2019 Festival Is $15,000

GROWING ROOM A Feminist Literary Festival

March 8 - 17, 2019 Vancouver, BC From Podcasting to Poetry...

The University of British Columbia’s creative writing program is Canada’s oldest and most respected. We offer an unprecedented 12 genres of study as well as multiple funding and enrichment opportunities. Study at the BA Minor, BFA, or MFA level.

• Work with award-winning faculty. • Entrance and continuing scholarships. • Flexible, part-time low residency MFA. • TA in undergraduate writing courses. • Teach in local high schools. • Edit and manage one of Canada’s oldest literary magazines, PRISM international. • Participate in the Brave New Play Rites theatre festival. www.creativewriting.ubc.ca festival.roommagazine.com // #GrowingRoom2019

Contents

Welcome—Growing Room 2019 ...... 3 Welcome—Indigenous Brilliance ...... 4 Sponsors and Partners ...... 5 Venues ...... 6 Accessibility ...... 7 Register for Events ...... 9 Toxicity Prevention ...... 10

Friday, March 8 ...... Opening Night Party (Virago Nation & DJ Kookum) .. 13

Saturday, March 9 ...... Indigenous Brilliance ...... 14 ...... Panels and Readings ...... 16 ...... Workshops ...... 18

Sunday, March 10 ...... Panels and Readings ...... 19 ...... Workshops ...... 25

Monday, March 11 ...... Panels and Readings ...... 28 ...... Workshops ...... 29

Schedule at a Glance (March 9 - 16 only) ...... 30

Tuesday, March 12 ...... Panels and Readings ...... 32 ...... Workshops ...... 33

Wednesday, March 13 ...... Panels and Readings ...... 34 ...... Workshops ...... 35

Thursday, March 14 ...... Panels and Readings ...... 36 ...... Workshops ...... 38

Friday, March 15 ...... Panels and Readings ...... 39 ...... Workshops ...... 42

Saturday, March 16 ...... Panels and Readings ...... 43 ...... Workshops ...... 49

March 9 & 16 ...... Manuscript Consultations ...... 50

Sunday, March 17 ...... Keynote: Canisia Lubrin ...... 51

Author Biographies ...... 52 Support Growing Room ...... 60

1 Growing Room: A Feminist Literary Festival is operated by the West Coast Feminist Literary Room, a quarterly feminist literary journal. Magazine Society, a not-for-profit organization and the publisher of Room who identify as women (cis and trans), trans men, Two-Spirit and non-binary for forty years. has published fiction, poetry, reviews, artwork, and interviews by writers and artists Work that originally appeared in Room has been anthologized in The Journey Prize Anthology, Best Canadian Poetry, Best Canadian Stories, and Best Canadian Essays, and has been nominated for National Magazine Awards. We believe in publishing emerging writers alongside established authors, and approximately 90% of the work we publish comes from unsolicited submissions or contest entries.

Festival Staff Managing Editor / Programming Director: Chelene Knight Publisher / Marketing and Development: Meghan Bell Productions Coordinator / Hospitality: Mica Lemiski Marketing Coordinator: Kayi Wong Volunteer Coordinator: Yilin Wang Festival Intern: Isabella Wang

Publicity ZG Communications (zgcommunications.com)

Consultants Cicley Belle-Blain, jaye simpson

Festival Programming Committee / Program Writers Meghan Bell, Jessica Johns, Chelene Knight, jaye simpson, Arielle Spence, Isabella Wang, Yilin Wang

Indigenous Brilliance Team Jessica Johns, Patricia Massy, jaye simpson, Emily Dundas Oke

Artwork, Graphic Design, and Website Meghan Bell

West Coast Feminist Literary Magazine Society Board of Directors Juliane Okot Bitek, Kristin Cheung, Jane Hope, Jessica Somers

Special thank you to: Ian Williams, Assistant Professor, UBC Creative Writing

To learn more about Room magazine and the Growing Room festival, visit us online at roommagazine.com / festival.roommagazine.com or follow us on social media!

Twitter: @roommagazine | Facebook: /roommagazine | Instagram: @roommagazine

#GrowingRoom2019 2 Welcome—Growing Room 2019

For our third edition of the Growing Room literary festival, we went big—with over 100 authors, and ten days of incredible panels, workshops, readings, and more. I am proud to say that there is no doubt in my mind that this festival is going to be the best one yet.

What’s different? We focused on care and ethics in the way that we built our program. From forming a programming committee where every single author and event pitch was discussed at length, to making sure we offered our staff and volunteers the training and tools they need to feel safe, heard, and respected as they do this important work; we’ve got it covered.

Growing Room isn’t just for the literary folk; we’ve got something for everyone. Whether you are a lover of music, podcasts, or art—we’ve got your back. Just like I said last year, Growing Room is an inclusive festival meant to push boundaries and think outside the box in terms of what “CanLit” is all about and how things are Black Voices Raised reading, and the festival keynote speaker, Canisia Lubrin. forever shifting. I am truly excited about the first ever

Growing Room 2019 has already changed my life, and we are only just getting started.

Sincerely,

Chelene Knight Managing Editor, Room Magazine Programming Director, Growing Room 2019

3 Welcome—Indigenous Brilliance

Indigenous storytelling is as complex, rich, and vast as Turtle Island itself. So how can our tender rage facilitate and challenge the systems that have historically sup- pressed our stories and traditions? How do we respond and grow with the increasing desire for Indigenous voices during a time when these stories are needed most? We come together to consider these questions and to celebrate our Indigeneity with

fierce decolonial love for one another and our communities. Join us as we kick off the festival with Virago Nation, an all Indigenous Burlesque troupe, and DJ Kookum on March 8th at the Fox Cabaret. This will lead into the In- digenous Brilliance day-long event on March 9th, our one-year anniversary of the series and our biggest event yet! We will be celebrating with four separate readings throughout the day, featuring some of the best and most exciting Indigenous story- tellers, academics, artists, and thinkers across Turtle Island. Additionally, we will be hosting an all-day market at the event, featuring brilliant Indigenous women and Two-Spirit/Queer entrepreneurs and artists. And don’t forget to witness Indige- nous Brilliance: Future Ancestors being held March 11th at Massy Books.

Come celebrate with us, we are only going to grow from here.

In Brilliance,

Jess, jaye, & Patricia Indigenous Brilliance Organizers

4 Thank You to Our Sponsors and Partners!

2017 FULL LOGO VARIATION

2017 ABBREVIATED LOGO VARIATIONS

Print Sponsor Bookstore Partner Hotel Partner

Room is published with the assistance of the Canada Arts Council, the Government of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council, and the Department of Canadian Heritage through the Canada Periodical Fund:

5 Venues

Red Gate Revue Stage Massy Books 1601 Johnston Street (Granville Island) 229 East Georgia Street

The Annex Theatre Cafe Deux Soleils 823 Seymour Street 2096 Commercial Drive

The Boardroom Big Rock Vancouver Brewery 24 West 4th Avenue 310 West 4th Avenue

Native Education College The Fox Cabaret (19+ Only) 285 East 5th Avenue 2321 Main Street

Growing Room takes place on the traditional, unceded, and ancestral territory of the Musqueam, Tsleil-Waututh, and Squamish peoples (Vancouver, British Columbia).

Getting Here

All venues are easily accessible by transit. Information on bus routes and schedules can be found at translink.ca.

Free parking is available in the parking lot at the Native Education College, and there is a paid parking lot on 6th and Main near the Fox Cabaret.

There is usually plenty of street parking available on any of the numbered streets west of Ontario Street, east of Cambie Street, after 4pm on weekdays and on week- ends, including in front of 24 West 4th Avenue. Big Rock Vancouver Brewery has free parking in their side lot, and there is free and paid street parking nearby.

Paid and free parking is available around Granville Island, near the Red Gate Revue Stage. Paid street parking is available near the Annex Theatre and Massy Books. Paid and free street parking is available near Cafe Deux Soleils.

An Important Note About Alcohol Please note that drugs and alcohol are not permitted on the premises of the Native Education College. Failure to respect the wishes of the venue may result in you being asked to leave your event.

6 Accessibility

- - All venues at Growing Room are on the ground floor or accessible by elevator. Wash gle-use gender-neutral washrooms or will have signage stating that all washrooms rooms are available on the same floors as the events. All venues either have sin are inclusive of all genders during the festival.

Detailed accessibility information for each venue is available on our website at: festival.roommagazine.com/venues-and-accessibility/

ASL Interpretation ASL interpretation is available at all events at Growing Room by request. The schedule will be available in early January 2019 and tickets will go on sale February 1, 2019. The deadline for ASL requests is February 15, 2019.

Please email Yilin Wang at [email protected] for ASL requests.

Scent-Free Environment Help us keep Growing Room a scent-reduced space by skipping the perfume, scent- ed shampoo, or other products during festival weekend.

7 Small classes, award winning faculty. kpu.ca/arts/creative-writing @KwantlenCRWR Register for Events

Online registration opens February 1, 2019, at midnight, and will close 24 hours before the start of each event.

Panels and Readings All panels and readings at Growing Room are pay-what-you-can (PWYC) / by donation to ensure that no one is unable to attend the festival for economic reasons. You will be given the option to donate when you register for your event(s). Your donation helps sustain Growing Room and will help us keep our events free or affordable for those who otherwise cannot afford to attend. Our recommended donation tiers are: $12.50 (regular), $25.00 (generous), and $40.00 (includes a one-year subscription to Room).

Help Keep Growing Room Going! Our fundraising goal for the 2019 festival is $15,000

Please note that tax receipts will not be issued for PWYC registrations.

When you register, you will be asked for your mailing information. This will be used for statistical purposes and as the mailing address for sending one-year subscriptions to donors. We will not share or otherwise use this data.

Eventbrite accepts credit cards. If you would like to reserve a spot for a paid event but prefer to pay the registration fee with cash or cheque, please contact Isabella Wang at [email protected].

Workshops and Manuscript Consultations Registration for workshops and manuscript consultations opens February 1, 2019. Space is limited, so we recommend registering early. Workshops cost $15 (2.5 hour workshop) or $25 (4 hour workshop). Manuscript consultations are $35 for a half- hour consult plus notes on up to 10 pages of material.

Sold-Out Events and Walk-Ups There will be standing room and/or seats available at panels, readings, and the opening night party for people who have not registered for events (including sold- out events). Priority seating will be given to elders and disabled people. There are no wait lists for sold-out events.

Registration is available online at festival.roommagazine.com.

