The Writers’ Guild of Alberta (WGA) is proud to introduce the WestWord Anti-Racism Interview Series, where we will be speaking with local Edmonton writers about some of the important work they are doing in the fight against racism. Earlier in 2020, the WGA made a commitment to stand with writers, artists – and Canadians – in that ongoing fight. That commitment is the springboard for this series.
To begin the series, we spoke with Lisa Dublin and Nisha Patel.
Stay tuned for more interviews in the series to be released in 2021!
In this first interview in our series on anti-racism, WestWord magazine’s Assistant Editor, Ellen Kartz, speaks with Edmonton poet, motivational speaker and activist Lisa Dublin about her work as the Chair of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity Committee, NASA (Non-Academic Student Association at the University of Alberta) and her own work on the Basement Chronicles web series.
Lisa Dublin has called Edmonton home for the last 7 years. She was born in the Caribbean island of Saint Lucia and migrated to Canada with her husband and sons in 2013. She currently works at the University of Alberta, and is also Chair of the Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity Committee of the Non Academic Staff Association (NASA). She is a writer and performance poet and her themes include race and religion, relationships, inspiration and personal development.
In the second interview in our series on anti-racism, WestWord magazine’s Assistant Editor, Ellen Kartz, speaks with Edmonton’s 2019-21 Poet Laureate, Nisha Patel, about her work on the Open Letter to City Council, a fund redistribution program for BIPOC artists, and her ongoing role as poet activist.
Nisha Patel is an award-winning queer poet & artist. She is the City of Edmonton’s Poet Laureate, and the 2019 Canadian Individual Slam Champion. She is a recipient of the Edmonton Artists’ Trust Fund Award. She is also the Executive Director of the Edmonton Poetry Festival. Her debut collection COCONUT is forthcoming with Newest Press.