Meet the team….

Andrea Melton

Hi, I’m Andrea and I consider myself a life-long learner. After high school, I took a couple of college courses but then decided to travel and work before I decided to make my career as a Library Technician, and I’ve been happily employed at Vancouver Community College library for many years. But during that time, I’ve been taking online courses towards my degree, focusing mostly on Psychology and my first love, English(?) Literature. When I took my first Canadian Studies college course in 2001 (a memorable time, because during that class we had to get under our desks for that earthquake) I remember reading Susanna Moodie, Alice Munro, and others, then finally at the very end, we read the Rez Sisters by Tomson Highway. I think it was considered progressive at the time because there were a few women and one Indigenous author. But no people of colour, and no conversations on what we are going to focus on in our Intervention—the Diaspora in Canadian Literature. Why have I never read Madeline Thien, Dionne Brand, Wayson Choy, Rohinton Mistry, even though I know who they are and they have contributed greatly to Canadian Lit? I want to explore that in this conference dialogue. I am grateful to this course for focusing on Indigenous writing; the way the course was structured really emphasized a new way of learning literature.

Tony Juhyun Bae

Being an immigrant was tough for me. It isn’t much different than other immigrant stories you’ve heard before, I had to learn English and adjust to the culture, which was especially hard being socially awkward. Once I grew older, I was confronted with a new problem that I couldn’t have anticipated—who am I? I still speak in an accent in English and somehow I’ve developed a Canadian accent when speaking in Korean. I felt like an outsider in both cultures.

Defining who I am, realizing that I’m somewhere in between both cultures, took me a while. It took even longer to become comfortable with that. Something I realized afterwards is that I sorely wished for any connection within the stories that surrounded me as I was growing. I wasn’t exposed to Asian-Canadian writers (or many of non-white writers), and I never saw any representation of someone like me in any popular media. Immigrants are either depicted as the “model foreigner” in which there is almost nothing left of their original identity, or as the “heroic refugee” that is trying their damnedest to fit in. This made me feel even more like there was something wrong with me.

This is what makes me passionate about promoting the works of diverse emerging writers in Canada. When I walk the streets of Vancouver, I can encounter countless different cultures. I want our literary environment to be representative of that. But being pushed by popular culture to stay in our comfort zone turns it into a discouraging environment for minority writers. I want people to start enjoying the works of their neighbours, to realize there is a whole new world out there.

Sean Dyer

Hey There! My name is Sean Dyer. I have earned a BFA in theatre with a specialization in acting and audience service management from the University of Victoria.  I am an actor, playwright-in-progress, front of house manager, director, marketer and stage manager. I have worked in Canada’s professional and amateur theatre scene for the last eight years. Most of my experience with Canadian literature comes through the lens of Canadian plays. Having worked with a number of current mainstream Canadian playwrights, my interest in the future of Canadian literature and theatre has been sparked. What makes Canadian theatre Canadian? What are the topics we should be broaching? Who are our established and up and coming artists? What are the issues Canadians face in our day to day lives and how can we communicate those issues better? How can theatre and literature help us to be more inclusive? I believe our literary and dramatic canon should reflect who we were, are, and will be as Canadians. I’d like to help contribute and define that aspect of our literary canon.

Maxwell McEachern

My name is Maxwell McEachern and I will be graduating with Political Science and Art History. As a Canadian, I have chosen to move around a lot. I have now lived in four provinces and one territory all on my own accord. I have enjoyed getting to know different areas of the country and the little quirks that make them distinct. My time in the Okanagan has been culturally and diversely different than the Eastern Townships of Quebec. The Sahtu area of the Northwest Territories and Northern Ontario have different issues. I have been lucky to gain these experiences and learn about the diverse nature of this nation. The common bond seems to be storytelling, literature and art. They are forms that bridge the gap between cultures and allow anyone to get involved. It is now our job to allow these voices to be heard and embrace our differences. Our multiculturalism is not perfect but it is something to be proud of. There is so much knowledge to be gained from our stories, literature and art.