9 Toxicity Prevention

At Growing Room, we’re seriously committed to creating and nurturing spaces that are free from toxicity, harassment, and violence. To meet this objective, we’ve put together guidelines of how space will be held by our moderators, volunteers, and staff. We want everyone—from readers to audience members—to feel safe, aware

of their rights, and confident in seeking support.

venue managers who are trained in toxicity prevention. They are equipped with the Aside from all the usual super helpful people at the 2019 festival, you’ll also find our ability to professionally and sensitively intervene.

What is panel toxicity?

At a panel event, there are a variety of ways in which this can manifest. Panel toxicity occurs when the physical or emotional safety or wellbeing of the panelists, moderators, organizers, or audience members has been compromised. Toxicity can

sometimes be difficult to notice, especially for those who experience more privilege, which is why we have invested time in learning the identifiers. What is a safe(r) space?

Safer spaces are spaces that actively work toward maintaining safety, trust and respect for attendees and participants. These spaces, contrary to some resistant be- liefs, are not intended to inhibit ‘freedom of speech’ or curb lively and fruitful dialogue; rather, they are the very thing that enables people to speak their own truths. In safe spaces, we tell stories that are enhanced by the ability to speak openly and an audience willing to listen actively.

Safe(r) spaces must always be cognizant of historically informed and colonially perpetuated institutional power and privilege. For example, those who have always held more power and privilege (those who are white, straight, cis, men, for example) tend to, even subconsciously and even in social justice-informed spaces, take up space, interrupt, derail, re-centre and victimize.

10 Folks who come from marginalized backgrounds (women, people of colour, LGBTQ2s+ people, people with disabilities, poor folks and so on), rarely have opportunities to express themselves freely. As a festival organized by Canada’s oldest feminist literary journal, Growing Room fervently believes in and commits to the active uplifting and celebration of marginalized individuals, particularly women, trans folks and those who are non-binary, genderqueer or Two-Spirit (or identify otherwise outside of the cisnormative gender binary). In safe(r) space, these voices are gracefully held and passionately celebrated, to the best of our ability.

How will you see this in action?

• Active celebration of diverse voices • Trigger warnings for sensitive content • Separate spaces if you need to step out and speak to someone • Trained staff and volunteers • Compassionate call-ins • A handy guide (this!)

Your role

We are making sure we are as prepared as possible for various forms of toxicity that may occur at a festival event . . . but we’re not perfect. We need the support of attendees to build spaces that are safe. Safe spaces allow for vulnerability, emotion, dialogue and growth—exactly what we strive for at Growing Room. By showing up, you’re agreeing to be part of this journey of responsibility and accountability with us. Thank you!

Have questions?

Chelene Knight, Managing Editor [email protected]

Cicely Blain, Diversity & Inclusion Consultant [email protected]

11 A Chatelaine Book of the Year ApplicAtion deAdline: deceMber 9, 2019

MASTER OF FINE ARTS IN CREATIVE WRITING

core MFA FAculty And instructors include: Dionne Brand • Catherine Bush Kevin Connolly • Karen Connelly “Renzetti moves effortlessly between Russell Smith • Judith Thompson serious systemic inequality and the equally • Michael Winter enraging, if sometimes amusing, everyday absurdities women face.” Visit guelphcreativewritingmfa.com — Booklist for more on faculty, grads, and our program

12 Friday, March 8—Opening Night Party

Opening Night Party with Virago Nation & DJ Kookum 19+ Hosts: Jessica Johns and Nav Nagra

Help us kick off Growing Room 2019 with a burlesque show and dance party that will set the tone for the rest of the festival. Virago Nation, an all Indigenous burlesque troupe, will be performing to DJ Kookum’s original blend of EDM trap, hip hop, and bass music. It’s a truly amazing collaboration that will blow the lid off all other dance parties. Come wearing your best dancing shoes. The festival will begin with a warm welcome by Salia Joseph.

Featuring performances by:

DJ Kookum is a Dene/Cree Filmmaker and DJ. She is a member of the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, originally from Cold Lake First Nations and is based out of Vancouver.

Founded in May 2016, Virago Nation is on a mission to reclaim Indigenous sexuality from the toxic effects of colonization. Virago Nation is a collective of Indigenous artists creating performance through burlesque, theatre, song, and spoken word, as well as workshops, and community networks rematriating Indigenous sexuality. Through humour, seduction, pop culture, and politics, they will show that Indige- design a new dynamic and multi-faceted sexual identity rooted in their own desires. nous women will not be confined to the colonial virgin-whore dichotomy, but will

6:00pm – 10:30pm | $15 The Fox Cabaret @ 2321 Main Street | Liquor Sales by Venue 13 Saturday, March 9—Indigenous Brilliance

Hosts: Jessica Johns, Patricia Massy, Emily Dundas Oke, jaye simpson

Indigenous Brilliance is celebrating their one-year anniversary as a reading series with brilliant poets, writers, singers, visual artists, academics, beadworkers, medicine makers, and more in a day-long event. This major event will feature four readings, and will host Indigenous women/2SQ vendors, entrepreneurs, and artists throughout the entire day.

11:15am – 8:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Red Gate Revue Stage @ 1601 Johnston Street, Granville Island

Schedule:

Concrete Roots: Urban Indigeneity // 11:15am – 1:00pm Salia Joseph. Concrete Roots dives into the relation of Urbanization and Indigeneity, and how Indigenous brilliance can Officially opening Indigenous Brilliance is take root anywhere we choose to exist. Featuring Molly Billows, Carol Rose Dan- iels, Brandi Bird, Lindsay Nixon, and Samantha Nock.

Tender Rage: Keeping the Flame // 2:00pm – 3:30pm How do we balance our rage with the gentle side of us? These exceptional creators lend us the privilege of sharing their Tender Rage: ways they love and yell, care and seethe, comfort and fume. Fire can both warm and burn you, and Eden Robinson, Valeen Jules, Katherena Vermette, and Arielle Twist know just how to do both.

Kegedonce Press 25th Anniversary Celebration // 4:30pm – 6:00pm Kegedonce Press is a formidable literary press that has championed and published Indigenous authors and artists since 1993. Come and hear Jules Koostachin, Kat- eri Akiwenzie-Damm, and Joanne Arnott as we come together to celebrate their 25th anniversary.

Reinventing Narratives // 7:00pm – 8:30pm Indigenous brilliance comes from all kinds of places, and that brilliance is big, bright, and transformative. Join Jónína Kirton, Denali YoungWolfe, Emily Riddle, and Molly Cross-Blanchard as they share works that subvert and reinvent narratives, and words that open up worlds.

14 Samantha Nock Carol Rose Daniels Eden Robinson

Joanne Arnott Jules Koostachin Denali YoungWolfe

Emily Riddle jaye simpson Brandi Bird

Vendors:

The following Indigenous vendors will join us at the Red Gate Revue Stage for Indigenous Brilliance:

Kihew and Rose: https://facebook.com/Kihewandrose Raven and Hummingbird: https://ravenhummingbirdtea.com The Wild Botanicals: https://thewildbotanicals.com LadyBear Designs: (Instagram) @ladybeardesigns Too too Soahkomapii: Jakob Knudsen: (Instagram) @2_2_soahkomapii Cheam Trading Post: https://cheamtradingpost.com

15 Saturday, March 9—Panels and Readings

The Dead Book: What Happens When a Book Doesn’t Take Alex Leslie, Betsy Warland Moderator: Amanda Leduc

We always hear about an author’s latest work—what worked for them, what successes they’ve had. But Alex Leslie what happens when you’re a writer who has a project that, though completed, never goes anywhere? What happens when you’re an established author with a manuscript that gets turned down by a publisher and suddenly - ure—the shapes that it can take, the surprises it can hold. struggles to find a home? Listen to these writers talk candidly and openly about fail

10:30am – 12:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Native Education College @ 285 East 5th Avenue

Hana Shafi Andrea Warner Jónína Kirton

Body Politics

Moderator: Andrea Warner Lucas Crawford, Jónína Kirton, Arley McNeney, Hana Shafi

Join Andrea Warner in conversation with four writers who shrewdly challenge our culture’s fetishization of youth, thinness, whiteness, and ability. What power does

which voices are valued and heard in CanLit and beyond? Has the concept of “body creative expression have to heal and affirm? How do the politics of the body affect positivity” been co-opted by capitalism and conventionally attractive celebrities, and, if so, can it be reclaimed by its radical roots?

1:30pm – 3:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Native Education College @ 285 East 5th Avenue 16 Saturday, March 9—Panels and Readings

The Power of Narrative Poetry Lucas Crawford, Carol Rose Daniels, Adrienne Gruber, Arleen Paré | Moderator: Mallory Tater

Driving with a poetic voice behind the wheel can be a thrilling ride for readers and the writers. Listen to these incredible writers navigate the twists and Arleen Paré turns of this incredible form and discuss how narrative poetry is gaining speed and getting noticed. How, when, and why does story belong in poetry? How does a narrative poem end? Part craft panel and part epic journey—buckle up!

4:30pm – 6:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Adrienne Gruber Native Education College @ 285 East 5th Avenue

Our Students Make Our Name BA, BFA, MFA Programs in Fiction, Poetry, WRITING Film, Playwriting & Creative Nonfiction

The Department of Writing celebrates the diverse voices and many successes of our graduates, such as Eden Robinson, BFA, winner of the 2016 Writers’ Trust Engel/Findley Award.

NEW Creative Writing Minor Apply by December 1 for the Master’s program, Digital & Interactive Media in the Arts Minor March 31 for the Bachelor’s program. http://writing.uvic.ca Saturday, March 9—Workshops

How To Draw a Story You’re Burning To Tell Instructor: Elaine Woo

Use drawing and text to tell your story with the draw- - ures to photo realistic drawing can be an effective ing skills you already have—anything from stick fig means of storytelling. From the likes of Una, Lynda Elaine Woo Barry, Dav Pilkey, Sarah Leavitt, to Michael Nicoll - ing stories that pour into the public consciousness and are of the moment. Yahgulanaas, all styles of drawing and text are used to render emotion-filled and driv

10:30am – 2:30pm | $25 Native Education College @ 285 East 5th Avenue

Working Safely with Trauma in Writing and Performance Instructor: Rabbit Richards

Writing our own stories honestly means confronting memories and emotions that may represent painful, even traumatic, events. In this workshop, partici- Rabbit Richards pants will discuss and exchange best practices for

the artist and /or cause the audience undue distress. Participants are encouraged to writing and performing these difficult topics in ways that are less likely to reinjure bring works in progress to workshop.

