Stories from the Creative Edge
Events
New play by Writing student explores trans joy & resilience
It's always exciting to see student work spring off the campus and into the community. Local playwright and fresh Writing alum Jasper Mallette — who just graduated in June 2025 — is now debuting Expiry Date, a brand new piece of transgender theatre, which runs at...
Climate professor receives $2.5 million grant to document stories globally
Fires rage, floods devastate, storms surge: every day we hear about the impacts of climate change, with ever-increasing casualty counts and infrastructure damage tipping into the billions. But all too often, climate politics and media reporting favour the voices of...
Sean Holman wins BC journalism award
Congratulations go out to UVic Writing professor & Climate Disaster Project founder Sean Holman on being named the 2025 recipient of the Jack Webster Foundation's Bill Good Award. Presented annually by Western Canada's preeminent journalism foundation, the Bill...
Climate Disaster Project play wins award
Congratulations go out to the Climate Disaster Project on winning Silver in the "Environmental and Climate Change" category at the Canadian Association of Journalists Awards on June 1 for Eyes of the Beast:Climate Disaster Survivor Stories, a documentary play about...
Writing grad Kyeren Regehr is Victoria’s newest Poet Laureate
Once again, the City of Victoria's Poet Laureate position has gone to a Department of Writing alumni. Writing grad Kyeren Regehr was recently appointed as the City of Victoria's latest Poet Laureate. Regehr (MFA ’13, BFA ’11 + a Fine Arts Victoria Medal recipient) is...
Sean Holman presents at My Climate Story summit
When 20 of the best climate storytellers from around the world present their ideas at the international My Climate Story project on April 10, UVic will be in the room as well: Writing professor Sean Holman was selected out of nearly 100 submissions to share a...
Submission call for $1K Student Impact Awards!
Are you a current or graduating Fine Arts student who’s been involved with some community-engaged creative activity between January 1 2024 & May 31 2025? If so, you could qualify for $1,000 via our annual juried, donor-funded Community Impact Awards. Since 2021,...
Three REACH Award winners in Fine Arts
Congratulations go out to three Fine Arts professors who have been named recipients of UVic's annual REACH Awards, which recognize outstanding achievement by teachers and researchers who are leading the way in dynamic learning and making a vital impact on campus, in...
New Indigenous student listserv
Xʷkʷənəŋistəl | W̱ ȻENEṈISTEL | Helping to move each other forward—UVic’s Indigenous Plan Are you an Indigenous student in any of our Fine Arts units (Art History & Visual Studies, Music, Theatre, Visual Arts or Writing)? If so, you may like to sign up for our...
Orion Lectures: Michelle Chawla
The OrionLecture Series in Fine ArtsThrough the generous support of the Orion Fund in Fine Arts, the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Victoria, is pleased to present:Photo: Christian LalondeMichelle Chawla Director & CEO, Canada Council for the Arts A...
2025 Lehan Lecture: d’bi.young anitafrika
When it comes to activism and the arts, it’s hard to think of anyone more suitable than d’bi.young anitafrika. The author of 12 plays, seven albums and four poetry collections, they embody, create and teach decolonial performance praxis on a global scale. The third...
Orion Lectures: Anosh Irani Author, playwright “Building Character in Fiction”
The OrionLecture Series in Fine ArtsThrough the generous support of the Orion Fund in Fine Arts, the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Victoria, is pleased to present:Anosh Irani Author, Playwright "Building Character in Fiction" 2:30 pm Friday , February 7 Room...
Top 10 Fine Arts stories of 2024
There’s no better time than the start of a new year for a moment of reflection on the previous year’s accomplishments. With that in mind, we're happy to present the Fine Arts Top 10 of 2024: an inspiring series of story highlights about our students, faculty and...
Double Your Fine Arts Gift on Giving Tuesday
December 3 is Giving Tuesday, a day when the entire UVic community will unite around a common cause — supporting the students and programs that make this university the very special place it is. This year, UVic's Faculty of Fine Arts is raising funds to honour and...
Call for grad student proposals: ONC ArtScience Fellowship Program
Call for grad student proposals: ONC ArtScience Fellowship ProgramUVic’s Faculty of Fine Arts and Ocean Networks Canada (ONC) are calling for graduate student applications for the paid 2025 ONC ArtsScience Fellowship program. Note: the application period closes on...
Explore UVic on Nov 30
Considering a future as a student in UVic's Faculty of Fine Arts? Join us on Saturday, Nov 30, as we open our doors as part of Explore UVic—UVic's free, all-day open house. We’ve created a fun-filled day of student panels, sample lectures, presentations, tours and...
