Writing the Coast: BC and Yukon Book Prizes Podcast

About Writing the Coast: BC and Yukon Book Prizes Podcast

Welcome to Writing the Coast! This is the 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/

Publisher

Writing the Coast: BC & Yukon Book Prizes podcast

Category

arts

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

7 Aug 2019

Latest episode

7 Nov 2026

Latest episodes

253 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   7 Nov 2026

   Kawika Guillermo on the art and artistry of video games

   ABOUT THIS EPISODE: On this episode of Writing the Coast, Kawika Guillermo talks about their book Of Floating Isles: On Growing Pains and Video Games. Of Floating Isles was a finalist for the 2026 Jim Deva Prize for Writing that Provokes. In their conversation with host Megan Cole, Kawika talks about how video games help understand death, loss and grief. They also talked about how video games help build community. For more about Of Floating Isles: https://bcyukonbookprizes.com/project/of-floating-isles/ To view the 2026 BC and Yukon Book Prizes shortlists: bcyukonbookprizes.com/winners-finalists/#2026 ABOUT kAWIKA GUILLERMO: Kawika Guillermo (they/he) is an award-winning author whose books include Of Floating Isles: On Growing Pains and Video Games (Arsenal Pulp Press), Stamped: an anti-travel novel (Westphalia Press), Nimrods: a fake-punk self-hurt anti-memoir (Duke University Press), and Open World Empire: Race, Erotics, and the Global Rise of Video Games (NYU Press). They co-edited the anthology Made in Asia/America: Why Video Games Were Never (Really) About Us (Duke University Press) and designed the game Stamped: an anti-travel game (Analgesic Productions). They have lived in Portland, Las Vegas, Seattle, Gimhae, Nanjing, Hong Kong, and Vancouver. They currently teach game studies at the University of British Columbia. ABOUT MEGAN COLE: Megan Cole is the Executive Director for the BC and Yukon Book Prizes. She is also a writer based on the territory of the Tla'amin Nation. Megan writes creative nonfiction and has had essays published in Chatelaine, This Magazine, The Puritan, Untethered, and more. She has her MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of King's College and is working her first book. Find out more about Megan at megancolewriter.com ABOUT THE PODCAST: Writing the Coast is recorded and produced on the traditional territory of the Tla'amin Nation. As a settler on these lands, Megan Cole finds opportunities to learn and listen to the stories from those whose land was stolen. Writing the Coast is a recorded series of conversations, readings, and insights into the work of the writers, illustrators, and creators whose books are nominated for the annual BC and Yukon Book Prizes. We'll also check in on people in the writing community who are supporting books, writers and readers every day. The podcast is produced and hosted by Megan Cole.

2. 

   31 Oct 2026

   Maria Reva on why she became a character in her novel

   ABOUT THIS EPISODE: On this episode of Writing the Coast, Maria Reva talks about her novel Endling. Endling won the 2026 Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize. In her conversation with host Megan Cole, Maria talks about why she became interested in snails, and how the Russian invasion of Ukraine changed the trajectory of the novel. For more about Endling: https://bcyukonbookprizes.com/project/endling/ To view the 2026 BC and Yukon Book Prizes shortlists: bcyukonbookprizes.com/winners-finalists/#2026 ABOUT MARIA REVA: Maria Reva was born in Ukraine and grew up in Canada. Her fiction has appeared in The Atlantic, McSweeney’s, The Best American Short Stories, and elsewhere, earning a National Magazine Award. She also works as an opera librettist. ABOUT MEGAN COLE: Megan Cole is the Executive Director for the BC and Yukon Book Prizes. She is also a writer based on the territory of the Tla'amin Nation. Megan writes creative nonfiction and has had essays published in Chatelaine, This Magazine, The Puritan, Untethered, and more. She has her MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of King's College and is working her first book. Find out more about Megan at megancolewriter.com ABOUT THE PODCAST: Writing the Coast is recorded and produced on the traditional territory of the Tla'amin Nation. As a settler on these lands, Megan Cole finds opportunities to learn and listen to the stories from those whose land was stolen. Writing the Coast is a recorded series of conversations, readings, and insights into the work of the writers, illustrators, and creators whose books are nominated for the annual BC and Yukon Book Prizes. We'll also check in on people in the writing community who are supporting books, writers and readers every day. The podcast is produced and hosted by Megan Cole.

3. 

   24 Oct 2026

   Flashback: Ruth Ozeki talks about the role libraries have played in her life and her books

   ABOUT THIS EPISODE: In this episode, we return to our episode with Ruth Ozeki. Ruth was at the Vancouver Writers Fest (October 18-25) with her new book The Typing Lady: And Other Fictions. This episode was first released in 2022 when Ruth's book The Book of Form and Emptiness won the 2022 Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize. In her conversation with host Megan Cole, Ruth talks about the questions at the centre of The Book of Form and Emptiness, and her love of libraries. ABOUT RUTH OZEKI: Ruth Ozeki is a novelist, filmmaker, and Zen Buddhist priest. She is the award-winning author of three novels, My Year of Meats, All Over Creation, and A Tale for the Time Being, which was a finalist for the 2013 Booker Prize. Her nonfiction work includes a memoir, The Face: A Time Code, and the documentary film, Halving the Bones. She is affiliated with the Everyday Zen Foun­dation and teaches creative writing at Smith College, where she is the Grace Jarcho Ross 1933 Professor of Humanities. ABOUT MEGAN COLE: Megan Cole is the Executive Director for the BC and Yukon Book Prizes. She is also a writer based on the territory of the Tla'amin Nation. Megan writes creative nonfiction and has had essays published in Chatelaine, This Magazine, The Puritan, Untethered, and more. She has her MFA in creative nonfiction from the University of King's College and is working her first book. Find out more about Megan at megancolewriter.com ABOUT THE PODCAST: Writing the Coast is recorded and produced on the traditional territory of the Tla'amin Nation. As a settler on these lands, Megan Cole finds opportunities to learn and listen to the stories from those whose land was stolen. Writing the Coast is a recorded series of conversations, readings, and insights into the work of the writers, illustrators, and creators whose books are nominated for the annual BC and Yukon Book Prizes. We'll also check in on people in the writing community who are supporting books, writers and readers every day. The podcast is produced and hosted by Megan Cole.

Who has been a guest on Writing the Coast: BC and Yukon Book Prizes Podcast

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Mei Yu
• Julie Wilkins
• Leslie Gentile
• Marion McKinnon Crook
• Jennifer Bonnell

Podcast Authority Score: 42 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

72

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

30

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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