Q&A 2024

Cynthia Woodman Kerkham is the author of the poetry collection Good Holding Ground, the chapbook with feathers, and is the co-editor of the anthology Poems from Planet Earth. Water Quality is her most recent collection. Cynthia lives in Victoria, B.C., where she teaches and edits, and hasn’t found a body of water she doesn’t like.  The […]

shō yamagushiku‘s work is grounded in a diasporic Okinawan consciousness. He writes from the homelands of the Lək̓ʷəŋən and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples (Victoria, B.C.). His first poetry collection, entitled shima, reflects ancestors, violence, and tradition. A vivid, expansive vision of intergenerational witness and repair, shima is a mosaic of the emotional, psychic, and generational toll that exile from […]

Dr. Leigh Joseph is an ethnobotanist, author, and entrepreneur from Squamish First Nation. She contributes to cultural knowledge renewal in connection to Indigenous plant and land-based relationships. Weaving together ancestral teachings and the knowledge gained through her academic career, Leigh acts as a bridge between past and present, plants and people. Held by the Land: A […]

Debbie Bateman graduated from The Writer’s Studio at SFU. Her short stories have appeared in literary magazines and an anthology. Your Body Was Made for This is her first book. A quiet rebel and a Buddhist, Debbie lives in Quw’utsun (Cowichan) on Vancouver Island with her husband and soulmate. Eating too much, eating not enough, having […]

Melanie Siebert Melanie Siebert is the author of two poetry collections, Signal Infinities and Deepwater Vee—a finalist for the Governor General’s Literary Award for Poetry. Her non-fiction book, Heads Up: Changing Minds on Mental Health, won the Lane Anderson Award for best science writing for young readers in Canada. In Signal Infinities a therapist takes up an apprenticeship to a lake, […]

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 […]