Jeannette Armstrong and Lina de Guevara awarded Honorary Doctorates
The Faculty of Fine Arts is thrilled to announce that Jeannette Armstrong will be awarded an Honorary Doctor of Letters (DLitt) and Lina de Guevara will be awarded an Honorary Doctor of Fine Arts (DFA) at the Fall 2024 Fine Arts convocation ceremony. You can watch as...
Indigenous Writers & Storyteller Series
When this year's installment of the sxʷiʔe ̕m “To Tell A Story” Indigenous Writers & Storytellers Series returns to UVic on November 1, it will be the latest gift to the community by the Department of Writing and professor Gregory Scofield.“My goal is to honor the...
Kathryn Mockler wins Victoria Book Prize
The Writing department's 2024 Victoria Book Prize finalists (from left): Tim Lilburn, Ali Blyth, Kathryn Mockler, Arleen Paré This year, October should be renamed the “Month of Mockler”, given how much Department of Writing professor Kathryn Mockler has been popping...
Southam Lecture:John Vaillant
Humans, aided by the fossil fuel industry (AKA the “fire industry”), have altered the chemistry of our planet and its atmosphere in life-changing ways. As a result, we are now crossing a threshold into a new climate regime marked by previously unimagined extremes and...
Orion Series presents Carleigh Baker
The Orion Lecture Series in Fine Arts Through the generous support of the Orion Fund in Fine Arts, the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Victoria, is pleased to present: Carleigh Baker Writer "Writing Fiction in our Complicated Contemporary World" 2:30-3:50pm,...
Orion Series presents Zehra Naqvi
The OrionLecture Series in Fine ArtsThrough the generous support of the Orion Fund in Fine Arts, the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Victoria, is pleased to present:Zehra Naqvi Writer, poet "Shaping Water: Finding a Form for your Writing" 11am-noon, Wed, Oct 16...
Orion Series presents Atom Egoyan
The OrionLecture Series in Fine ArtsThrough the generous support of the Orion Fund in Fine Arts, the Faculty of Fine Arts, University of Victoria, is pleased to present:Atom Egoyan Writer, Director, Producer In Conversation with Atom Egoyan (Q & A) Moderator:...
Writing Faculty Reading Night returns
There's only one chance this year to hear UVic's top authors reading on the same night: don't miss the Department of Writing's annual Faculty Reading Night, running 7pm Wed Sept 25 in room A102 of UVic's Turpin building. In addition to the first on-campus...
World premiere of climate disaster play at Phoenix Theatre
People across Canada came together to help one another during recent climate disasters, and now Neworld Theatre and the Climate Disaster Project are bringing those true-life stories to the stage. Eyes of the Beast: Climate Disaster Survivor Stories is the first...
“solastalgia” exhibit closing panel talk
Don't miss the closing night panel talk for solastalgia [soon to be what once was] — the new exhibit by current School of Music Master's student in music technology & Ocean Networks Canada artist-in-residence Megan Harton. This event will feature fascinating...
Wayde Compton joins Writing
Photo: Roger HurThe Department of Writing is proud to announce their latest hire: author and associate professor Wayde Compton. Born and raised in Vancouver, Compton studied English at Simon Fraser University where he worked with the likes of authors George Bowering...
Co-op brings learning to life
When it comes to mixing the theoretical with the practical, Fine Arts students have been participating in UVic’s vibrant Co-op program since 1986. In the past five years alone, we’ve had more than 300 students earn both academic credit and a monthly wage while getting...
Theatre grad Medina Hahn is choosing her own path
Medina Hahn with Daniel Arnold in Inheritance (David Cooper photo)Any professional actor will tell you that success in the industry demands a combination of talent, determination and plain old hard work. But Vancouver-based actor, singer and writer Medina Hahn (BFA...
World premiere climate play coming in September
A Neworld Theatre production presented by the Climate Disaster Project in association with the University of Victoria’s Department of Theatre, Eyes of the Beast: Climate Disaster Stories is about ordinary people surviving these extraordinary times. Adapted from the...
Externally funded research (select)
Heather Igloliorte (centre) speaking as part of the Distinguished Women Scholars event at Legacy Gallery's 2024 exhibit, Latent (Beth Bingham photo)Each year, Fine Arts faculty members receive external funding for their ongoing creative and scholarly projects. This is...
Student award honours northern roots
Sarah de LeeuwWriting with a sense of place is a core teaching in our Department of Writing: our connection with the land can not only inspire us but also be a source of creativity in our life and works. The connection between health and the arts is also essential,...