ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Shaena Lambert, author of Petra. Petra won the 2021 Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize. In their conversation Shaena talks about how she met Petra Kelly and how growing up in Horseshoe Bay helped her write about Berlin and Germany. ABOUT SHAENA LAMBERT: Shaena Lambert is the author of the novel, Radiance and two books of stories, Oh, My Darling and The Falling Woman – all of which were Globe and Mail best books of the year. Her fiction has been published to critical acclaim in Canada, the UK and Germany and has been nominated for the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize, the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, the Evergreen Award, the Danuta Gleed Award and the Frank O’Connor Award for the Short Story. Her stories have been chosen four times for Best Canadian Stories, and have appeared in many publications, including The Walrus, Zoetrope: All Story, Ploughshares, The Journey Prize Anthology and Toronto Life. A dedicated environmentalist and climate activist, Shaena was arrested twice on Burnaby Mountain for crossing a police barrier, to protest the building of the Trans Mountain oil pipeline from the Alberta tar sands, and continues to actively oppose oil pipelines, logging of old growth, and other policies leading to climate change and environmental destruction. Her most recent novel is PETRA, inspired by the activist and green party founder Petra Kelly who changed history and transformed environmental politics, only to find herself caught up in a triangle of love, jealousy and murder. Lambert lives in Vancouver with her family. ABOUT MEGAN COLE: Megan Cole the Director of Programming and Communications for the BC and Yukon Book Prizes. She is also a writer based on the territory of the Tla'amin Nation. Megan writes creative nonfiction and has had essays published in The Puritan, Untethered, Invisible publishing's invisiblog, This Magazine and more. She has her MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of King's College and is working her first book titled Head Over Feet: The Lasting Heartache of First Loves. Find out more about Megan at megancolewriter.com ABOUT THE PODCAST: Writing the Coast is recorded and produced on the traditional territory of the Tla'amin Nation. As a settler on these lands, Megan Cole finds opportunities to learn and listen to the stories from those whose land was stolen. Writing the Coast is a recorded series of conversations, readings, and insights into the work of the writers, illustrators, and creators whose books are nominated for the annual BC and Yukon Book Prizes. We'll also check in on people in the writing community who are supporting books, writers and readers every day. The podcast is produced and hosted by Megan Cole.

Writing the Coast: BC and Yukon Book Prizes Podcast

S3 Episode 29: Shaena Lambert talks about the role of imagination in creative writing

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Melanie Siebert, author of Heads Up: Changing Minds on Mental Health. Heads Up was a finalist for the 2021 Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize. In their conversation Melanie talks the interviews and stories she integrated into the book as well as how we have defined what's normal while pathologizing the various spectrums of human experience. ABOUT MELANIE SIEBERT: Melanie Siebert is a youth and family counsellor in Victoria, British Columbia. She works with people to transform depression, anxiety, trauma and inner conflict into meaning, purpose and hope. She also specializes in suicide intervention and prevention. Melanie has a Master of Social Work and a Master of Fine Arts. Her first poetry collection, Deepwater Vee (McClelland & Stewart), was a finalist for Canada's Governor General's Literary Award in 2010. ABOUT MEGAN COLE: Megan Cole the Director of Programming and Communications for the BC and Yukon Book Prizes. She is also a writer based on the territory of the Tla'amin Nation. Megan writes creative nonfiction and has had essays published in The Puritan, Untethered, Invisible publishing's invisiblog, This Magazine and more. She has her MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of King's College and is working her first book titled Head Over Feet: The Lasting Heartache of First Loves. Find out more about Megan at megancolewriter.com ABOUT THE PODCAST: Writing the Coast is recorded and produced on the traditional territory of the Tla'amin Nation. As a settler on these lands, Megan Cole finds opportunities to learn and listen to the stories from those whose land was stolen. Writing the Coast is a recorded series of conversations, readings, and insights into the work of the writers, illustrators, and creators whose books are nominated for the annual BC and Yukon Book Prizes. We'll also check in on people in the writing community who are supporting books, writers and readers every day. The podcast is produced and hosted by Megan Cole.

