C.E. Gatchalian

C.E. Gatchalian

Writer-in-residence at Historic Joy Kogawa House in February 2020


Born, raised and based on the unceded territories of the Coast Salish peoples, including the Musqueam, Squamish and Tseil-Waututh, C.E. Gatchalian is a queer Filipinx-Canadian author. The author of six books and co-editor of two anthologies, he is a three-time Lambda Literary Award finalist and the recipient of two Jessie Richardson Awards for his work as a theatre artist and producer. In 2013 he received the Dayne Ogilvie Prize in 2013, awarded annually by The Writers’ Trust of Canada to an outstanding emerging LGBTQI+ writer. Formerly Artistic Producer of the frank theatre company, Vancouver’s professional queer theatre company, his plays have been produced locally, nationally and internationally. His memoir, Double Melancholy: Art, Beauty and the Making of a Brown Queer Man, was published this year by Arsenal Pulp Press. He teaches Playwriting at the University of British Columbia.

For the month of February he was the Writer-in-Residence at Historic Joy Kogawa House where he was working on several projects, including a play, a novel and a book of poetry.

Latest Blog Postings by C.E. Gatchalian

QueerAsian Summer Writing Workshops

QueerAsian Summer Writing Workshops

Join Joy Kogawa House for a summer series of 6 writing workshops for LGBTQIA+ Asian writers (at any level of experience) aimed at exploring the complexity of issues arising throughout the pandemic including (but not limited to) isolation, grief and resilience, anti-Asian racism, anti-Black racism, Indigenous rights, Palestinian rights in the Middle East crisis, colonization and white supremacy. Pride, body-positivity, and sex-positivity will also figure prominently in the workshops.

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