3:00pm – 7:00pm | $25 Native Education College @ 285 East 5th Avenue

18 Sunday, March 10—Panels and Readings

Faith, Spirituality, and Religion

Moderator: Betsy Warland Meharoona Ghani, Hana Shafi, Jennifer Zilm

Moderator Betsy Warland joins three poets in a frank discussion about the com- plicated relationships between love and community, womanhood and patriarchal oppression, knowledge and belief, religion and spirituality, and the questions we have asked ourselves for as long as we can remember.

10:30am – 12:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Native Education College @ 285 East 5th Avenue

The Writing on the Wall: Storytelling in Visual Art Chantal Gibson, Lindsay Nixon, Arleen Paré | Moderator: Kristin Cheung

Visual art has its own special form of storytelling, a storytelling that exists outside of these forms converse, join together, and open up new worlds? Three writers discuss words. But how does this form of artistic practice influence creative writing? How do how different artistic mediums influence and are often integral to the writing process. 10:30am – 12:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Red Gate Revue Stage @ 1601 Johnston Street, Granville Island

Art and Academia Juliane Okot Bitek, Triny Finlay, Robyn Maynard, Lindsay Nixon | Moderator: Emily Riddle

What does it mean to be an artist working within the rigours of a university? Join us for a conversation about how research and study inform creative work (and vice Juliane Okot Bitek versa), the problems with academic gatekeeping, and the urgency of using poetry, art, and essay-writing to break through these gates and share knowledge and discoveries beyond the white-male-dominated walls of the academy.

1:30pm – 3:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Native Education College @ 285 East 5th Avenue

19 ARSENAL AUTHORS AT GROWING ROOM!

AMBER DAWN IVAN COYOTE LYDIA KWA LEAH LAKSHMI PIEPZNA-SAMARASINHA ARIELLE TWIST LINDSAY WONG

ARSENAL PULP PRESS

arsenalpulp.com

Banff Centre is a creative outpost.

Summer 2019 Literary Arts Programs

Autobiography and Fiction with Electric Literature August 12 – 24 Application deadline: March 27

Summer Writers Retreat July 29 – August 10 Application deadline: April 24

Apply today. banffcentre.ca 20 Sunday, March 10—Panels and Readings

Funny Feminists Ivan Coyote, Lucas Crawford, Molly Cross-Blanchard, Jo Dworshak, Eden Robinson,

Hana Shafi, Lindsay Wong | Host: Samana Nock Punch up at the patriarchy with an afternoon of witty poetry and prose featuring some of the most incisive and hilarious writers in the country.

1:30pm – 3:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Red Gate Revue Stage @ 1601 Johnston Street, Granville Island

Ivan Coyote Jo Dworshak Molly Cross-Blanchard

The Vast Inscape: Writing About Mental Health

Meghan Bell, Triny Finlay, Shazia Hafiz Ramji, Lindsay Wong | Moderator: Lydia Kwa twists of one’s inscape and mine its vulnerabilities— To write is to reflect and ruminate, to follow the this can be healing, but it can also intensify wounds. Four writers discuss the complexities and challenges of writing about mental health: how it can be both a source of inspiration and one of the greatest barri- ers to a writer’s “productivity” (ugh), how the ways Lydia Kwa we talk about “mindfulness” and “self-care” in popular culture can do more harm than good, and how to write responsibly about mental health in a culture that stigmatizes, marginalizes, and gaslights people who are struggling to stay “sane”—if there can be such a thing—in our mad and maddening world.

Meghan Bell 4:30pm – 6:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Native Education College @ 285 East 5th Avenue 21 Sunday, March 10—Panels and Readings

Kinship Bonds: The Love That Holds Sharon Bala, Jessica Johns, Arielle Twist, Katherena Vermette | Moderator: Amber Dawn

Kinship relations in writing are some of the most powerful and complex relationships that exist in storytelling. Kinship ties exist beyond the romantic; our blood and chosen family create loves that hold us close and forever. Join Katherena Ver- mette, Jessica Johns, Sharon Bala, and Arielle Twist as they talk about the strength, heart, and complexities of kinship bonds.

4:30pm – 6:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Red Gate Revue Stage @ 1601 Johnston Street, Granville Island

Sharon Bala Amber Dawn Arielle Twist

Robyn Maynard Siobhan Barker Cecily Nicholson

Black Voices Raised Siobhan Barker, Cicely Belle Blain, Chantal Gibson, Robyn Maynard, Cecily Nicholson, Rabbit Richards | Host: Whitney French

Be ready for a powerful bring-the-house-down reading from some of B.C.’s most necessary Black Voices. Hosted by Whitney French, editor of the anthology, Black Writers Matter, we bring you an energetic mix of writing across all genres.

7:30pm – 9:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Red Gate Revue Stage @ 1601 Johnston Street, Granville Island 22 Sunday, March 10—Panels and Readings

Body & Soul Sharon Bala, Meharoona Ghani, Amanda Leduc, Betsy Warland Host: Susan Scott

Join us for the launch of Body & Soul, with featured readings by contributors. Edited by Susan Scott, the anthology invites women from marginalized or misunderstood communities to speak to faith, practice, religion, and ceremony, and to confess our sublimely unconventional modes of spiritual yearning. It’s about asking those who have been so often excluded from conversations about spirituality, to step up, to lead, to dare to ask those questions and break that silence.

7:30pm – 9:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Native Education College @ 285 East 5th Avenue

Susan Scott Betsy Warland Amanda Leduc

Prairie Fire/CV2 ndncountry West Coast Launch Joanne Arnott, Molly Cross-Blanchard, Joseph A. Dandurand, Jessica Johns, Jónína Kirton, Lindsay Nixon, Samantha Nock | Host: Katherena Vermette

Prairie Fire and CV2 magazines joined together to create a joint 2018 issue celebrating new work by Katherena Vermette Indigenous writers. Edited by Métis writers Kath- erena Vermette and Warren Cariou, this issue is an astounding collection of Indigenous writing from all across Turtle Island.

4:30pm – 6:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Lindsay Nixon Native Education College @ 285 East 5th Avenue 23 welcomes our authors to GROWING ROOM

HEATHER O’NEILL The Lonely Hearts Hotel

KIM FU The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore

CARRIANNE LEUNG That Time I Loved You Sunday, March 10—Workshops

Writing While Black Instructor: Whitney French

Writing While Black is a community dialogue series centering the voices of writers from the African Di- aspora. With the goal of creating a safe(r) space and developing a community of Black writers, Writing Whitney French While Black is an opportunity to foster and enhance creative writing skills and to engage in immediate and relevant discussions per- taining to the challenges and triumphs of being a black writer within a Canadian context. Open to Black writers of all experience levels.

10:30am – 1:00pm | $15 Board Room @ 24 West 4th Avenue

Being Fearless Instructor: Carol Rose Daniels

We will discuss venturing into storylines that are uncomfortable (because of social norms and voices in our heads which say—that isn’t proper). We will talk about fiction and character development and opening up creativity. 10:30am – 2:30pm | $25 Native Education College @ 285 East 5th Avenue

Listen for the Poem Instructor: Jen Currin

In this workshop, we will engage in writing, reading, discussion, mindfulness, and other exercises to give voice to the poems inside us. No writing experience necessary. Please bring a notebook, writing instru- Jen Currin ment, and an extra jacket/shawl/blanket.

1:30pm – 4:00pm | $15 Board Room @ 24 West 4th Avenue

25 Sunday, March 10—Workshops

A Chrysalis of Being Instructors: Anne Riley, Cease Wyss

Anne Riley and T’uy’tanat Cease Wyss will introduce workshop participants to their current public art project at the Native Education College commissioned by the City of Vancouver called A Constellation of Remediation, which consists of Indigenous Remediation Gardens planted throughout the city decolonizing and healing the dirt back to soil. This project focuses on plants and fungi as remediators. The workshop will be a tour of the plants on the NEC campus while considering the performativity of text, and participants will be invited to make poem seed bombs: a love letter to dirt/soil.

3:00pm – 5:30pm | $15 Native Education College @ 285 East 5th Avenue

2017 FULL LOGO VARIATION

2017 ABBREVIATED LOGO VARIATIONS Sunday, March 10—Workshops

Writing Our Relations: Connecting to Territory & Community Instructor: Molly Billows

We all have a story, a history, and an ancestry. Using art and storytelling, we will look at our roots and the routes that brought us to where we are today. This Molly Billows workshop aims to spark creativity and connection while making conversations about reconciliation and territory acknowledgments more personal and more tangible. Here is a chance to go deeper. Together, we will and relationship to territory. explore themes of home and memory, as well as reflecting on our connection to land

4:30pm – 7:00pm | $15 Board Room @ 24 West 4th Avenue

New from Ronsdale Press Worry Stones Joanna Lilley In this captivating novel by Growing Room author Joanna Lilley, an art historian struggles to rescue her mother from a religious cult — while fostering her own artistic talents and overcoming her need for “worry stones.” 978-1-55380-541-0 (print) j 6 x 9 j 286 pp j $18.95 978-1-55380-542-7 (ebook)

AvAilAble on site or At your fAvourite bookstore www.ronsdalepress.com 27 Monday, March 11—Panels and Readings

Invisible Womxn Sharon Bala, Whitney French, Sara Graefe, Arielle Twist Moderator: Maureen Medved

Writers discuss why many womxn writers choose to write about those who are ei-

invisibility is palpable in the undercurrent of unspoken rage expressed by those ther derided, commodified, or go unrecognized in our culture’s mainstream. The who either do or do not pop with our culture’s fascination with the sexually explicit, or with standardized conceptions of beauty, behaviour, and identity. In this panel, creating character becomes an act of insurgency via creativity.

4:30pm – 6:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Red Gate Revue Stage @ 1601 Johnston Street, Granville Island

Cut To The Feeling: A Night of Queerotica

Moderator: jaye simpson Serena Lukas Bhandar, Lindsay Nixon, Hana Shafi, Arielle Twist

The mark of truly great literature is writing that makes you feel feelings you’ve never felt before. This evening, prepare to feel sparks all over as you are present to the sultriest literary readings from the hawtest queers around. This night will have you sweating in your seats, so be sure to wear something breezy.

7:30pm – 9:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Red Gate Revue Stage @ 1601 Johnston Street, Granville Island

Indigenous Brilliance: Future Ancestors Hosts: Jessica Johns, Emily Dundas Oke

Join us for a night at Massy Books for a special edition of Indigenous Brilliance celebrating the brilliance coming from our youth. This is our opportunity to spotlight our future ancestors, to hold up our youth where they deserve to be held, and to catch a glimpse of the brilliance that exists in the next generation.

