Author: Greg Santos

on March 31, 2020

New Blog Editor/Communications Manager: Erin Lindsay

“We are thrilled to introduce our new Blog Editor/Communication Manager, Erin Lindsay!”

There’s more than one way to tell a story.

I responded immediately to carte blanche’s philosophy.

I see this statement as an invitation for hybridity and experimentation. I see this statement as one that is inclusive and open. In this statement, I see the call for a vibrant literary and arts ecology- a community enriched by a diversity of forms, genres, and perspectives. I deeply understand this call. I want to be a part of this vision.

on March 9, 2020

QWF Writes: “Hi, I’m ______ ”: Choosing My Author Name

“What do we call you?” is a question I’ve gotten used to hearing, especially in the writing world. I write now as K.B. Thors, but up until the end of 2017 I was publishing poetry, translations, and essays under the name K.T. Billey. My legal name is Kara Billey Thordarson. If I meet you, I’ll introduce myself as Kara.

That might seem all over the place, but the evolution of my nom de plume mirrors the development not just of my writing but of my self. I’d encourage any writer to experiment with their own creative license, no matter what a brand expert might say.

on February 20, 2020

PROTECT, REACT, RESIST

In November of 2019 I spoke to Nyla Matuk about colonialism, activism, and resistance poetry for the Fall issue of the Montreal Review of Books. Matuk’s book, Resisting Canada, was just about to come out from Véhicule Press, and I for one was excited to see such a revolutionary book in the Canadian literary milieu.

The book is beautiful and searing, an anthology of voices championing defiance against a settler state that silences and abuses its population while simultaneously praising itself for its image as a progressive and liberal melting pot.

There is never a bad time to honestly discuss Canada’s oppressive tactics and colonialist heritage. But right now, as the federal and provincial governments, RCMP, and Coastal GasLink/Transcanada flagrantly violate Wet’suwet’en, Canadian law, and international law, it feels particularly relevant. To quote Erica Violet Lee, the land defense currently being carried out is “an enactment of Indigenous law and an affirmation of Indigenous life.” As we witness Canada’s assault on Indigenous rights, we must take action.