UBC Library and the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre (IKBLC) are excited to introduce the 2025/2026 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Scholars-in-Residence.
Public lectures presented through the EDI Scholar-in-Residence program will take place in the Antonio and Marissa Peña Learning and Events Room in IKBLC, with support from the Peña Fund. Register for all upcoming events on our website.
2025/2026 EDI Scholar – Term 1 (September to December 2025)
Jennifer Gagnon (she/they)
Dr. Jennifer M. Gagnon is a Lecturer in the School of Journalism, Writing, and Media. She is the creator and President of UBC’s Disability Affinity Group, which works towards the goals of community care and Disability Justice, and serves on UBC’s Accessibility Committee. Her research is interdisciplinary and embraces topics in Disability Studies, political theory, classics, qualitative methods, accessible healthcare, Universal Design for Learning (UDL), feminism, and gender. As an advocate, she is involved in efforts and workshop facilitation on Disability Justice, accessibility, consent culture, and LGBTQ2SIA+ inclusion. Read Jennifer’s full bio.
2025/2026 EDI Scholar – Term 2 (January to April 2026)
Dana-Lyn Mackenzie (she/her)
Dana-Lyn Mackenzie, a member of the Hwlitsum First Nation and lawyer, is an elected councilor of her Coast Salish nation. She co-created UBC’s Weaving Relations course, IDEAL program, and Cascades of Change program, among others, and has led the UBC Orange Shirt Day Intergenerational March since 2021. Dana-Lyn has worked in Indigenous programming and student affairs since 2012 and has spent the majority of her post-secondary career in four faculties at UBC, the Allard School of Law, Applied Sciences, Land and Food Systems and Forestry. Read Dana’s full bio.
Evelyn Lau is a lifelong Vancouverite who has authored 15 books. Her memoir, Runaway, was made into a CBC movie starring Sandra Oh; Evelyn’s collections of poetry have received national awards and her prose has been translated into a dozen languages. From 2011 to 2014, she served as Vancouver’s Poet Laureate. Her new book, Parade Of Storms, is available for purchase at the UBC Bookstore.
Q: What have been your biggest professional challenges?
The biggest challenge throughout my career has been simply trying to keep a roof over my head—not so easy as a poet with a grade-nine education. Needless to say, life in Vancouver is expensive, but solitude has always been critical to my writing practice (and sanity), so I’ve lived alone since the age of sixteen. Like most writers, I find it challenging to balance work obligations with creative output, the requirement to exist in the world with the need for reflection and contemplation.
Writers who mostly draw from personal experience face the challenge of having their work dismissed as self-involved or, worse, malicious (when it comes to describing the people in their lives), and I wrestled with those responses during the years I wrote fiction and non-fiction. Poetry is subject to much less public scrutiny—both a blessing and a curse—and its readers are interested in craft, not sensationalism.
Q: What has been the highlight of the last year for you professionally?
Q: Why did you want to participate in the Writer-in-Residence at UBC Library?
Last year, I had the pleasure of interviewing the first UBC Library Writer-in-Residence, Tsering Yangzom Lama, at WORD Vancouver. It was that moment I became aware of the program’s existence. Allan Cho at the Library has long been a genuine supporter of Asian-Canadian writers in the community, so the prospect of working with him was appealing too.
Back in the 90s, I was fortunate to be given a residency at the UBC Creative Writing Department, and still remember the talented students there; many of them went on to publish books that have been recognized nationally and internationally. I thought it would be intriguing to return to UBC nearly three decades later.
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?
It’s always exciting to discuss craft with writers, especially poets who are accustomed to scrutinizing every word, line break, punctuation. During a consult, it’s very satisfying to engage with writers over their manuscripts – to hear the stories behind their work, their hopes and vulnerabilities, to puzzle through their words with them and give feedback on their ideas and images. I’m receptive to all questions, whether they are specific to the written work, or personal writing struggles, or about editing and publishing.
“It’s always exciting to discuss craft with writers, especially poets who are accustomed to scrutinizing every word, line break, punctuation.”
Q: Are there any resources at the library that you’re hoping to access while you’re here?
I look forward to spending time in the Library, and on campus! Who knows what effect the space will have on my thought process as I work on my next poetry collection?
The UBC Library Writer-in-Residence Program promotes Canadian writing and literature to UBC’s Vancouver campus community. During the 8-month, part-time, residency which runs from September to April, the Writer will spend their time working on their own project, mentoring emerging writers through one-on-one consultation sessions and group workshops, and sharing their experience with the UBC community. This program is made possible with support from the Peña Fund.
UBC Library and the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre (IKBLC) are excited to introduce the 2025/2026 UBC Library Writer-in-Residence.
The UBC Library Writer-in-Residence Program promotes Canadian writing and literature to UBC’s Vancouver campus community. During the eight-month, part-time, residency, which runs from September to April, the Writer will spend their time working on their own project, mentoring emerging writers through one-on-one consultation sessions and group workshops, and sharing their experience with the UBC community. This program is made possible with support from the Peña Fund.
We welcome Evelyn Lau as our Writer-in-Residence for 2025/2026!
2025/2026 Writer-in-Residence
Evelyn Lau (she/her)
Evelyn Lau is a lifelong Vancouverite who has authored 15 books. Her memoir, Runaway, was made into a CBC movie starring Sandra Oh; Evelyn’s collections of poetry have received national awards and her prose has been translated into a dozen languages. From 2011 to 2014, she served as Vancouver’s Poet Laureate.
Her new book, Parade Of Storms, is available for purchase at the UBC Bookstore.
The Writer-in-Residence program at the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre (IKBLC) is an initiative designed to support and promote literary excellence within UBC’s academic community. Through this program, the library aims to foster a vibrant literary culture, encourage creative expression, and offer valuable insights into the writing process. The Writer-in-Residence also participates at Word Vancouver festival as a featured speaker.
While residing within the Metro Vancouver area is not required, the Writer-in-Residence position requires an occasional in-person presence on UBC Vancouver campus throughout the residency period.
Starting September 2, 2025, the Asian Library will temporarily operate with new hours: Monday to Friday 9 am – 5 pmSaturday 11 am – 4 pm Please check our hours on our website before you visit.
Have you ever come across a book so beautifully designed that its size makes it stand out? At UBC Asian Library, our foyer space is currently showcasing some titles from the Oversize Book Collection, which brings together a wide range of large-format materials that showcase art, history, literature, and culture across Asia. From richly illustrated […]
