I live in a small town in central BC with my husband and my dogs. I love to get outside whether that is hiking, kayaking, taking the dogs for a walk, or spey fishing for steelhead. I have had the privilege to complete several backpacking trips from the historic gold rush Chilkoot trail in the north, the Brazeau Loop, to the West Coast Trail and many in between. I have also made the trip around the Bowron Lakes circuit a couple times and fully intend to go back.
When I am not escaping to the bush I am working as a Literary Intern, bookkeeper, social media advertising, and working on my own creative writing projects. I love learning about the publishing industry and the intricacies that work within it. I love working with agencies and being able to see the publishing world from their perspective. As might be assumed by now I am an avid bookworm and I am always working on building up my own collection. Some of my favourites include Suzanne by Anais Barbeau-Lavelette translated by Rhonda Mullins, Ru by Kim Thuy, The Vegetarian by Han Kang, and I could go on.
Over the weekend history was made. Millions of women and men marched in solidarity against the threat of oppression. This movement did not only occur in Washington, but around the world. It was reported that groups marched on every continent, including Antarctica where a ship of researchers took pause and gathered in protest, sending pictures… Read more »
I have tried to use planners and calendars in the past and have had success with them. Calendars are good for having an overview of your months, appointments, deadlines, etc. My issue with using a day planner was I would be too ambitious. I would schedule my entire month a day at a time. It… Read more »
I have always loved learning. I was the kid in school that enjoyed being there (mostly). One thing that Athabasca University taught me was that I had the ability to teach myself, if I had the proper sources. AU gave me the resources to continue to learn beyond the figurative walls of the university. In… Read more »
It seems that often what motives us to do, or not do, something is fear: fear of missing out, fear of heights, fear of danger. Sometimes these fears are justified and keep us from doing things we do not want to do, and will serve no purpose for us. While this topic can be wide… Read more »
Over the holidays AU, like most businesses, closes. AU courses that would have ended December 31st have their exam deadlines extended into January to accommodate the closure; this can mean that you feel like you have some “bonus-time.” It can feel like a great time to get ahead or caught up. But on top of… Read more »
Christmas is a time of year that many cannot ignore. There are a few religions that do not celebrate the holiday but I would argue that the holiday itself is no longer an entirely religious holiday. It is taught that it is a holiday centred on the birth of Christ. But if we are speaking… Read more »
Social media today can be a toxic environment. Between the chaos in the United States, and the controversy over the recent events at UBC there is a slough of negativity. Within this, my writing took a step backwards. I made mistakes that I know better than to make, and I found myself silenced. These situations… Read more »
I have written about this topic before, but it is something that, unless we actively remember it, is easily pushed aside and forgotten. In our minds, we know that we need to do it for self-preservation, but it is the easiest thing to procrastinate on. That is, of course, time off. I don’t mean taking… Read more »
The University of British Columbia’s (UBC) creative writing program has been faced with scrutiny in the last while. Steven Galloway was accused of misconduct with students, and the charges range from bullying to sexual harassment. How UBC handled the situation has since come under fire, and many of Canada’s top writers have signed an open… Read more »
Learning through distance can feel like a solitary venture. Students are given contact with a tutor, and sometimes not even that when it is a course based on the “success centre” model. But it is important to connect with the others who are taking a journey like yours?a community of AU students. One such community… Read more »