S3 Episode 28: Melanie Siebert talks about the need for decolonization in mental health practices

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Valerie Mason-John, author of I Am Still Your Negro: An Homage to James Baldwin. I Am Still Your Negro was a finalist for the 2021 Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. In their conversation Valerie talks about how she used poetic forms like the sonnet and the villanelle to tackle domestic violence and racial trauma. ABOUT VALERIE MASON-JOHN: Poet, author, and public speaker Valerie Mason-John (a.k.a. “Queenie”) highlights issues of the African Diaspora and the Black, female, Queer identity, and resists the currently existing overt and covert forms of colonialism through their fierce and brave writing. They are the author /editor of ten books. Their debut novel, Borrowed Body, won the 2006 Mind Book of the Year Award. They co-edited the award-winning anthology, The Great Black North: Contemporary African Canadian Poetry, and co-produced blackhalifax.com. Their most recent book is an edited collection: Afrikan Wisdom: New Voices Talk Black Liberation, Buddhism, and Beyond. Valerie lives in Vancouver. Find them online at valeriemason-john.com. ABOUT MEGAN COLE: Megan Cole the Director of Programming and Communications for the BC and Yukon Book Prizes. She is also a writer based on the territory of the Tla'amin Nation. Megan writes creative nonfiction and has had essays published in The Puritan, Untethered, Invisible publishing's invisiblog, This Magazine and more. She has her MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of King's College and is working her first book titled Head Over Feet: The Lasting Heartache of First Loves. Find out more about Megan at megancolewriter.com ABOUT THE PODCAST: Writing the Coast is recorded and produced on the traditional territory of the Tla'amin Nation. As a settler on these lands, Megan Cole finds opportunities to learn and listen to the stories from those whose land was stolen. Writing the Coast is a recorded series of conversations, readings, and insights into the work of the writers, illustrators, and creators whose books are nominated for the annual BC and Yukon Book Prizes. We'll also check in on people in the writing community who are supporting books, writers and readers every day. The podcast is produced and hosted by Megan Cole.

S3 Episode 27: Valerie Mason-John talks about the influence of James Baldwin on her writing

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Jordan Scott, author of I Talk Like A River, which was illustrated by Sydney Smith. I Talk Like A River was a finalist for the 2021 Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize. In their conversation Jordan talks about why he wrote a children's book, and how poetry helped him approach the storytelling and writing in I Talk Like A River. ABOUT JORDAN SCOTT: Jordan Scott is the author of Silt; blert; Decomp, a collaboration with Stephen Collis and ecosphere of British Columbia; and Night & Ox. His chapbooks include Clearance Process and Lanterns at Guantánamo. Both chapbooks treat his experience after being allowed access to Guantanamo Bay in April 2015. Scott was the 2015/16 Writer-in-Residence at Simon Fraser University and the recipient of the 2018 Latner Writers’ Trust Poetry Prize for his contributions to Canadian poetry. Scott’s first children’s book, I Talk Like a River, is published by Holiday House / Neal Porter Books and illustrated by Sydney Smith. Scott also works as an editor with Broc Rossell at The Elephants. More of Scott’s work, including his multimedia projects, are found here and here. ABOUT MEGAN COLE: Megan Cole the Director of Programming and Communications for the BC and Yukon Book Prizes. She is also a writer based on the territory of the Tla'amin Nation. Megan writes creative nonfiction and has had essays published in The Puritan, Untethered, Invisible publishing's invisiblog, This Magazine and more. She has her MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of King's College and is working her first book titled Head Over Feet: The Lasting Heartache of First Loves. Find out more about Megan at megancolewriter.com ABOUT THE PODCAST: Writing the Coast is recorded and produced on the traditional territory of the Tla'amin Nation. As a settler on these lands, Megan Cole finds opportunities to learn and listen to the stories from those whose land was stolen. Writing the Coast is a recorded series of conversations, readings, and insights into the work of the writers, illustrators, and creators whose books are nominated for the annual BC and Yukon Book Prizes. We'll also check in on people in the writing community who are supporting books, writers and readers every day. The podcast is produced and hosted by Megan Cole.