7:30pm – 9:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Massy Books @ 229 East Georgia Street

28 Monday, March 11—Workshops

Writing For Young Adults: Opening Pages Instructor: Lindsay Wong

spaced) of your YA short story or novel with metic- We will workshop the first five pages (double ulous attention to the opening. We’ll scrutinize your language, character development, dialogue, and Lindsay Wong exposition the way that agents, editors, and slush readers do before deciding to request more pages. The workshop facilitator will lead group in a thoughtful and constructive discussion, and answer questions on

finding an agent and publisher. - pants and instructor), a notebook, and writing instruments. Please bring the first five pages of your manuscript (total of 13 copies for partici

7:00pm – 9:30pm | $15 Board Room @ 24 West 4th Avenue “HAUNTING, POWERFUL, AND IMPORTANT.” RAJ PATEL, AUTHOR OF STUFFED AND STARVED

Women Who Dig: Farming, Feminism, and the Fight to Feed the World by Trina Moyles, with photographs by K.J. Dakin

“An invaluable contribution.” Jennifer Cockrall-King, author of Food and the City UOFRPRESS.CA 29

Room Festival Ad.indd 1 2019-01-28 11:31 AM Sat, March 9 Sun, March 10 Mon, March 11 Tues, March 12 4th 4th 4th NEC UBC NEC 24 W Deux Stage 24 W Stage Stage 24 W Stage Revue Books Massy Revue Revue Soleils Revue Books Massy

10am– 10:30am

10:30am –11am

11am– 11:30am

11:30am –12pm The Dead Book 12pm– The Writing on the Wall The Writing Faith, Spirituality, Religion Spirituality, Faith, 12:30pm While Black Writing

12:30pm –1pm Being Fearless 1pm– 1:30pm

1:30pm –2pm How to Draw a Story You’re Burning to Tell Burning to You’re a Story Draw to How 2pm– An Afternoon of An Afternoon 2:30pm Manuscript Consultations Indigenous Brilliance

2:30pm –3pm Body Politics Body Art and Academia 3pm– Feminists Funny

3:30pm the Poem for Listen

3:30pm –4pm

4pm– 4:30pm Indigenous Brilliance 4:30pm –5pm

5pm– 5:30pm

5:30pm of Being A Chrysalis –6pm The Power of The Power Kinship Bonds Narrative Poetry Narrative The Vast Inscape The Vast Invisible Womxn Invisible 6pm– 6:30pm Writing Our Relations Writing 6:30pm –7pm Working Safely with Trauma in Writing & Performance & in Writing with Trauma Safely Working

7pm– 7:30pm

7:30pm –8pm

8pm– 8:30pm

8:30pm –9pm Body & Soul Body Page to Performance to Page Transcendent Youth Reading Youth Writing for Young Adults Young for Writing Cut to the Feeling to Cut Future Ancestors Future

9pm– Raised Black Voices

9:30pm ndncountry 8:30-10:30pm Weds, March 13 Thurs, March 14 Fri, March 15 Sat, March 16 4th 4th 4th NEC NEC UBC 24 W Stage 24 W 24 W Stage Revue Stage Stage Revue Books Massy Annex Annex Annex Revue Revue Theatre Theatre Theatre

10am– 10:30am

10:30am –11am

11am– 11:30am

11:30am –12pm Coming of Age 12pm–

12:30pm Journalism: A New Hope Hard Femme Poetics Femme Hard 12:30pm –1pm

1pm– 1:30pm

1:30pm –2pm Truth

2pm– On the Subject of 2:30pm Manuscript Consultations

2:30pm –3pm

3pm– and Politics Writing 3:30pm Genre Writing & Pulishing & Writing Genre

3:30pm Writers Speech Arts for –4pm

4pm– 4:30pm

4:30pm –5pm

5pm– 5:30pm

5:30pm –6pm You Through You Whatever Gets Whatever 6pm– as Theatre Poetry Piepzna-Samarasinha Out of a Traumatic Life Life Out of a Traumatic Behind Every Microphone Behind Every In Convo w/ Leah Lakshmi In Convo 6:30pm & Stories Words Growing

6:30pm –7pm

7pm– 7:30pm

7:30pm –8pm

8pm– 8:30pm

8:30pm Feminist

–9pm The Poetry Chapbook-Making Altars and Avenues Intersections As Caregivers En(Jam)bment Writing Across Across Writing Close-Up Magic The Shoe Project Dream Me A Dream Dream

9pm– Writers Sandwiches: Mother Goose Was A Mother Goose Was The Stories We Are Made Of Are We The Stories 9:30pm Place and Inspiration So You Think You Can Slam? Can Think You So You Tuesday, March 12—Panels and Readings

UBC Creative Writing presents: An Afternoon of Indigenous Brilliance Lindsay Nixon, Eden Robinson, Arielle Twist | Moderator: Jessica Johns

An Afternoon of Indigenous Brilliance brings three of the authors from Growing Room’s day-long Indigenous Brilliance celebration to UBC’s Vancouver campus. How can academic settings expand their notions of brilliance through the work of Indigenous writers and thinkers? Eden Robinson, Arielle Twist, and Lindsay Nixon will read from their exciting new books. Come prepared to laugh! This event is open to the public.

1:00pm – 2:00pm | Free or Pay What You Can UBC (see festival.roommagazine.com for details)

Transcendent: Writing & Surviving In A Cissexist Society Serena Lukas Bhandar, Ivan Coyote, Lorimer Shenher, jaye simspon Moderator: Morgane Oger

In recent years, readers have been blessed with a profusion of ground-breaking, skilled writing by transgender authors. These works have helped trans and non-binary readers feel seen, and helped some cisgender readers understand (at least in part) what it means to be trans. And yet, sometimes visibility can be a double-edged sword. Join us as four accomplished trans writers discuss the challenges that come with daring to be yourself—and the moments of triumph that can make it all worth it.

7:30pm – 9:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Red Gate Revue Stage @ 1601 Johnston Street, Granville Island

Room Magazine’s Youth Reading Host: Isabella Wang

Come hear today’s up and coming writers. How do these young writers draw inspiration and respond to a world that is progressively changing? With readings from seven diverse and distinctive voices, that of Maya Ramakrishnan, Simone Chnarakis, Angelina Li, Aziza Moqia Sealey-Qaylow, Chimedum Ohaegbu, Harman Kaur, and Evelyn Danis.

7:30pm – 9:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Massy Books @ 229 East Georgia Street

32 Tuesday, March 12—Workshops

Page To Performance Instructor: Dina Del Bucchia

Though writers spend much of their creative time in solitude when a magazine is launched, a book is published, or as a result of programmers realizing that their writing is excellent, writers are also often Dina Del Bucchia asked to perform their work in front of an audience. Writers of any experience level will be afforded the opportunity to hone or develop a performance style that suits their work and comfort level. Through discussion, video

performance that works for them. Participants will read existing texts as well as their examples and performance practice, writers will, ideally, find a mode of reading or own to determine the variety of ways a text can be interpreted for performance.

7:00pm – 9:30pm | $15 Board Room @ 24 West 4th Avenue

Proud to support Growing Room: A Feminist Literary Festival

The Writer’s Studio Mentorship in a supportive community Vancouver | Online

Carys Cragg • Author, Dead Reckoning sfu.ca/creative-writing Graduate, the Writer’s Studio 2014 33 Wednesday, March 13—Panels and Readings

Growing Words and Stories out of a Traumatic Life Juliane Okot Bitek, Elee Kraljii Gardiner Moderator: Maureen Medved

- ow, joy and trauma, contributing to deeper, richer, Maureen Medved Life can be filled with many shades of light and shad more meaningful writing. This panel will explore how personal experience of trauma can become a tool for writing and resiliency. These panelists are living a writer’s life while mitigating or processing extreme life sit- uations, and will discuss how they not only survived, but thrived to write about them.

4:30pm – 6:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Red Gate Revue Stage @ 1601 Johnston Street, Granville Island

Estíqw David Ly Valeen Jules

So You Think You Can Slam? LJ Weisberg, Rabbit Richards, Estíqw, bassam, David Ly, Molly Billows, Valeen Jules | Host: jaye simpson

the most sharp-tongued and quick-lipped writers, poets, and performers in the Growing Room presents the festival’s first ever Poetry Slam! showcasing some of game! Forget what you thought Poetry Slam was all about! The theme for this slam is - ing Room Slam Champion. This two-round slam will feature LJ Weisberg, Rabbit “Tender”, and the competitors are vying for the title of being the first ever Grow Richards, Estíqw, bassam, David Ly, Molly Billows, and Valeen Jules. Hosted by jaye simpson.

7:30pm – 9:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Red Gate Revue Stage @ 1601 Johnston Street, Granville Island 34 Wednesday, March 13—Panels and Readings

Dream Me A Dream: Literary Futurisms Serena Lukas Bhandar, Brandi Bird, Eden Robinson Moderator: Jessica Johns

The future is just a dream that hasn’t happened yet. Sometimes, these dreams are nightmares, things we have to reckon with. And sometimes, these dreams Jessica Johns imagine futures with joy, celebration, and love. Join Eden Robinson, Brandi Bird, and Serena Lukas Bhan- dar as they show you their dreamed realities and imagined futures beyond the world we live in now.

7:30pm – 9:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Annex Theatre @ 823 Seymour Street Serena Lukas Bhandar

Wednesday, March 13—Workshops

The Stories We Are Made Of Instructor: Ruby Smith Diaz

What stories do you tell about yourself? How have they shaped who you are, and the way you see the world? We often think of story as a medium to share something important about the world around us, or to Ruby Smith Diaz make meaning out of something that we don’t quite yet understand. But how often do we examine these stories critically? In this blend of arts- based, experiential learning rooted in anti-oppression, participants will take a radical look at the power that story holds within ourselves, and also as a society at large.

