2021 Author Showcase

Syd Lazarus

CW (content warning) for this video:

Part one – Parent death, cancer mention, sickness

Part two – Implied sexual assault, implied grooming/manipulation, use of ableist language (in a self-reference/reclamatory fashion), body horror, reference to sexual content, chronic illness

Syd Lazarus believes that in order to best understand them you should know they once cried over an episode of Rugrats. Their written work can be found in print and online publications like  Shameless Mag, Lunch Ticket, and Shrapnel Mag. Their first chapbook, How to Lose Friends Without Really Trying was published by Frog Hollow Press in 2019.  Currently, they are attending Concordia University as an MA Candidate for Creative Writing. When they’re not writing poetry, they’re acting as the Narrative Designer for Montreal game studio Casa Rara. They are currently a mentee with ArenaNet for their 2021 Narrative Design Mentorship.

You are encouraged to wishlist Syd’s current project at:

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1315410/Mini_Maker/?utm_source=biphoria

Amanda Scriver

Amanda Scriver (she/they) is a journalist and podcaster known for being fat, loud, and shouty on the Internet. Her writing has appeared on Refinery 29, The Toronto Star , The Washington Post, Healthline, and Xtra. She lives in Toronto, Canada with her partner where they obsessively watch TikToks, drag and memes. She’s still trying to find the best potato chip buffet combo. Suggestions welcomed!

Mugabi Byenkya

Mugabi Byenkya (he/they) is an award-winning writer, poet and occasional rapper.  Mugabi was longlisted for the Babishai Niwe Poetry Award in 2015. His writing has been published in The Good Men Project and Skin Deep, and over 25 other publications. He has been interviewed on VOA and over 40 other media outlets.  His award-nominated debut, ‘Dear Philomena,’ was published in 2017 and went on a 43 city, 5 country North America/East Africa tour.  In 2018, he was named one of 56 writers who has contributed to Uganda’s literary heritage by Writivism. Dear Philomena, was named a Ugandan bestseller in the same year.

Anuja Varghese

Anuja Varghese (she/her) is a QWOC Pushcart-nominated writer with a degree in English Literature from McGill University. Her work appears in Hobart, The Malahat Review, Plenitude Magazine, Humber Literary Review, and others. In 2021, she took on the role of Fiction Editor with The Puritan Magazine. She is currently working on a debut novel while pursuing a Creative Writing Certificate from the University of Toronto. Anuja can be found on Instagram (@anuja_v) and Twitter (@Anuja_V), or by visiting her website anujavarghese.com. She lives in Hamilton with her partner, two kids, and two cats.

Dorianne Emmerton, curator

Dorianne Emmerton writes queer speculative fiction and is co-curator of the Brockton Writers Series, as well as working on the Bi+ Arts Festival team. She grew up in small town Northern Ontario amidst rock outcrops, jack pines, and pigeon-sized mosquitoes but now calls Toronto home. She has a flash piece in the most recent issue of Room Magazine, and other stories in The Fantasist, Daily Science Fiction, the Bronzeville Bee, Nevertheless (Tesseracts Twenty-One) and Ink Stains Volume Seven: Decay.