S3 Episode 26: Jordan Scott talks about maintaining a child-like wonder of language

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Joel Bakan, author of The New Corporation: How "Good" Corporations are Bad for Democracy which won the 2021 Jim Deva Prize for Writing that Provokes. Joel talks about consumer power and how the pandemic served as a magnifying glass for the problems we are facing. ABOUT JOEL BAKAN: Joel Bakan is an internationally recognized and award-winning scholar and teacher who has worked on landmark legal cases and government policies. His bestselling book The Corporation was made into an award-winning documentary. He lives in Vancouver. ABOUT MEGAN COLE: Megan Cole the Director of Audience Development for the BC and Yukon Book Prizes. She is also a writer based on the territory of the Tla'amin Nation. Megan writes creative nonfiction and has had essays published in The Puritan, Untethered, Invisible publishing's invisiblog, This Magazine and more. She has her MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of King's College and is working her first book titled Head Over Feet: The Lasting Heartache of First Loves. Find out more about Megan at megancolewriter.com ABOUT THE PODCAST: Writing the Coast is recorded and produced on the traditional territory of the Tla'amin Nation. As a settler on these lands, Megan Cole finds opportunities to learn and listen to the stories from those whose land was stolen. Writing the Coast is a recorded series of conversations, readings, and insights into the work of the writers, illustrators, and creators whose books are nominated for the annual BC and Yukon Book Prizes. We'll also check in on people in the writing community who are supporting books, writers and readers every day. The podcast is produced and hosted by Megan Cole.

S3 Episode 25: Joel Bakan talks The New Corporation and what scares corporations

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Rina Singh and Ellen Rooney, the author and illustrator of Grandmother School. Grandmother School is the winner of the 2021 Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize. In their conversation Rina and Ellen talk about intergenerational relationships and the power of literacy and storytelling. ABOUT RINA SINGH: Rina Singh has published several critically acclaimed books for children inspired by her Indian Canadian heritage, including Diwali Lights, Holi Colors and Diwali: A Festival of Lights, which was nominated for the Red Cedar Award. Rina lives in Toronto. ABOUT ELLEN ROONEY: Ellen Rooney is a designer, artist and children’s book illustrator. Her textural mixed media artwork combines many traditional art techniques, like pencil drawing, painting, printmaking and collage, often combined with digital techniques. Originally from Massachusetts, she now lives in the southern Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. ABOUT MEGAN COLE: Megan Cole the Director of Audience Development for the BC and Yukon Book Prizes. She is also a writer based on the territory of the Tla'amin Nation. Megan writes creative nonfiction and has had essays published in The Puritan, Untethered, Invisible publishing's invisiblog, This Magazine and more. She has her MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of King's College and is working her first book titled Head Over Feet: The Lasting Heartache of First Loves. Find out more about Megan at megancolewriter.com ABOUT THE PODCAST: Writing the Coast is recorded and produced on the traditional territory of the Tla'amin Nation. As a settler on these lands, Megan Cole finds opportunities to learn and listen to the stories from those whose land was stolen. Writing the Coast is a recorded series of conversations, readings, and insights into the work of the writers, illustrators, and creators whose books are nominated for the annual BC and Yukon Book Prizes. We'll also check in on people in the writing community who are supporting books, writers and readers every day. The podcast is produced and hosted by Megan Cole.

S3 Episode 24: Rina Singh and Ellen Rooney discuss the real story that inspired Grandmother School

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Dan Bar-El, author of Just Beyond the Very, Very Far North, which is a finalist for the 2021 Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize. Dan discusses how The Very, Very Far North became a series, and why he uses animals as the characters in some of his books. ABOUT DAN BAR-EL: Dan Bar-el is an award-winning children’s author, educator, and storyteller whose books include Audrey (Cow), Not Your Typical Dragon, and The Very, Very Far North series. Dan has worked with children ages three to thirteen as a school-age childcare provider, a preschool teacher, a creative drama teacher, and a creative writing teacher. He also teaches with the Creative Writing for Children Society. Dan lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, with artist and goldsmith Dominique Bréchault, and Sasha, the most adorable cat in the known universe. ABOUT MEGAN COLE: Megan Cole the Director of Audience Development for the BC and Yukon Book Prizes. She is also a writer based on the territory of the Tla'amin Nation. Megan writes creative nonfiction and has had essays published in The Puritan, Untethered, Invisible publishing's invisiblog, This Magazine and more. She has her MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of King's College and is working her first book titled Head Over Feet: The Lasting Heartache of First Loves. Find out more about Megan at megancolewriter.com ABOUT THE PODCAST: Writing the Coast is recorded and produced on the traditional territory of the Tla'amin Nation. As a settler on these lands, Megan Cole finds opportunities to learn and listen to the stories from those whose land was stolen. Writing the Coast is a recorded series of conversations, readings, and insights into the work of the writers, illustrators, and creators whose books are nominated for the annual BC and Yukon Book Prizes. We'll also check in on people in the writing community who are supporting books, writers and readers every day. The podcast is produced and hosted by Megan Cole.