7:00pm – 9:30pm | $15 Board Room @ 24 West 4th Avenue

35 Thursday, March 14—Panels and Readings

On the Subject of Truth: Telling True Stories in Fiction and Non-Fiction Alicia Elliott, Kim Fu, Doretta Lau, Elizabeth Renzetti | Moderator: Amber Dawn

How do writers decide how to use their truths? Can fiction create more space for multiple genres gets celebrated for one genre over another? Why are audiences ea- emotional honesty than non-fiction? What happens when a writer who works in

- ger to believe anything in non-fiction but quick to question a story’s credibility in tional truths, and what is considered “believable.” fiction? Join four authors as they consider the borders between objective fact, emo

1:00pm – 2:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can UBC (see festival.roommagazine.com for details)

Poetry As Theatre Cristina Holman, Danielle Janess, Carolyn Nakagawa, Ann-Bernice Thomas | Hosts: Marita Dachsel, Nancy Lee

Poetry is Dead is launching their Drama issue! Enjoy readings that explore the in- tersection of poetry and theatre: voice, character, a mimetic stylizing of reality, poetry that acknowledges its audience, uses sleight of hand to conjure time and space,

plays with authenticity and artifice, and demands to be seen as well as heard. 4:30pm – 6:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Red Gate Revue Stage @ 1601 Johnston Street, Granville Island

Place and Inspiration

Brandi Bird, Kim Fu, Carrianne Leung, Joanna Lilley | Moderator: Shazia Hafiz Ramji The writing of authors Carrianne Leung, Kim Fu, Joanna Lilley, Brandi Bird, and - scapes to the wilderness to everywhere in-between. Follow them on a journey to moderator Shazia Hafiz Ramji take readers to near and far locales ranging from city

discover their favourite real-world and fictional settings as writers and readers, as well as listen to discussions of how these places have influenced and shaped them. 7:30pm – 9:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Annex Theatre @ 823 Seymour Street

36 Thursday, March 14—Panels and Readings

Sandwiches: Writer As Caregivers Marita Dachsel, Jennica Harper, Elaine Woo Moderator: Sarah Leavitt

Traditionally, women are the caretakers, not only for children, but also for aging and dying parents. This panel explores the art of the caregiver, the ethics of Marita Dachsel writing about our children and our parents, and the ones that got away—projects that couldn’t happen because we were too busy with the messy, beautiful work of tending to early and late lives.

7:30pm – 9:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Red Gate Revue Stage @ 1601 Johnston Street, Granville Island

Caroline Adderson Nabila Huq Shanga Karim

The Shoe Project Fanus, Akberet S. Beyene, sonam chozom, Nabila Huq, Shanga Karim, Rawan Nassar Host: Caroline Adderson

The Shoe Project is a program in which immigrant and refugee women, coached by senior writers and theatre artists, tell their own stories through the central meta- out performance. Six of the participants, from Eritrea, Kurdistan, Bangladesh, Syria, phor of a pair of shoes. The first Vancouver class ran in 2018 culminating in a sold- and Tibet, join writing coach Caroline Adderson to perform their pieces and talk about their settlement experiences and their perspectives on life in Canada.

7:30pm – 9:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Massy Books @ 229 East Georgia Street

37 Thursday, March 14—Workshops

Chapbook-Making: Basics and Beyond Instructors: Onjana Yawnghwe, Hazel Jane Plante

In this hands-on workshop, you will explore the pos- sibilities of the chapbook. We will focus on elevating the chapbook into a hand-made, beautiful object that tells a story through its form. You will learn how Hazel Jane Plante to make basic types of chapbooks and gain ideas on how to transform your chapbooks into unique works of art. This workshop focuses on book-making, not writing. No experience necessary, but the ability to work with your hands is essential.

7:00pm – 9:30pm | $15 Board Room @ 24 West 4th Avenue

C H E L E N E K N I G H T . C O M / E C O U R S E S

W R I T E Y O U R S T O R Y A U T H E N T I C A L L Y

38 Friday, March 15—Panels and Readings

In Conversation with Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha, Nav Nagra, Kayi Wong

Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha is a queer disabled femme writer of such works as BodyMap, Love Cake, and Care Work: Dreaming Disability Jus- tice. Leah’s newest books, Tonguebreaker and Ex- ploring Transformative Justice: A Reader (co-edited with Ejeris Dixon), will be out in 2019. Nav Nagra Leah Lakshmi and Kayi Wong will sit down with Leah to discuss Piepzna-Samarasinha her upcoming works and the themes that appear in them, including disability justice, surviving the unsurvivable, and, of course, love.

4:30pm – 6:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Red Gate Revue Stage @ 1601 Johnston Street, Granville Island

Meharoona Ghani Fenn Stewart Kim Trainor

The Poetry En(Jam)bment Cicely Belle Blain, Meharoona Ghani, Adrienne Gruber, Taryn Hubbard, Joanna Lilley, Cecily Nicholson, Fenn Stewart, Kim Trainor, Onjana Yawnghwe Host: Dina Del Bucchia

Poetry is for everyone. With this powerhouse line-up of fabulous poets, come enjoy themes of family, place, community, and more, these poets promise to delight and an evening of sensational words, wrapped up in one hell of a rhythmic flow. From redefine what poetry is all about. 7:30pm – 9:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Red Gate Revue Stage @ 1601 Johnston Street, Granville Island

39 ndncountry an issue of Indigenous writing from across Canada I am the birthmark on my daughter’s back the earth that colours her bones The letters in her name encase my heart like a tree ring, each a different poem

—from “nitânis” by Paige Cardinal (ndncountry, page 43)

To order ndncountry, check out contemporaryverse2.ca or prairiefire.ca.

40 Friday, March 15—Panels and Readings

Mother Goose Was a Feminist: Crafting the Modern Day Fairy Tale Cody Klippenstein, Ruth Daniell, Heather O’Neill, Elizabeth Renzetti Moderator: Kim Snowden

If the recent trend of re-making animated Disney movies as live-action, high-budget blockbusters is any indicator—we still love a good fairy tale. Fairy tales continue to be a great source of inspiration for writers, with endless variations and re-tellings. What draws us to these stories? Do their core ideas hold up to modern feminist criticism? And is it possible to write a completely modern fairy tale? Four writers, led by feminist fairytale scholar Dr. Kim Snowden, discuss.

7:30pm – 9:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Annex Theatre @ 823 Seymour Street

Elizabeth Renzetti Ruth Daniell Cody Klippenstein

Writing Across Intersections: Asian Canadian and Diaspora Writers in Conversation Tania De Rozario, Kim Fu, Carrianne Leung, Yilin Wang

Moderator: Shazia Hafiz Ramji Asian Canadian and diasporic literature is much more than a singular narrative of immigration sto- Shazia Hafiz Ramji ries. It’s a multitude of voices and experiences. It encompasses writers from intersecting identities, working across genres that - tion. Come hear these writers talk about their writing, the books that shaped them, range from literary fiction and personal essays to speculative poetry and transla emerging voices they love, and their experience navigating labels and boundaries.

7:30pm – 9:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Native Education College @ 285 East 5th Avenue 41 Friday, March 15—Workshops

Altars and Avenues Instructor: Adèle Barclay

This poetry workshop will focus on writing and creating a generative and exploratory atmosphere. We will work on making literary magic for folks of all interests and levels. The workshop is an open invita- Adèle Barclay tion to anyone interested in writing in a setting that draws on creation, experimentation, and sharing. We will work through on-the-spot writing exercises and prompts to jolt us out of our habits. We’ll connect over what inspires and frustrates us in the process. We’ll read aloud writing that moves us and work through those connections in writing. Please bring paper, writing utensils, poems and sections of prose by authors who inspire you (to read aloud), and beloved objects for a communal altar.

7:00pm – 9:30pm | $15 Board Room @ 24 West 4th Avenue

42 Saturday, March 16—Panels and Readings

Coming of Age (On The Page) Kim Fu, Carrianne Leung, Heather O’Neill Moderator: Eileen Cook

it mean to be an adult writing stories about young people for a majority adult au- There’s no doubt that young adult fiction is a hugely popular genre—but what does dience? Heather O’Neill’s multi-award-winning novels often feature young girls as their protagonists. Kim Fu’s The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore paints intimate por- of young June in Carrianne Leung’s That Time I Loved You. traits of five girls. And readers witness the dark side of the suburbs through the eyes

10:30am – 12:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Red Gate Revue Stage @ 1601 Johnston Street, Granville Island

Heather O’Neill Kim Fu Carrianne Leung

Journalism: A New Hope Alicia Elliott, Elizabeth Renzetti, Emily Riddle, Lorimer Shenher, Andrea Warner | Moderator: Joanna Chiu

Journalism is in a precarious position: Local news- papers are vanishing, politicians are accusing journalists of spreading ‘fake news,’ and conservative Lorimer Shenher pundits are permitted to spread their vitriolic opin- ions as though they are fact. It’s enough to make anyone want to abandon the field— and turning the tide, in this battle for the future of journalism. Join them as they and yet, there is hope. As these five writers demonstrate, feminists are still fighting, share stories from the trenches and offer a way forward.

10:30am – 12:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Native Education College @ 285 East 5th Avenue 43 Saturday, March 16—Panels and Readings

The Might of the Pen: Writing as a Political Act Alicia Elliott, Elizabeth Renzetti Moderator: Canisia Lubrin

From personal story to painful historical truths, the politics of who and what we write about, and how we write about it, can breed timeless literary works Alicia Elliott and be a powerful driver of social change. What counts as a political act? Is all writing inherently political? What are the ethics of writing truths across various genres and publishing platforms? Join Alicia Elliott, Elizabeth Renzetti, and Canisia Lubrin in a powerful conversation about the impact of storytelling, and what happens when truth, creativity, and politics collide.

1:30pm – 3:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Native Education College @ 285 East 5th Avenue

Emily Pohl-Weary Arley McNeney Mallory Tater

The Changing Landscape of Genre Writing and Publishing Arley McNeney, Erin McQuiston, Emily Pohl-Weary, Yilin Wang Moderator: Mallory Tater

marginalized in the world of CanLit. Simultaneously, genre writing is widely loved Genre fiction, such as fantasy, science fiction, horror, mystery, or romance, is often by both adult and YA readers. It’s a world of its own with genre magazines, conven- tions, internet communities, and fandoms, along with recent developments such as increasing focus on diversity and a rise in self-publishing. Join these three writers as they share their experiences navigating the ever-evolving landscape of genre writing.

1:30pm – 3:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Red Gate Revue Stage @ 1601 Johnston Street, Granville Island 44 Saturday, March 16—Panels and Readings

Whatever Gets You Through Amber Dawn, Juliane Okot Bitek, Alicia Elliott, Heather O’Neill, Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha Host: Jen Sookfong Lee

Through the voices of twelve diverse writers, What- ever Gets You Through offers a powerful look at the Jen Sookfong Lee narrative of sexual assault not covered by the head- lines—the weeks, months, and years of survival and adaptation that people live through in its aftermath. From ice hockey to kink, boxing to tapestry-making, these striking personal essays address experiences as varied as the writers who have lived them. With candour and insight, each writer shares their own unique account of enduring: the everyday emotional pain and trauma, but also the incredible resil- ience and strength that can emerge in the aftermath of sexual assault.

