While in residency, our writers share their thoughts on our blog, give out valuable writing advice, and engage with the community via different programs of writing-focused activities. Read all about it here and don’t forget to subscribe to our newsletter, so you don’t ever miss a new blog post or event!
Historic Joy Kogawa House Recent News

November Events At Kogawa House
November at Kogawa House explores identity, transformation, and community storytelling. Writer-in-Residence Holly Timpener leads a workshop blending performance art and personal reflection, while Yanting Qiu’s storytelling sessions celebrate the Marpole community through shared experiences and the creation of a neighborhood cookbook.
Historic Joy Kogawa House Previous Blog Posts

New WIR and Poetry Events at Joy Kogawa House in April
About Eliza Eliza Robertson's 2014 debut collection, Wallflowers, was shortlisted for the East Anglia Book Award, the Danuta Gleed Short Story Prize, and selected as a New York Times Editor's Choice. Her critically acclaimed first novel, Demi-Gods, was a Globe &...

Magpie Dreams: Seeking and Finding Family through Memoir with Lisa Bird-Wilson
Does a memoir need a theme? Who owns the facts of your story? How does storytelling become a site of resistance? Uncover the power of your narrative through creative non-fiction and the medium of memoir with Lisa Bird-Wilson.

Sunday, February 25: Masterclass in Reading and Performance with Johnny D Trinh
Recognize, appreciate, and develop your distinctive writing voice with Johnny D Trinh. Bring your writing to life with your own voice this Sunday, February 25, 2 – 4:30pm at Kogawa House.

Sunday, January 21: In the Eyes of the Beholder with new WIR Shawne Yukimi MacIntyre
Sunday, January 21: In the Eyes of the Beholder with new WIR Shawne Yukimi MacIntyre
Part art-lecture, part free-writing workshop. Let’s look at historical artworks that feature mixed-race peoples and the messages they deliver.

December Celebrations: QueerAsian Reading this Wednesday and more!
Join us on Dec 6 for a celebration of writing from our QueerAsian circle, and on Dec 14 for an evening of storytelling with WIR Wiley Wei-Chiun Ho.

Blog #2 | Guest Post by Karen Parrish
“In […] haiku I felt my grief was opening into something else and that something was love due to grief, because of grief. Perhaps I’d felt this love all along, with my husband, with our children, our families and friends, but it didn’t feel like just love-love, as beautiful and profound as that is. It felt like a love that was as big as it was because there had been loss, that only through loss could this love be completely seen.”

Upcoming Events at Kogawa House this November
Discover beauty and transformation in grief poetry, explore identity and home through poetry, music, and photography, and celebrate a memoir launch with us this November.

Transforming Trauma Mail Art Project by Effie Pow
Transforming Trauma mail art submissions were received between April and May 2023. The
writer-in-residence project explored themes of family, identity, immigrant experiences, healing,
and reconciliation.