The Night of Storytelling returns in its seventh year with a new home at the Vancouver Writers Fest. Join Syrian-Canadian author Danny Ramadan as he brings Queer, Trans, and Two-Spirit authors to the Revue Stage for a night of readings, stories, and joy under the theme “Evil Exes.” Each of the four authors will read from their work, before talking candidly about what constitutes an evil ex, and the tipping point between lovers and foes (they might even spill the tea on an ex or two).
Danny Ramadan will be joined by Amber Dawn, Jaz Papadopoulos, David Ly, and Brandi Bird.
Presented thanks to the support of UBC Creative Writing.
Participants and Speakers
Danny Ramadan
DANNY RAMADAN is a Syrian-Canadian author, public speaker, and advocate for LGBTQ+ refugees. His debut novel, The Clothesline Swing, was shortlisted for the Lambda Literary Award, longlisted for Canada Reads, and named a Best Book of the Year by The Globe and Mail and Toronto Star. He has an MFA in Creative Writing from UBC and currently lives in Vancouver with his husband.
Brandi Bird
BRANDI BIRD is a Two-Spirit Saulteaux, Cree and Métis writer/editor from Treaty 1 territory currently living and learning on Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh & Musqueam land. Their work has been published in The Alaska Quarterly Review, The Puritan, Poetry is Dead, Room Magazine, Brick Magazine, Prism International, Arc Magazine and The Fiddlehead.
Amber Dawn
AMBER DAWN is a white queer femme survivor living on unceded Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Territories. She is the author of five books and the editor of two anthologies. Her memoir How Poetry Saved My Life: A Hustler’s Memoir (2013) won the Vancouver Book Award and was a finalist for the Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Memoir. Her most recent book, My Art Is Killing Me And Other Poems, is a collection of lyrical essays that speaks to cultural and sexual harassment within the literary arts sector. She teaches creative writing at Douglas College and guest mentors at drop-in, queer and sex work-driven community spaces.
David Ly
DAVID LY is a writer and editor whose work has appeared in PRISM international, The Puritan, carte blanche, The /tƐmz/ Review, Arc Poetry Magazine, Best Canadian Poetry 2021, and elsewhere. His debut poetry collection, Mythical Man (Palimpsest Press, 2020), was shortlisted for the 2021 ReLit Poetry Award. His sophomore poetry collection, Dream of Me as Water, is forthcoming in Fall 2022. David is the Poetry Editor at This Magazine, part of the Anstruther Press Editorial Collective, and a Poetry Manuscript Consultant with The Writers’ Studio at SFU.
Jaz Papadopoulos
JAZ PAPADOPOULOS (they/them) is an interdisciplinary artist working in experimental writing, installation, and video. They are interested in diaspora, nervous systems, erotics, memory, grief and ritual. A graduate of the Cartae Open school, Jaz is also a Lambda Literary fellow and an MFA candidate at the University of British Columbia. Jaz lives on Coast Salish land.