4:30pm – 6:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Native Education College @ 285 East 5th Avenue

45 Proud sponsor of GROWING ROOM 2019

100% Indigenous Owned & Operated

228 E Georgia Street - massybooks.com

46 Saturday, March 16—Panels and Readings

Behind Every Microphone, There Is a Great Woman: Podcasting and Feminism Dina Del Bucchia, Mica Lemiski, Hannah McGregor, Samantha Nock | Moderator: Jocelyn Tennant

If you’re like us, not a day passes when someone doesn’t say to you, “I just started listening to this Mica Lemiski new podcast . . . ” Podcasts are undoubtedly popular—so what is it like to run one? And do gender, race, ability, size, and sexuality factor into podcasting? (spoiler alert: they do) Press pause on your phone, take out your earbuds, and join us as four smart, talented podcast creators step behind our microphone to discuss the realities of being a feminist on the air.

4:30pm – 9630pm | Free or Pay What You Can Red Gate Revue Stage @ 1601 Johnston Street, Granville Island

Yilin Wang Nilofar Shidmehr jaye simpson

Close-Up Magic: Launch of Room Issue 42.1 Ruth Daniell, Cody Klippenstein, jaye simpson, Nilofar Shidmehr, Yilin Wang Host: Arielle Spence

Ladies, gentlemen, and people across the gender galaxy: gather close and listen in as we share tales of magic, mystery, transformation, and resistance from the spring issue of Room magazine, “Magic.” Prepare to be amazed as these literary alchemists bring their words to life and keep you spell-bound through the evening with their enchanting readings.

7:30pm – 9:30pm | Free or Pay What You Can Red Gate Revue Stage @ 1601 Johnston Street, Granville Island

47 Room’s Contest Calendar Cover Art Contest NOW WITH NEW1st DEADLINES!Prize: $500 + publication on a cover of Room 2nd Prize: $50 + publication Deadline: January 15 Fiction Contest 1st Prize: $1,000 + publication 2nd Prize: $250 + publication Deadline: March 8 Creative Non-Fiction Contest 1st Prize: $500 + publication 2nd Prize: $250 + publication Deadline: June 1 Poetry Contest 1st Prize: $1,000 + publication 2nd Prize: $250 + publication Deadline: August 15 Short Forms Contest 1st Prize: $500 + publication (two awarded) Deadline: November 1

Entry Fee: $35 CAD ($42 USD for International entries). Entry includes a one-year subscription to Room. Additional entries $7. Visit roommagazine.com/contests.

For more information on our contests and upcoming calls for submissions, visit roommagazine.com. 48 Saturday, March 16—Workshops

Hard Femme Poetics Instructor: Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha

In this writing workshop by and for femmes at the margins, we will read work by femme writers and creators and write on femme ancestors, Leah Lakshmi communities, bodies, lives, homes, sexualities, Piepzna-Samarasinha relationships and survival. Born out of my love for femmes and femme writing, thinking and world-making, and my desire to say fuck you to every gender studies course that just talks about masculinity, we will study writing by queer femmes thriving, surviving and gifting genius at multiple margins. This workshop is open to folks who identify as queer femmes across the gender spectrum, and centres Black, Indigenous and/or of colour/disabled/trans, intersex and gender nonconforming/fat/sex working/poor and working class, and otherwise marginalized femmes.

10:30am – 1:00pm | $15 Native Education College @ 285 East 5th Avenue

Speech Arts for Writers: Giving Audience-Centred Performances of Your Own Work Instructor: Ruth Daniell

In this workshop, experienced speech arts teacher and award-winning writer Ruth Daniell will guide writers through the process of preparing an excel- Ruth Daniell lent literary performance. Participants will learn the basics of posture, eye focus, and vocal projection but also gain insight into the more sophisticated tools of vocal variety, emphasis, pause, and breath. This fun, fear-ban- ishing workshop is designed to encourage writers to connect and engage with their performance. audiences and gain confidence with the emotional nuances of public speaking and

1:30pm – 4:00pm | $15 Native Education College @ 285 East 5th Avenue

49 Saturday, March 9 & 16—Manuscript Consultations

Half-hour manuscript consultations are available with experienced editors and writing instructors on Saturday, March 9 and Saturday, March 16 at the Native Education College for $35 (plus GST and Eventbrite fees). Manuscript consultations include a half-hour consultation plus notes on a manuscript (10 pages maxi- mum) prepared in advance.

All manuscript consultations include a one-year subscription to Room magazine.

For more information, to see the schedule, or to register for a manuscript consultation, visit festival.roommagazine.com/manuscript-consultations.

Consultant Bios

Adèle Barclay’s debut poetry collection, If I Were in a Cage I’d Reach Out for You, (Nightwood, 2016) won the 2017 Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. Her second collection of poetry, Renaissance Normcore, is forthcoming from Nightwood Editions in fall 2019. Poetry consults, March 16 only.

Victoria writer, Arleen Paré, has won the Victoria Butler Book Prize, the American Golden Crown Award for poetry and the Governor General’s Award for Poetry. Po- etry consults, March 9 only.

Jónína Kirton is a Red River Métis/Icelandic poet. Her second book, An Honest Woman Poetry and CNF consults, March 16 only. , was a finalist in the 2017 Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize.

Mallory Tater’s debut collection of poetry, This Will Be Good, was released with Book*hug press in 2018. Her debut novel, The Birth Yard, is forthcoming in 2020 with HarperCollins Canada. Poetry and Fiction consults, March 16 only.

Award-winning poet and essayist Nicole Breit teaches genre-bending CNF. She lives on the Sunshine Coast with her wife and two children. CNF consults, March 9 only.

Nilofar Shidmehr is the author of seven books in English and Farsi, including Shirin and Salt Man Divided Loyalties collection. Fiction and CNF consults, March 16 only. , a BC Book Prize finalist, and , a recent fiction

50 Sunday, March 17—Keynote

Keynote: Canisia Lubrin

Join us at Big Rock Vancouver Brewery for breakfast and a very special end-of-festival editor, critic, educator, and awards-nominated keynote and reflection with Canisia Lubrin, cross-genre writer of Voodoo Hypothesis. During the second hour, we invite you to mingle with other authors, volunteers, and Growing Room and Room staff. Canisia Lubrin

Tickets include access to the breakfast buffet. Drinks (coffee, juice, and/or alcoholic beverages) are not included in the ticket price and may be purchased from the venue separately. The breakfast buffet will include vegetarian and gluten-free options.

10:00am – 12:00pm | $20 Big Rock Vancouver Brewery @ 310 West 4th Avenue

51 Biographies

Adèle Barclay’s debut poetry collection, If I Were in a Cage I’d Reach Out for You, (Nightwood, 2016) won the 2017 Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. Her second collection of poetry, Renais- sance Normcore, is forthcoming from Nightwood Editions in fall 2019.

Adrienne Gruber collection, Q & A, is forthcoming with Book*hug in Spring 2019. is the author of two poetry books and five chapbooks. Her third poetry Akberet S. Beyene Eritrea because for almost a decade it has been ruled by a brutal dictatorship and journalists worked as a TV reporter in Eritrea for more than twenty years. She fled

Alexwere Lesliethe first is target. the author of the short story collections We All Need to Eat (Book*hug, 2018) and People Who Disappear (Freehand), the poetry collection The things I heard about you 20 Objects for the New World.

Alicia(Nightwood), Elliott isand an a award-winning chapbook of microfictions, Tuscarora writer. Her book of essays, A Mind Spread Out on the Ground, will be available from Doubleday in March 2019.

Amanda Leduc is the author of The Miracles of Ordinary Men and the forthcoming The Cen- taur’s Wife. She lives in Hamilton, Ontario, where she serves as the Communications and De- velopment Coordinator for the Festival of Literary Diversity.

Amber Dawn is a writer and creative facilitator living on unceded Coast Salish Territories (Vancouver, BC). She is the author of four books and the editor of two anthologies.

Andrea Warner is the author of Buffy Sainte-Marie: The Authorized Biography and We Oughta Know, and co-hosts Pop This! podcast. Pop culture, art, and feminism make her happy.

Ann-Bernice Thomas is a queer, Afro-Caribbean, artist and activist. They were the 2016 Youth Poet Laureate of Victoria and are the director of COLORQODED, a QTI2POC arts collective.

Anne Riley is an Indigiqueer multidisciplinary artist living as an uninvited Slavey Dene/ Cree/German guest from Fort Nelson First Nation on the unceceded Territories of the

States and Canada. xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səlí̓lwətaʔɬ Nations. She has exhibited both in the United Arielle Spence is an arts administrator and wanna-be writer originally from Coldstream, B.C. (unceded Okanagan Territory). They have worked at UBC, Full Circle: First Nations Perfor- mance, and the Vancouver Writers Fest.

Arielle Twist is an author and community educator from George Gordons First Nation, SK. Disintegrate/Dissociate

Victoria writer, Arleen (ArsenalParé, has Pulp won Press) the Victoria is her first Butler collection Book Prize, of poetry. the American Golden Crown Award for poetry and the Governor General’s Award for Poetry.

Arley McNeney is the author of Post and The Time We All Went Marching and co-authors the Fraser Springs series as Laine Ferndale.

52 bassam is the current National Director of Spoken Word Canada, a member of the League of Canadian Poets, and has toured Turtle Island performing spoken word.

Betsy Warland - cluding her best-selling 2010 book of personal essays, Breathing the Page— Reading the Act of Writing, and Oscar has of published Between—A twelve Memoir books of Identityof poetry, and creative Ideas (Caitlin non-fiction Press, and 2016). lyric prose in

Brandi Bird is a Two-Spirit Saulteaux and Cree poet currently living and learning on Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh territory. They study Creative Writing at Douglas College.

Canisia Lubrin, editor, critic educator and awards-nominated cross-genre writer of Voodoo Hypothesis (2017), has contributed to journals, anthologies, TV, radio, festivals and stages on four continents.

Carol Rose Daniels is a Saskatchewan author of award-winning novel Bearskin Diary. Her Hiraeth, was released in 2018 (Inanna Publications). Her second novel, Narrows of Fear, is set to be released in spring 2019 (Nightwood Editions). first book of poetry, Caroline Adderson is a Vancouver-based author of numerous books for adults and children. She was the writing mentor for the Vancouver Shoe Project in 2018.

Carolyn Nakagawa is a poet and playwright currently writing a musical about Japanese Ca- nadian community, The New Canadians. Her poems have appeared in publications such as The New Quarterly, Event, and The Malahat Review, as well as Poetry is Dead and Room.