S3 Episode 23: Dan Bar-El on the characters in the Very, Very Far North series who are like him

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Briony Penn, author of Following the Good River: The Life and Times of Wa'xaid, which is a finalist for the 2021 Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize. Briony talks about how she met Cecil Paul and how working with and building a friendship with Cecil opened her eyes to truths about colonization and capitalism in Canada. ABOUT BRIONY PENN AND CECIL PAUL: Briony Penn is an award-winning writer of creative non-fiction books as well as a contributor to many anthologies and chapter books. She has been a feature writer and columnist for decades, with over five hundred articles on environmental issues and natural history in newspapers, magazines, government publications, online news sources and peer-reviewed journals. She has also written numerous environmental guides and educational handbooks for teachers in British Columbia. Her first book with RMB, The Real Thing: The Natural History of Ian McTaggart Cowan, was the winner of the 2015 BC Book Prize. Her work with Cecil Paul will continue with the publication of a comprehensive and collaborative biography, Following the Good River: Stories from the Magic Canoe of Cecil Paul, which will be published by RMB in the autumn of 2019. Briony lives on Salt Spring Island, BC. Cecil Paul, also known by his Xenaksiala name, Wa’xaid, is a respected elder, activist and orator, and one of the last fluent speakers of his people’s language. Cecil was born in 1931 in the Kitlope and raised on fishing, hunting, trapping and gathering. At the age of 10 he was torn from his family and placed in a residential school run by the United Church of Canada at Port Alberni, on Vancouver Island. For years, Cecil suffered from the pain of the abuse inflicted there. After three decades of prolonged alcohol abuse, he finally returned to the Kitlope and the positive influence of his people’s knowledge and ways. Once Cecil’s healing journey began, he eventually became an outspoken leader against the industrialization of his people’s land and traditional territory, working tirelessly to protect the Kitlope, the largest intact temperate rainforest watershed in the world. Now in his late 80s, Cecil still lives in his ancestors’ traditional territory, and his work protecting the Kitlope continues to this day. ABOUT MEGAN COLE: Megan Cole the Director of Audience Development for the BC and Yukon Book Prizes. She is also a writer based on the territory of the Tla'amin Nation. Megan writes creative nonfiction and has had essays published in The Puritan, Untethered, Invisible publishing's invisiblog, This Magazine and more. She has her MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of King's College and is working her first book titled Head Over Feet: The Lasting Heartache of First Loves. Find out more about Megan at megancolewriter.com ABOUT THE PODCAST: Writing the Coast is recorded and produced on the traditional territory of the Tla'amin Nation. As a settler on these lands, Megan Cole finds opportunities to learn and listen to the stories from those whose land was stolen. Writing the Coast is a recorded series of conversations, readings, and insights into the work of the writers, illustrators, and creators whose books are nominated for the annual BC and Yukon Book Prizes. We'll also check in on people in the writing community who are supporting books, writers and readers every day. The podcast is produced and hosted by Megan Cole.

