Writing the Coast: BC and Yukon Book Prizes Podcast
Welcome to Writing the Coast! This is the bi-weekly podcast where we chat with the authors and illustrators of the books who make up the shortlist of the annual BC and Yukon Book Prizes. On the episodes you'll hear host and podcast coordinator Megan Cole chat with the folks who are creating some of BC and Yukon's best books. We'll also check in with the literary community in our region. For more information about the BC and Yukon Book Prizes visit: https://bcyukonbookprizes.com/
Episodes
December 20, 2025 • 31 mins
ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Marilyn Bowering. Marilyn's book, More Richly in Earth: A Poet's Search for Mary MacLeod, was a finalist for the 2025 Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize. In their conversation, Marilyn talks about the nearly serendipitous events that led her to the work of Mary MacLeod. She also talks about the magic that came when blending her research about Mary with her own. For more ab...
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December 13, 2025 • 31 mins
ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this holiday episode we return to our only holiday episode with Bill Richardson. BIll talks about his book I Saw Three Ships, which was a finalist for the 2020 Bill Duthie Booksellers' Choice Awards. In his conversation with host Megan Cole, Bill reflects on the plagues he's witnessed while living in Vancouver and on the neighbourhood, Vancouver's West End, which is the setting for many of the stories in I Sa...
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December 6, 2025 • 23 mins
ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Jenny Manzer. Jenny's book, Picture a Girl, was a finalist for the 2025 Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize. In their conversation, Jenny talks about how the book The Glass Castle inspire her middle grade novel, Picture a Girl. She also talks about the research she did on surfing so that she could confidently write about surfing in the novel. For more about Pict...
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November 29, 2025 • 32 mins
ABOUT THIS EPISODE: This week we return to an episode with Michelle Cyca. Michelle is a journalist and book critic. In their conversation, Michelle talks about how she can't get enough of the Gilmore Girls, and what she's excited about when it comes to BC books. ABOUT MICHELLE CYCA: Michelle Cyca is a writer, editor and book enthusiast living on unceded territories of the Musqueam Band, and the Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations....
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November 22, 2025 • 28 mins
ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Christopher Cheung. Chris' book, Under the White Gaze: Solving the Problem of Race and Representation in Canadian Journalism, was a finalist for the 2025 Jim Deva Prize for Writing that Provokes. In their conversation, Chris talks about the way that representation and diversity in Canadian media have shaped the story of Canada, he also talks about why we need to be talki...
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November 15, 2025 • 27 mins
ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Rina Hadziev. Rina is the executive director of the BC Library Association. In their conversation, Rina talks about how she began working in libraries, and the role that libraries play in promoting BC and Yukon books. ABOUT RINA HADZIEV: Rina is an experienced librarian, drawing from public library leadership roles and a passion for accessible library services, collabor...
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November 8, 2025 • 29 mins
ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Danny Ramadan. Danny's memoir, Crooked Teeth: A Queer Syrian Refugee Memoir, was a finalist for the 2025 Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize. In their conversation, Danny talks about truth in memoir. He also talks about writing memoir as art and writing yourself as a character in your own memoir. For more about Crooked Teeth: https://bcyukonbookprizes.com/project/crooked-te...
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November 1, 2025 • 27 mins
ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Bill Arnott. Bill's book, A Perfect Day for a Walk: The History, Cultures, and Communities of Vancouver, on Foot, a finalist for the 2025 Bill Duthie Booksellers' Choice Award. In this conversation, Bill talks about what first drew him to travel writing, and how mixed media helped him add new layers to how he saw Vancouver. For more about A Perfect Day for a Walk: https...
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This, after a few weeks of colds, flus, and food poisoning, host Megan Cole revisits a favourite episode with Jazmin Welch. Jaz Welch is the founder and book designer of fleck creative studio. In her conversation with host Megan Cole, Jaz talks about how she got into book design, what she thinks about the trends in book covers, and answers the age-old question, "should we judge a book by its cover?" Visit BC and Yukon Book Prizes:...
