32. The Power of Political Prose

At a time of global political violence, it’s understandable to ask whether the pen really is mightier than the sword. Yet some of the greatest literature has been born from, and written in response to, injustices. More than this: such literature has often transformed our perceptions of what justice can mean. These three writers are no different. Conor Kerr (Prairie Edge), Kirsten McDougall (She’s A Killer), and Jacob Wren (Dry Your Tears to Perfect Your Aim) will explore the motivation behind writing such politically-involved novels and the role of writing in crafting social change. Moderated by Michelle Cyca.

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Event Participants:

Michelle Cyca

MICHELLE CYCA (she/her) is a journalist, essayist and literary critic. She is a senior editor with The Narwhal and a contributing writer to The Walrus. Her feature story, The Curious Case of Gina Adams, received a National Magazine Award in 2023 for investigative journalism, and was published in April 2024 as a limited-edition hardcover by Hingston & Olsen. Her writing can be found in Best Canadian Essays 2025 and the anthology Points of Interest, and has also appeared in The Globe & Mail, The Guardian, Maclean's and Chatelaine. Previously, she was the editor-in-chief and co-publisher of SAD Mag. She lives on the unceded homelands of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations in what is recently called Vancouver, and is a member of the Muskeg Lake Cree Nation in Treaty 6, Saskatchewan.

Conor Kerr

CONOR KERR is a Métis/Ukrainian writer living in Edmonton. A member of the Métis Nation of Alberta, he is descended from the Lac Ste. Anne Metis and the Papaschase Cree Nation. His Ukrainian family are settlers in Treaty 4 and 6 territories in Saskatchewan. He grew up in Saskatoon, Edmonton, and other prairie towns and cities. In 2022 he was named one of CBC’s Writers to Watch. He is the author of the poetry collections An Explosion of Feathers and Old Gods, as well as the novel Avenue of Champions, which was shortlisted for the Amazon Canada First Novel Award, longlisted for the 2022 Giller Prize and won the 2022 ReLIT award. Conor is an Assistant Professor at the University of Alberta where he teaches creative writing.

Kirsten McDougall

KIRSTEN MCDOUGALL is a novelist, short story writer and creative writing lecturer. Her 2017 novel Tess was longlisted for the Ockham NZ Book Awards and shortlisted for the Ngaio Marsh Award. She’s a Killer was longlisted for the Ockham NZ Book Awards 2022. She lives in Wellington, New Zealand.

Jacob Wren

JACOB WREN’s books include Polyamorous Love Song (a Globe and Mail best book of 2014); Rich and Poor (finalist for the Paragraphe Hugh MacLennan Prize for Fiction and a Globe and Mail best book of 2016); and Authenticity is a Feeling. Wren is co-artistic director of the interdisciplinary group PME-ART and lives in Montreal.