S3 Episode 22: Briony Penn talks about the friendship with Cecil Paul that led to two books

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Annabel Lyon, author of Consent, which is a finalist for the 2021 Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize. Annabel talks about how the book looks at consent, the way that a feminist look at Crime and Punishment inspired two of her characters, and what she'd do differently if she was writing the book now. ABOUT ANNABEL LYON: Annabel Lyon is the author of seven books for adults and kids, including the internationally bestselling The Golden Mean. She teaches creative writing at the University of British Columbia. ABOUT MEGAN COLE: Megan Cole the Director of Audience Development for the BC and Yukon Book Prizes. She is also a writer based on the territory of the Tla'amin Nation. Megan writes creative nonfiction and has had essays published in The Puritan, Untethered, Invisible publishing's invisiblog, This Magazine and more. She has her MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of King's College and is working her first book titled Head Over Feet: The Lasting Heartache of First Loves. Find out more about Megan at megancolewriter.com ABOUT THE PODCAST: Writing the Coast is recorded and produced on the traditional territory of the Tla'amin Nation. As a settler on these lands, Megan Cole finds opportunities to learn and listen to the stories from those whose land was stolen. Writing the Coast is a recorded series of conversations, readings, and insights into the work of the writers, illustrators, and creators whose books are nominated for the annual BC and Yukon Book Prizes. We'll also check in on people in the writing community who are supporting books, writers and readers every day. The podcast is produced and hosted by Megan Cole.

S3 Episode 21: Annabel Lyon talks about how Crime and Punishment influenced her book

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to David McIlwraith, editor of The Diary of Dukesang Wong: A Voice from Gold Mountain, which is a finalist for the 2021 Roderick Haig-Brown Regional Prize. In their conversation David talks about how he found the diaries, and how the white settler lens has shaped how we see the Chinese experience in the colonization of Canada. ABOUT DAVID MCILWRAITH: David McIlwraith has been a writer, teacher, actor, and director. During a career in theatre, film, and television, he wrote and directed award-nominated documentaries and television programs, including Celesta Found, The Lynching of Louie Sam, In Chinatown, and Harrowsmith Country Life. He has worked across Canada in the development of new Canadian plays. As an actor, he has played roles from Romeo to Prospero, and he has taught at the University of Toronto and the University of Alberta. He spent a decade searching for and then researching this first-person account of the nineteenth-century Chinese experience in North America. He lives in Hamilton, Ontario, with his wife and daughter and spends summers with friends on Salt Spring Island. ABOUT MEGAN COLE: Megan Cole the Director of Audience Development for the BC and Yukon Book Prizes. She is also a writer based on the territory of the Tla'amin Nation. Megan writes creative nonfiction and has had essays published in The Puritan, Untethered, Invisible publishing's invisiblog, This Magazine and more. She has her MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of King's College and is working her first book titled Head Over Feet: The Lasting Heartache of First Loves. Find out more about Megan at megancolewriter.com ABOUT THE PODCAST: Writing the Coast is recorded and produced on the traditional territory of the Tla'amin Nation. As a settler on these lands, Megan Cole finds opportunities to learn and listen to the stories from those whose land was stolen. Writing the Coast is a recorded series of conversations, readings, and insights into the work of the writers, illustrators, and creators whose books are nominated for the annual BC and Yukon Book Prizes. We'll also check in on people in the writing community who are supporting books, writers and readers every day. The podcast is produced and hosted by Megan Cole.

S3 Episode 20: David McIlwraith talks about the history of anti-Asian racism and erasure in BC

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Tanya Lloyd Kyi, whose book Me and Banksy is a finalist for the 2021 Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize. In their conversation Tanya talks about privacy and how privacy is different for teens. They also talk about youth activism and how the artwork and activism of Banksy influenced the book. ABOUT TANYA LLOYD KYI: Tanya Lloyd Kyi has worked as a typesetter, graphic designer and photo editor before pursing writing full-time. She is the author of Mya’s Strategy to Save the World, as well as many non-fiction titles, including Shadow Warrior, nominated for the ALA’s Amelia Bloomer Project List, and Eyes and Spies: How You’re Tracked and Why You Should Know, which won the Montaigne Medal Award. She is also the author of middle-grade and YA novels, including Anywhere but Here, which was praised by Kirkus as having a main character whose “voice is convincingly filled with a combination of angst and nonchalance,” and The Prince of Pot, shortlisted for the OLA White Pine Award. ABOUT MEGAN COLE: Megan Cole the Director of Audience Development for the BC and Yukon Book Prizes. She is also a writer based on the territory of the Tla'amin Nation. Megan writes creative nonfiction and has had essays published in The Puritan, Untethered, Invisible publishing's invisiblog, This Magazine and more. She has her MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of King's College and is working her first book titled Head Over Feet: The Lasting Heartache of First Loves. Find out more about Megan at megancolewriter.com ABOUT THE PODCAST: Writing the Coast is recorded and produced on the traditional territory of the Tla'amin Nation. As a settler on these lands, Megan Cole finds opportunities to learn and listen to the stories from those whose land was stolen. Writing the Coast is a recorded series of conversations, readings, and insights into the work of the writers, illustrators, and creators whose books are nominated for the annual BC and Yukon Book Prizes. We'll also check in on people in the writing community who are supporting books, writers and readers every day. The podcast is produced and hosted by Megan Cole.

