaoke mic, loves to read, and has a penchant for adventurous travel.
Carla Stolte
Carla has lived in Westmount for almost 20 years, and has spent the majority of those years serving one way or another on the community league board. While not volunteering her time with neighbourhood events or projects, she makes beautiful things, bikes around the city as much as she can and sings a lot.