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September 27, 2025 • 23 mins
ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Shashi Bhat. Shashi's short story collection, Death by a Thousand Cuts, won the 2025 Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize. In her conversation, Shashi and Megan talk about their mutual dislike for the term "women's fiction," and Shashi talks about why she loves writing short fiction. For more about Death by a Thousand Cuts: https://bcyukonbookprizes.com/project/death-by-a-thousan...
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September 13, 2025 • 24 mins
ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Scott Alexander Howard. Scott's book The Other Valley is a finalist for the 2025 Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize. On the episode Scott talks about why we're so drawn to the idea of time travel. He also talks about the real life experiences that inspired his take on time travel For more about The Other Valley: https://bcyukonbookprizes.com/project/the-other-valley/ To view t...
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September 5, 2025 • 23 mins
ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Zehra Naqvi. Zehra's book The Knot of my Tongue is a finalist for the 2025 Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. On the episode Zehra how listening helps learn language. She talks about capturing silence in poetry. For more about The Knot of my Tongue: https://bcyukonbookprizes.com/project/the-knot-of-my-tongue/ To view the 2025 BC and Yukon Book Prizes shortlists: bcyukonboo...
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ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Shari Green. Shari is the author of Song of Freedom Song of Dreams, which is a finalist for the 2025 Sheila A. Egoff Children’s Literature Prize. On the episode Shari talks about why she loves writing novels-in-verse. She also talks about the way protest music inspired her book. To find out more about Song of Freedom, Song of Dreams: https://bcyukonbookprizes.com/projec...
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August 23, 2025 • 33 mins
ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Li Charmaine Anne. Charmaine is the author of Crash landing, which is a finalist for the 2025 Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize. On the episode, Charmaine talks about how a late bloomers skate club helped inspire parts of the book, and how she approached writing about Vancouver. To find out more about Crash Landing: https://bcyukonbookprizes.com/project/crash-...
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August 16, 2025 • 25 mins
ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Anthony Nerada. Anthony is the author of Skater Boy, which is a finalist for the 2025 Sheila A. Egoff Children's Literature Prize. On the episode, Anthony talks about how his own experiences as a teen inspired his main character Wes, he also talks the evolution of queer romance, and why we should all be reading queer romances. To find out more about Skater Boy: https://...
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August 2, 2025 • 30 mins
ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Minelle Mahtani. Minelle is the author of May it Have a Happy Ending, which is a finalist for the 2025 Hubert Evans Nonfiction Prize. On the episode, Minelle talks about how she found comfort in her non-linear story structure. And how she captured her mom's voice on the page. To find out more about May it Have a Happy Ending: https://bcyukonbookprizes.com/project/may-it...
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July 26, 2025 • 31 mins
ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Kayla Czaga. Kayal is the author of Midway. Midway is a finalist for the 2025 Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. In this epiosde, Kayla talks about the challenges of writing grief poems, and the squishiness of time. To find out more about Midway visit: https://bcyukonbookprizes.com/project/midway/ To view the 2025 BC and Yukon Book Prizes shortlists: bcyukonbookprizes.com/2...
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July 19, 2025 • 25 mins
ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Loghan Paylor. Loghan is the author of The Cure for Drowning. The Cure for Drowning is a finalist for the 2025 Jim Deva Prize for Writing that Provokes. In this epiosde, Loghan talks about how they approached the research for their book. They also talk about the folklore in the novel. To find out more about The Cure for Drowning visit: https://bcyukonbookprizes.com/proj...
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July 12, 2025 • 21 mins
ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Deirdre Simon Dore. Deirdre is the author of A Reluctant Mother. A Reluctant Mother is a finalist for the 2025 Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize. In this epiosde, Deirdre how she came up with her protagonist, Frida. She also talks about why she wrote about memory and the perception of reality through Frida's story. To find out more about A Reluctant Mother visit: https://bcyuk...
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July 5, 2025 • 31 mins
ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, host Megan Cole talks to Mei Yu. Mei is the author of Lost & Found: Based on a True Story. Lost & Found is a finalist for the 2025 Christie Harris Illustrated Children's Literature Prize. In this conversation, Mei talks about how art became a shared language when her family first immigrated to Canada. She talked about the important role libraries played in her art when she was growing up...
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