Carrianne Leung Studies, and is the author of The Wondrous Woo (Inanna Publications), shortlisted for the 2014 Toronto Book Awards, is a andfiction That writer Time and I Loved educator. You (HarperCollins She holds a Ph.D. Canada, in Sociology 2018). and Equity

T’uy’t’tanat - Cease Wyss is an interdisciplinary artist and the Vancouver Public Library’s 2019 Indigenous Storyteller in Residence. This year, Cease will launch two new public art projects, including “Constellation of Remediation” in collaboration with Dene artist Anne Riley.

Cecily Nicholson is the Interpretive Programmer at the Surrey Art Gallery. She is the author of Triage and From the Poplars, winner of the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize and Wayside Sang, winner of the Governor General’s award for poetry.

Chantal Gibson is an artist-educator interested in the cultural (re)production of knowledge. She teaches writing and design in the School of Interactive Arts and Technology at SFU.

Cristina Holman is a writer. Her chapbook, published with Artspeak in 2018, is titled Stop Wincing/We’re Fine. Her work can be found in Bad Nudes and Poetry is Dead.

Cicely Belle Blain

a member of the Canadian is an activist, youth writer,delegation artist to and the CEO;United they Nations. are one of Vancouver’s fifty most influential people of 2018, an award-winning co-founder of Black Lives Matter, Vancouver, and Cody Klippenstein’s award-winning short stories have appeared in Zoetrope: All-Story, The Malahat Review, The Fiddlehead, and elsewhere. She holds an MFA from Cornell University.

Danielle Janess’s poems and translations have appeared in journals and anthologies in Can- ada, Germany, the USA, and UK, and received awards from Prism International and Grain. She works at the intersections of poetry, theatre, and motherhood in Victoria, BC.

53 David Ly is the author of the chapbook Stubble Burn (Anstruther Press, 2018) and the poetry collection Mythical Man (Anstruther Books, 2020).

A survivor of the child welfare system, adopted and raised in Nêhiyaw culture Denali Young- Wolfe is now a UBC graduate student & public scholar focused on asserting and disseminating healthy narratives of Indigeneity for future generations.

Dina Del Bucchia is podcaster, literary event coordinator, and the author of four collections of poetry and a book of short stories.

DJ Kookum is a Dene/Cree Filmmaker and DJ. She is a member of the Alexis Nakota Sioux Nation, originally from Cold Lake First Nations and is based out of Vancouver.

Doretta Lau is the author of How Does a Single Blade of Grass Thank the Sun? (Nightwood Editions, 2014). She splits her time between Vancouver and Hong Kong, where she is writing a comic novel about a dysfunctional workplace called We Are Underlings and a collection of poetry about grief.

Eden Robinson is a Haisla/Heiltsuk author who grew up in Haisla, BC. Her novel Son of a Trickster was shortlisted for The Giller Prize. Her latest novel is Trickster Drift.

Eileen Cook is a multi-published author with her novels appearing in eight languages. Her

Elainebooks have Woo been is a poet, optioned comics-creator, for film and artist, TV. and the author of a second book, Put Your Hand in Mine, Signature Editions, 2019. Her visual art is in Otoliths, h&, and S/tick.

Elee Kraljii Gardiner’s books include Trauma Head, serpentine loop, V6A: Writing from Van- couver’s Downtown Eastside, and Against Death: 35 Essays on Living.

Elizabeth Renzetti is the author of Shrewed, a collection of essays, and the novel Based on a True Story. She is a columnist and feature writer with the Globe and Mail.

Emily Dundas Oke is an emerging artist and curator. She is an artist in residence at Nida Art Colony (Lithuania). She is a grateful Cree, Métis, Scottish, and English visitor on the unceded and

Emilyancestral Pohl-Weary territories isof the the authorxʷməθkwəy̓əm, of seven books,Skwxwú7mesh, including and Ghost Səl Sick:ílwətaʔ/Selilwitulh̓ A Poetry of Witness Nations. and the YA novel Not Your Ordinary Wolf Girl. She teaches at UBC’s Creative Writing Program.

Emily Riddle is nehiyaw from the Alexander First Nation in Treaty 6. She is a researcher/writer/ policy analyst. She has been published in the Globe and Mail, Teen Vogue, Canadian Art, and others.

Erin McQuiston is an English teacher and writer living and working in Oklahoma City. She has a PhD in Literature from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and co-authors romance novels under the pen name Laine Ferndale.

Estíqw is an anti-professional, working as a musician, slam poet and visual artist with a focus on decolonization and indigenous autonomy. they are a defender of the sacred and use

secwepemc nation of the south-central interior. their craft as a tool to decolonization and land sovereignty. they and their fire are from the Fanus came from Eritrea with her family (husband and two children). She has studied Man- agement Information System, and has lived in British Columbia for sixteen months.

54 Fenn Stewart reads and writes in Vancouver, BC. She is an editor at The Capilano Review, a lecturer at UBC, and the author of Better Nature (2017), as well as the chapbooks An OK Organ Man (2012), Vegetable Inventory (2013), and from Waltzing (2014).

Hana Shafi is a writer and artist who illustrates under the name Frizz Kid. Known on Insta-

Award from the Canadian Council for Muslim Women. gram for her weekly affirmation series, she is also the recipient of the Women Who Inspire Hannah McGregor is an Assistant Professor of Publishing at SFU, the co-creator of the podcast Witch, Please, and the creator of the weekly podcast Secret Feminist Agenda. She is also the co-editor of the book Refuse: CanLit in Ruins (Book*hug, 2018).

Hazel Jane Plante is a queer trans librarian and cat photographer. Her novel Little Blue Ency- clopedia is forthcoming.

Heather O’Neill is a Canadian novelist, poet, short story writer, screenwriter and journalist, and author of Lullabies for Little Criminals, The Girl Who Was Saturday Night, Daydreams of Angels, and Wisdom in Nonsense – Invaluable Lessons From My Father.

Isabella Wang is a young, emerging Chinese-Canadian writer from Vancouver, B.C. Her poetry is published/forthcoming in Looseleaf magazine and Train Journal at SFU, and working with Books on the Radio and at Room. . She is a first-year student Ivan Coyote shows, and three albums that combine storytelling with music. is the author of eleven books, the creator of four short films, six full-length live jaye simpson is an oji-cree two spirit trans femme writer, artist and performer. they are the great grandchild of the savages and witches the catholic church couldn’t burn.

Jen Sookfong Lee was born and raised in Vancouver’s East Side. Her books include The Con- joined, nominated for International Dublin Literary Award, The Better Mother City of Vancouver Book Award, The End of East, and Gentlemen of the Shade. , a finalist for the Jennica Harper’s most recent book of poetry, Wood, was nominated for the Dorothy Livesay Prize. Her newest book, Bounce House, is forthcoming with Anvil Press in 2019.

Jennifer Zilm is the author of The Missing Field and Waiting Room. She is a librarian, a community mental health worker and a failed biblical scholar.

Jessica Johns is nehiyaw and a member of Sucker Creek First Nation in Treaty 8 territory in northern Alberta. She is currently living on the traditional territory of the Musqueam, Squa- mish, and Tsleil-Waututh peoples.

Award-winning storyteller, entrepreneur, broadcaster and SFU Writer’s Studio graduate Jo Dworshak produces the monthly show Story Story Lie at The Rio Theatre.

Joanna Chiu is deputy bureau chief of StarMetro Vancouver, Toronto Star’s BC bureau. She is a former correspondent in China for international agencies as well as outlets including The Economist and Foreign Policy.

Joanna Lilley has published a novel, Worry Stones, a short story collection, The Birthday Books, and two poetry collections, If There Were Roads and The Fleece Era. 55 Joanne Arnott received the Vancouver Mayor’s Arts Award for Literary Arts, 2017. Métis/ mixed-blood author of nine books, EVENT Magazine’s poetry editor.

Jocelyn Tennant

Jónína Kirton is a is Red a short River fiction Métis/Icelandic and screenwriter poet. Her living second in Vancouver. book, An Honest Woman, was a

Josephfinalist inA. theDandurand 2017 Dorothy is a member Livesay ofPoetry Kwantlen Prize. First Nation, and the Director of the Kwantlen Cultural Center. He recently published two books of poetry: I Want by Leaf Press (2015) and Hear and Foretell by BookLand Press (2015).

Jules Arita Koostachin, owner of VisJuelles Productions Inc. is MoshKeKo Cree and a band member of Attawapiskat First Nation, located in what is now called Northern Ontario. Jules is a PhD candidate with the Institute of Gender, Race, Sexuality and Social Justice at UBC.

Juliane Okot Bitek is a poet. She lives on the unceded, ancestral and the traditional lands of the Musqueam, the Squamish and the Tsleil Waututh people.

Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm is an Anishinaabe writer, poet, editor and the founder of Kegedonce Press, an Indigenous publisher based in the territory of her people, the Saugeen Ojibway Na- tion in Ontario. Kateri’s recent collection of short stories, The Stone Collection, received a starred review from Publishers Weekly

Katherena Vermette and was a finalist for a Sarton Literary Award. North End Love Songs (The Muses Company) won the Governor General’s Literary Award for Poetry in 2013. Her novel, The is Break a Métis (House writer of from Anansi), Winnipeg, was a Manitoba, bestseller Canada. in Canada Her and first won book, multiple awards. Vermette’s second book of poetry, river woman, was published in the fall of 2018.

Kayi Wong has been a member of Room since 2013. After living in Hong Kong and Singapore for many years, she settled on the unceded territory of the Coast Salish Peoples, and is currently writing copy and doing marketing for bookish folks.

Kim Snowden is a Lecturer at UBC and teaches courses on social justice, fairy tales, science

Kimfiction Fu & is fantasy, an award-winning YA literature, novelist, and monsters poet, and of all critic. kinds. Her most recent novel is The Lost Girls of Camp Forevermore.

Kim Trainor‘s second book, Ledi, describes the excavation of an Iron Age horsewoman’s grave in the steppes of Siberia. She lives in Vancouver.

Kristin Cheung is an arts fundraiser and co-founded “The Future is you and me”, a mentorship program for young women of colour in the arts.

Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha is the author of Tonguebreaker, Care Work: Dream- ing Disability Justice, Dirty River: A Queer Femme of Color Dreaming Her Way Home, Bodymap, Love Cake, and co-editor of The Revolution Starts At Home: Confronting Intimate Violence in Activist Communities.

Lindsay Nixon is a Cree-Métis-Saulteaux curator, award-nominated editor, writer, and McGill Art History PhD student. They currently hold the position of Editor-at-Large for Canadian Art. Their writing has appeared in Malahat Review, Room, GUTS, MICE, esse, Inuit Art Quarterly, Teen Vogue, and other publications. nîtisânak 56 is their first book. Lindsay Wong holds a BFA in Creative Writing from The University of British Columbia and The Woo-Woo: How I Survived Ice Hockey, Drug-Raids, Demons, and My Crazy Chinese Family is her debut memoir. a MFA in Literary Nonfiction from Columbia University in New York City. LJ Weisberg is a published author and spoken word poet living in Vancouver, BC. They currently attend Kwantlen Polytechnic University for Creative Writing.

