Evan J

Evan J (he/they) lives in many places and moves often. Home, for Evan, currently exists along the grassland-bird flyways of the Red River, as well as the eastern shores of Lake Winnipeg, Treaty 1 Territory, Manitoba. His home will soon also include so-called Victoria and Prince George, British Columbia. In recent years, he has also lived in Sioux Lookout, Toronto, and Ottawa, Ontario. His ancestors are settlers from various parts of the world—his bloodlines run back to Iceland and Newfoundland, but he also has significant non-ancestral familial connections to Germany and Guyana.

Evan’s creative and academic focus is art, mostly literature. He is currently a full-time writer and installation artist. He is the author of the poetry book Ripping down half the trees (MQUP 2021), and he has three more books (short fiction, poetry, and a novel) forthcoming. His installation art predominantly occurs within the medium of Fire Poems, a form of pyro-poetics. He is also an alumni of the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, the Vermont Studio Centre, and the Mendocino Coast Writers’ Conference.

Evan holds degrees in literature, digital humanities, and history from York, Carleton, and the University of Manitoba. In recent years, he worked as a literacy teacher and consultant with several First Nations across Ontario, but mostly in the remote regions of Treaty 3 Territory. During this time he also worked extensively with the homeless and street-living populations of this northern region. Additionally, he has worked as a hunting guide (deer and grouse), a creative writing teacher (for Vallum magazine), a literary festival manager (THIN AIR Winnipeg), a magazine editor (Brick, A Literary Journal), and a high school teacher.

Evan’s PhD research at UNBC will explore northern futurisms. The work will investigate how northern literature and northern writers speculate on the future of the north, particularly on the health and wellbeing possibilities/options/potential (ecologically, legally, socially, politically, etc.) of this future. Transgender rights, ecological justice, anti-colonial action, geography, and economics are also central to Evan’s academic and creative interests.

Lastly, know that Evan strives to spend considerable time outdoors, most often in the form of birding, dog walks, running, and hunting. If you’re keen to make a new friend, simply reach out to Evan and ask to join him on one of these outings!