S3 Episode 19: Tanya Lloyd Kyi talks about youth activism and privacy in Me and Banksy

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Benjamin Perrin, whose book Overdose: Heartbreak and Hope in Canada's Opioid Crisis is a finalist for the 2021 Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize and is a finalist for the 2021 Jim Deva Prize for Writing that Provokes. In their conversation Ben talks about what led him to write and research the book along with the transformation he faced when he was confronted with information and realities that contradicted his former beliefs about drug use. ABOUT BENJAMIN PERRIN: Benjamin Perrin is a professor at the University of British Columbia, Peter A. Allard School of Law. He served as a law clerk at the Supreme Court of Canada, and was the lead justice and public safety advisor to Prime Minister Stephen Harper from 2012-13. Professor Perrin is the author of two previous books: Invisible Chains: Canada’s Underground World of Human Trafficking, which was a national bestseller and named one of the top books of the year by The Globe and Mail, and Victim Law: The Law of Victims of Crime in Canada. He lives in Vancouver, BC. ABOUT MEGAN COLE: Megan Cole the Director of Audience Development for the BC and Yukon Book Prizes. She is also a writer based on the territory of the Tla'amin Nation. Megan writes creative nonfiction and has had essays published in The Puritan, Untethered, Invisible publishing's invisiblog, This Magazine and more. She has her MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of King's College and is working her first book titled Head Over Feet: The Lasting Heartache of First Loves. Find out more about Megan at megancolewriter.com ABOUT THE PODCAST: Writing the Coast is recorded and produced on the traditional territory of the Tla'amin Nation. As a settler on these lands, Megan Cole finds opportunities to learn and listen to the stories from those whose land was stolen. Writing the Coast is a recorded series of conversations, readings, and insights into the work of the writers, illustrators, and creators whose books are nominated for the annual BC and Yukon Book Prizes. We'll also check in on people in the writing community who are supporting books, writers and readers every day. The podcast is produced and hosted by Megan Cole.

S3 Episode 18: Benjamin Perrin talks how writing about the opioid crisis changed him.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Sara Cassidy, whose book Genius Jolene is a finalist for the 2021 Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize. In their conversation Sara talks about why she wrote about food and the joy of eating, and how she learned a bit about what it's like to travel in an 18-wheeler. ABOUT SARA CASSIDY: Sara Cassidy’s books have been short-listed for many awards, including the Chocolate Lily Award for both Black Gold and Blackberry Juice, the Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Children’s Book Award for A Boy Named Queen and the Bolen Books Children’s Book Prize for Skylark. Additionally, both A Boy Named Queen and Double Play were Junior Library Guild selections. Her poetry, fiction and nonfiction for adults have been widely published. She lives in Victoria, British Columbia. ABOUT MEGAN COLE: Megan Cole the Director of Audience Development for the BC and Yukon Book Prizes. She is also a writer based on the territory of the Tla'amin Nation. Megan writes creative nonfiction and has had essays published in The Puritan, Untethered, Invisible publishing's invisiblog, This Magazine and more. She has her MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of King's College and is working her first book titled Head Over Feet: The Lasting Heartache of First Loves. Find out more about Megan at megancolewriter.com ABOUT THE PODCAST: Writing the Coast is recorded and produced on the traditional territory of the Tla'amin Nation. As a settler on these lands, Megan Cole finds opportunities to learn and listen to the stories from those whose land was stolen. Writing the Coast is a recorded series of conversations, readings, and insights into the work of the writers, illustrators, and creators whose books are nominated for the annual BC and Yukon Book Prizes. We'll also check in on people in the writing community who are supporting books, writers and readers every day. The podcast is produced and hosted by Megan Cole.

