Q&A

Shelley Wood is an award-winning author, journalist, and editor, currently based in BC. Her latest novel, the Leap Year Gene, is a medical mystery that spans decades and takes you around the world —  a tale of love, a test of empathy, and the most memorable events of the 20th century. Interviewed by Ash Hampson […]

Karen Whetung is Anishinaabe and mixed European ancestry and currently lives and works in Victoria, B.C., as an Indigenous Mentor and Storyteller in the local school districts. She believes that through sharing stories we can heal our communities, celebrate our diversity, and create a world where we all belong. She can be seen at the festival […]

Maurice Vellekoop is a cartoonist and illustrator from Toronto whose work spans decades and has been featured in dozens of publications, including The New Yorker, Rolling Stone, GQ, and Time. The author of numerous books, Maurice’s work delves into queer community and culture, providing a voice on issues and topics that are often overlooked in […]

Jen Sookfong Lee, a Vancouver-born writer, is known for her books such as Superfan, named a Best Book of 2023 by The Globe and Mail and Apple Books; The Conjoined, a finalist for the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize; The Shadow List; and Finding Home. She is also an editor and co-hosts the literary podcast Can’t […]

jaz papdopoulos is an interdisciplinary writer, educator and video artist. They hold an MFA from the University of British Columbia and are a Lambda Literary Fellow. A self-described emotionalist and avid Anne Carson fan, jaz is interested in media, horticulture, lyricism, nervous systems, anarchism and erotics. Originally from Treaty 1 territory, jaz currently resides on […]

Tim Bowling is the author of 23 works of fiction, non-fiction, and poetry. He is the recipient of numerous honours, including five Alberta Literary Awards, a Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, two Writers’ Trust of Canada nominations, two Governor General’s Literary Award nominations, and a Guggenheim Fellowship. Writing with rich lyricism, Bowling intertwines autumnal […]

Ren Louie, known by his traditional name Wikinanish, originates from the Nuu-chah-nulth from Ahousaht. His ancestry is a blend of Nuu-chah-nulth, African American and Ukrainian. Louie’s professional pursuits are grounded in Indigenous Studies, and he aims to transition into teaching this discipline at the post-secondary level, leveraging his background and experience as an Aboriginal role […]

Peter Edwards is the organized-crime beat reporter for the Toronto Star and the bestselling author of seventeen non-fiction books. His works have been published in four languages. Edwards was awarded an eagle feather from the Union of Ontario Indians and a gold medal from the Centre for Human Rights. Kevin Loring is a Governor General’s Award–winning playwright, an […]

Carleigh Baker is an nêhiyaw âpihtawikosisân/Icelandic writer who lives as a guest on the unceded territories of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Skwxwú7mesh, and səlilwətaɬ peoples. Her debut story collection, Bad Endings, won the City of Vancouver Book Award, and was a finalist for a BC Book Prize, an Emerging Indigenous Voices Award, and the Rogers Writers’ Trust Award. […]

Shazia Hafiz Ramji’s poetry collection Port of Being won the Robert Kroetsch Award for Innovative Poetry and was a finalist for several other awards. Her short story “Selvon in Calgary” appeared in The Malahat Review and her art writing, literary criticism and journalism have appeared in The Literary Review of Canada, Quill & Quire, C […]

Maleea Acker lives on W̱SÁNEĆ territories. She is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Victoria and faculty at Thompson Rivers University. Her books include Hesitating Once to Feel Glory (poetry, Nightwood, 2022) and Gardens Aflame: Garry Oak Meadows of BC’s South Coast (non-fiction, New Star, 2013).  Maleea will be reading previously-unpublished work at the festival, as part of Field Works: […]

Mary Bomford taught secondary school English as a Cuso volunteer in Lundazi, Zambia from 1969 to 1972. Her memoir explores the transformative power of that experience. She attended the Banff School of Fine Arts and workshops in short story and memoir. She lives with her partner, Larry, in Saanich, B.C. Mary will be reading previously-unpublished […]