Lorimer Shenher That Lonely Section of Hell, tells of his previous incarnation as a female police detective working in vain to solve the mystery of Vancouver’sis a writermissing and women. former This police One officer.Looks Like His afirst Boy book,will be released March 31st.

Lucas Crawford, genderqueer disabled poet, wrote Sideshow Concessions, The High Line Scaven- ger Hunt, and Belated Bris of the Brainsick (Fall 2019). Lucas teaches at UNB and is from rural NS.

Lydia Kwa‘s latest novel is a radically revised version of The Walking Boy (Arsenal Pulp Press, 2019), second in the chuanqi trilogy after Oracle Bone.

Mallory Tater‘s debut collection of poetry, This Will Be Good, was released with Book*hug press in 2018. Her debut novel, The Birth Yard, is forthcoming in 2020 with HarperCollins Canada.

Marita Dachsel has written three books of poetry, most recently There Are Not Enough Sad Songs, the play Initiation Trilogy, and creates theatrical installations.

Maureen Medved’s adaptation of her novel The Tracey Fragments opened the Panorama program of the 57th annual Berlinale. Her novel Black Star came out in April 2018. She is an Asso- ciate Professor in the Creative Writing Program at the University of British Columbia.

Meghan Bell is the publisher of Room. Her writing has appeared in literary journals across Canada, including Grain, The New Quarterly, Prairie Fire, The Puritan, and The Minola Review.

Meharoona Ghani is a graduate of SFU’s Writer’s Studio and the Vancouver Manuscript Inten- sive, who has published in several anthologies and won writing competitions.

Mica Lemiski is Room’s productions coordinator and hosts the podcast Fainting Couch Femi- nists. She writes silly jingles and is a regular contributor to VICE.com.

Molly Billows is swift waters, secrets and salal berries. Northern Coast Salish (Homalco), they are a queer, trans nonbinary, urban Indigenous, spoken word poet and facilitator.

Molly Cross-Blanchard is a Métis writer, MFA student at UBC, editor at PRISM international, and author of the chapbook I Don’t Want to Tell You.

Morgane Oger consults in the tech industry while driving public policy change from the side of her desk for a more inclusive society.

Nabila Huq used to teach English language and literature to post-secondary students in Ban- gladesh. She graduated in Cultural Studies from the University of Winnipeg, and is in search of a career in Canada where she can utilize her education and experience.

Nancy Lee is the author of Dead Girls, The Age, and the forthcoming poetry collection, What Hurts Going Down (McClelland & Stewart, 2020).

Nav Nagra is a writer and reader living in Vancouver. She is currently working on a collection of poetry and what will one day be a novel. 57 Award-winning poet and essayist Nicole Breit teaches genre-bending CNF. She lives on the Sunshine Coast with her wife and two children.

Nilofar Shidmehr is the author of seven books in English and Farsi, including Shirin and Salt Man Divided Loyaltie

Onjana, a BC Yawnghwe Book Prize has finalist, written and two books of poetry,s, a recentFragments, fiction Desire collection. (Oolichan, 2017) and The Small Way (Caitlin, 2018). She is currently working on a graphic novel.

Patricia Massy is Cree/English and a member of the As’in’i’wa’chi Ni’yaw Nation. She is the proprietor of Massy Books, a 100% Indigenous owned bookstore operating on the traditional, ílwit- ulh Nations. ancestral, unceded, and occupied territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, or sel̓ ̓ Rabbit Richards named Cat. is relentlessly compassionate with fierce integrity. Their francophone cat is Rawan Nassar was born in Damascus, Syria and is an English literature grad. She has been carrying out activities as a part of many Humanitarian Organizations like Action Against Hun- ger, International Organization for Migration, and Human Rights Watch.

Robyn Maynard is the award-winning and bestselling author of Policing Black Lives: State violence in Canada from slavery to the present.

Ruby Smith-Diaz was born to Chilean and Jamaican parents in Edmonton. Since graduating, she has found her passion working as a youth facilitator and multi-disciplinary artist, and by using art and popular education as tools for activism, empowerment, and community building.

Ruth Daniell is an award-winning writer and editor who currently lives with her family The Brightest Thing (Caitlin Press, 2019), explores fairy tales, sexual violence, love, and healing. in Kelowna, BC. Her first full-length collection of poems, Salia Joseph and is British and Jewish on her mother’s. In 2016 she graduated with a bachelor of arts de- gree in First Nations is from and the IndigenousSḵwx̱wú7mesh studies and from Snuneymuxw UBC, where First she Nation’s focused on herIndigenous father’s femside- inisms and new media. She recently graduated from a yearlong full-time immersion program

- in her language, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Sníchim at SFU. Salia sings in a band called An̓usáyum̓ (Two Berries) as well as a traditional Sḵwx̱wú7mesh dance/singing group called Ta Na Wa Káw Samanthastem. Salia managesNock is a Kwi Cree-Métis Awt Stelmexw, poet, writer, a Sḵwx̱wú7mes and podcast language host from and Dawsonculture non-prophet. Creek, BC. Her family originally comes from Ile-a-la-Crosse, Saskatchewan.

Sara Graefe is a playwright, screenwriter and editor of the CNF collection Swelling with Pride: Queer Conception and Adoption Stories. She teaches at UBC Creative Writing.

Sarah Leavitt is the author of Tangles: A Story About Alzheimer’s, My Mother and Me. Lately she’s been making comics about loving her partner, who has chronic pain and other disabilities.

Serena Lukas Bhandar - lonial transgressive art. Her writing comprises (in unequal parts): faction, mythopoeia, and solarpunk. is a brown/queer/genderfluid essayist and collaborateur in deco

58 Shanga Karim is a journalist. She worked as a women’s activist to be a voice for women who were killed because of love, who had FGM because of the inhuman traditions, and all of the girls and women who couldn’t know their rights. Shanga was an editor in chief for a newspa- per called “women’s rights”.

Sharon Bala is the bestselling author of The Boat People published and won the Journey Prize in 2017. . Her short fiction has been widely Shazia Hafiz Ramji is the author of Port of Being (Invisible Publishing), which received the Robert Kroetsch Award for Innovative Poetry.

Siobhan Barker, single parent, community organizer, social justice champion, is a published - ly; facilitating and public speaking. fiction/non-fiction author, textile-artist, bilingual singer & storyteller, having toured national sonam chozom was born and brought up in India as a Tibetan refugee. She came to Canada on November 24, 2016 through a Tibetan resettlement project. Her dream is to be a nurse beyond the borders.

Susan Scott edited Body & Soul, Caitlin Press’s breakthrough book of spiritual memoir, and is The New Quarterly (TNQ).

Taniathe nonfiction De Rozario editor is witha writer, visual artist, and the author of And The Walls Come Crumbling Down and Tender Delirium (Math Paper Press 2016 / 2013).

Taryn Hubbard is a member of Room - ing from Talonbooks in 2020. She lives and writes in Chilliwack. ’s editorial board. Her first poetry collection is forthcom Triny Finlay is a queer writer who lives in Fredericton. Her most recent poetry collection is You don’t want what I’ve got (Junction, 2018).

Valeen Jules is a radio producer, youth outreach worker, spoken word artist, community organizer, and full-spectrum doula from the Nuu-chah-nulth and Kwakwaka’wakw nations.

Founded in May 2016, Virago Nation is on a mission to reclaim Indigenous sexuality from the toxic effects of colonization. Virago Nation is a collective of Indigenous artists creating performance through burlesque, theatre, song, and spoken word as well as workshops, and community networks rematriating indigenous sexuality.

Whitney French is a writer and arts-educator. Her latest project Black Writing Matters is an

Yilinanthology Wang of iscreative a writer nonfiction and a member published of thethrough Room the editorial University collective. of Regina Her Press. writing has appeared Grain, CV2, Abyss & Apex, LooseLeaf, and Clarkesworld, and has won literary awards.

Photo Credits: Virago Nation by Fubar Foto; Juliane Okot Bitek by Seasmin Taylor; Leah Laksh-

Emily Cooper; Lydia Kwa by Pink Monkey Studio; Amber Dawn by Sarah Race; Arielle Twist by Laurencemi Piepzna-Samarasinha Philomene; Robyn by Jesse Maynard Manuel by Graves;Stacy Lee Hana Photography; Shafi by Jessica Katherena Laforet; Vermette Ivan Coyote by KCby Adams; Susan Scott by Ron Grimes; Lindsay Wong by Shimon; Dina Del Bucchia by Ruth Skin- ner; Maureen Medved by Nancy Vaz; Caroline Adderson by Rafal Gerszak; Lorimer Shenher by Jennifer Fell; Canisia Lubrin by Anna Keenan; Alicia Elliott by Ayelet Tsabari; Meghan Bell, Mallory Tater, and David Ly by Erin Flegg.

59 Support Growing Room

Want to keep a good thing going?

Support Room today and help us continue to create spaces for women and genderqueer writers to showcase their work and connect with readers!

Make a donation when you register.

All panels and readings at Growing Room are by-donation or pay-what-you-can. By choosing to donate when you register, you are helping us secure the future of the festival—helping us to reimburse authors fairly, bring in writers from out of town, - ically accessible. If you donate $40 or more when you register for your event, you and cover venue and staffing costs while keeping the festival financially and phys will receive a one-year subscription to Room, starting with our June 2019 issue.

Not sure if you want to donate? Register for free and you’ll have the opportunity to donate to Room or buy a subscription after each of your events.

Subscribe.

Subscribe to receive Room, Canada’s oldest feminist literary journal in your mailbox

and reviews from emerging and established women (cis and trans), trans men, each quarter! Each beautiful issue includes fiction, poetry, essays, art, interviews, Two-Spirit, and non-binary writers. Learn more at roommagazine.com/subscribe or visit one of our tables after your event.

Check out one of our book sales tables.

Books by festival authors, Room merchandise, back issues, subscriptions, and more will be available for sale at merchandise tables at each venue after your event.

On behalf of Room, thank you for your ongoing support. We wouldn’t be here with- out readers like you.

GROWING ROOM A Feminist Literary Festival

March 8 - 17, 2019 Vancouver, BC From Podcasting to Poetry...

www.creativewriting.ubc.ca festival.roommagazine.com // #GrowingRoom2019