S3 Episode 17: Sara Cassidy talks about writing about the joy of eating in Genius Jolene

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Joseph Dandurand, author of The East Side of it All, which is a finalist for the 2021 Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. In their conversation Joseph talks about his writing process and how fishing and the river influence his work. ABOUT JOSEPH DANDURAND: Joseph Dandurand is a member of Kwantlen First Nation located on the Fraser River about twenty minutes east of Vancouver, BC. He resides there with his three children. Dandurand is the director of the Kwantlen Cultural Centre and the author of two books of poetry, I Want (Leaf Press, 2015) and Hear and Foretell (BookLand Press, 2015), and the children’s book The Sasquatch, the Fire and the Cedar Baskets (Nightwood Editions, 2020). ABOUT MEGAN COLE: Megan Cole the Director of Audience Development for the BC and Yukon Book Prizes. She is also a writer based on the territory of the Tla'amin Nation. Megan writes creative nonfiction and has had essays published in The Puritan, Untethered, Invisible publishing's invisiblog, This Magazine and more. She has her MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of King's College and is working her first book titled Head Over Feet: The Lasting Heartache of First Loves. Find out more about Megan at megancolewriter.com ABOUT THE PODCAST: Writing the Coast is recorded and produced on the traditional territory of the Tla'amin Nation. As a settler on these lands, Megan Cole finds opportunities to learn and listen to the stories from those whose land was stolen. Writing the Coast is a recorded series of conversations, readings, and insights into the work of the writers, illustrators, and creators whose books are nominated for the annual BC and Yukon Book Prizes. We'll also check in on people in the writing community who are supporting books, writers and readers every day. The podcast is produced and hosted by Megan Cole.

S3 Episode 16: Joseph Dandurand talks about the writing process for his books.

ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Liz Levine, author of Nobody Ever Talks About Anything But The End, which is a finalist for the 2021 Hubert Evans Nonfiction Prize. In their conversation Liz talks about where the title of the book came from and how she navigated concerns about her sister and her family's privacy in her writing. A Note: In the conversation Liz and Megan talk about Hello I Want To Die Please Fix Me by Anna Mehler Paperny. Because they were both talking off the cuff without prepared notes, they got confused about her name. Apologies to Anna! ABOUT LIZ LEVINE: Liz Levine is an award-winning producer whose credits include Kyra Sedgwick’s directorial debut, Story of a Girl, and Douglas Coupland’s television series jPod. She completed her master of journalism degree at the University of British Columbia and has written for the National Post, The Walrus, Playback magazine, and The Vancouver Sun. She divides her time between Toronto, Vancouver, and Los Angeles. ABOUT MEGAN COLE: Megan Cole the Director of Audience Development for the BC and Yukon Book Prizes. She is also a writer based on the territory of the Tla'amin Nation. Megan writes creative nonfiction and has had essays published in The Puritan, Untethered, Invisible publishing's invisiblog, This Magazine and more. She has her MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of King's College and is working her first book titled Head Over Feet: The Lasting Heartache of First Loves. Find out more about Megan at megancolewriter.com ABOUT THE PODCAST: Writing the Coast is recorded and produced on the traditional territory of the Tla'amin Nation. As a settler on these lands, Megan Cole finds opportunities to learn and listen to the stories from those whose land was stolen. Writing the Coast is a recorded series of conversations, readings, and insights into the work of the writers, illustrators, and creators whose books are nominated for the annual BC and Yukon Book Prizes. We'll also check in on people in the writing community who are supporting books, writers and readers every day. The podcast is produced and hosted by Megan Cole.

S3 Episode 15: Liz Levine talks about chasing the emotional thread of a story

Welcome to Writing the Coast! This is the bi-weekly podcast where we chat with the authors and illustrators of the books who make up the shortlist of the annual BC and Yukon Book Prizes. On the episodes you'll hear host and podcast coordinator Megan Cole chat with the folks who are creating some of BC and Yukon's best books. We'll also check in with the literary community in our region. For more information about the BC and Yukon Book Prizes visit: https://bcyukonbookprizes.com/

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Writing the Coast: BC and Yukon Book Prizes Podcast

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