KEVIN SPENST
UBC Library Writer-in-Residence 2026
Kevin Spenst is a poet, editor, teacher, and community arts organizer, who brings a deep commitment to poetry as a public, participatory, and place-based practice. A graduate of UBC School of Creative Writing’s MFA Program, Spenst has played an active role in Vancouver’s literary community, organizing reading series, poetry walks, outdoor book clubs, chapbook readings, and community-based literary gatherings. He is also a long-time co-organizer of the Dead Poets Reading Series and has helped create welcoming spaces for poets and readers to engage with literary lineages and local histories.
His forthcoming non-fiction collection, Stanley Park Manor: A Collective History, will be published by Anvil Press this fall. Inspired by oral history, poetic listening, and the relationship between literature and place, the collection reflects his interest in the stories that shape communities and the people who inhabit them.
As Writer-in-Residence, Spenst will bring his experience as a mentor, educator, and literary connector to UBC Library. His residency will invite students, faculty, writers, and community members to consider poetry as conversation, listening as creative practice, and the academic library as a space for literary exchange.
Q: What has been the highlight of the last year for you professionally?
Last year, I set aside two months to work on my first creative non-fiction book. The previous year, I had talked to my publisher about a collective history of Stanley Park Manor, an almost 100-year-old building where I’ve been living since 2021. I had written a lyric essay about losing a friend to cancer during the pandemic. Jeff had once lived in Stanley Park Manor, which was where he met his future wife, Susan. The lyric essay I wrote about Jeff and Susan (both poets) also touched upon the circumstances of me moving into the Manor during the pandemic. The creative non-fiction book grew out around this essay and it all came together at a dizzying pace.
The previous building manager Lyn Guy, who had run the show for almost 25 years, had reached out to previous tenants who sent me accounts of living in the building. Lyn had also accumulated a lot of lore, which she passed on to me. I also did some of my own research in the City of Vancouver Archives. There’s a long lineage of journalists living in the building (from Bob Bouchette in 1931 to Pierre Berton and Simma Holt in the 40s and 50s to Kiran Singh who lived here for a decade not too long ago) and artists, actors and other creative types.
Stanley Park Manor a Collective History is a hybrid of many voices and some of the many ways those voices are expressed in print. The book is both experimental and accessible. I hope it stands as testament to the importance of affordable rent and heritage buildings in Vancouver.
Q: Why did you want to participate in the Writer-in-Residence at UBC Library?
I lost one of my main means of employment earlier this year at Alexander College due to the dramatic drop in international student enrollment. Fortunately, I also work at Simon Fraser University’s The Writers Studio, but I have needed to look into other opportunities. When I explained my situation to someone a few weeks ago, they replied, “Well, when one door closes, another opens.” I listened and tried not to be judgy about this cliché. They were trying to be optimistic and they turned out to be right (and cliches are just timeworn metaphors after all.) I get to dream big again at UBC, which is where I did my MFA in Creative Writing with Rhea Tregebov. There are so many poets and writers I admire tremendously who are working in Creative Writing, English and other departments. It will be thrilling to be in their midst.
“I get to dream big again at UBC… There are so many poets and writers I admire tremendously who are working in Creative Writing, English and other departments. It will be thrilling to be in their midst.”
Q: In your consultation sessions with UBC faculty, staff or students, what topics would you love to discuss or what questions would you love to get?
What I love about creative writing is getting to the heart of the matter. What is the heartbeat or pulse of the poem or prose piece? Poetry can work obliquely (the moon or a garbage bin might be a stand-in for a feeling), and it’s quite rewarding to work with authors to get a sense of what’s behind their craft and help them hone their writing towards that goal. I’m happy to read what people are working on and/or engage in conversation over any aspect of the writing life.
“What I love about creative writing is getting to the heart of the matter. What is the heartbeat or pulse of the poem or prose piece?”
Q: Are there any resources at the library that you’re hoping to access while you’re here?
Libraries hold untold riches. I’m excited to be leading a scavenger hunt in the poetry section of the Koerner Library to help people discover some of those treasures. I’m also looking forward to engaging with some of The Ryerson Poetry Chap-Books in the Rare Books and Special Collections of the library. I have a special interest in the history of Canadian poetry and chapbooks in particular. Apart from that, just being in any library is an exhilarating and humbling experience. I’m excited to share that space with others.
Learn more about the UBC Library Writer-in-Residence program.
