K.A. Wiggins (Kaie) is an award-winning speculative fiction author, speaker, and creative educator known for the celebrated “eco-apocalypse + monsters in dystopian Vancouver” gothic YA Science Fantasy series Threads of Dreams.
Her quietly subversive fantasy, science fiction, and horror fiction explores the tangled webs of society, environment, and identity through intricate, dreamlike tales of monsters and magic and has notably appeared in Year's Best Canadian Fantasy & Science Fiction, Brave New Weird: Best New Weird Horror, Strange Horizons, Lightspeed Magazine, The NoSleep Podcast, Fantasy Magazine, and Pulphouse Fiction Magazine, among others.
A dynamic and engaging speaker, she makes frequent appearances at conferences and festivals, teaches term-length youth storytelling workshops and seasonal camps with the Creative Writing for Children Society, and leads the Children's Writers & Illustrators of British Columbia Society from her home in the Comox Valley (Courtenay), British Columbia. Find her at kawiggins.com or on social.
I enjoy working with emerging writers of all ages and bring enthusiasm, respect, and thoughtfulness to all presentations. I have an engaging, funny, comfortable, and interactive approach to speaking, and prefer to focus on a topic of interest rather than a more traditional "author reading" format when possible. Depending on group size and comfort level with direct interaction, a small exercise, activity, or craft can be incorporated.
Available for "business of writing" (overview, marketing/promo, design, independent/self publishing, pathways to publishing, etc.), creative writing (resiliency, planning/plotting/drafting, self-editing, production incl. generating interior files, cover design), genre (general speculative/SF/fantasy/horror and subgenres thereof), short fiction, and related topics.
I have extensive public speaking and teaching experience (Creative Writing for Children Society, Story Studio, Word Vancouver Festival, BC Librarian's Association Youth Services Institute, Orchid's Children's Literature Fest, BC Teacher Librarian's Association Conference, Abbotsford Arts Council) and past clients have made the following comments:
- "Provided the students with such inspiration to move forth with their own writing projects.” -Rebecca Ruiter, Story Studio Writing Society
- (Will) "inform, entertain & enlighten audiences of all levels.” -Bonnie Nish, PhD, Faculty of Education, UBC & Executive Director of Word Vancouver
I enjoy working with emerging writers of all ages and bring enthusiasm, respect, and thoughtfulness to all workshops. Happy to discuss your needs—popular past/example presentations/workshops are described on the bookings page of my site (my interactive whiteboard storytelling particularly popular!)—please feel free to get in touch!
Available for "business of writing" (overview, marketing/promo, design, independent/self publishing, pathways to publishing, etc.), creative writing (resiliency, planning/plotting/drafting, self-editing, production incl. generating interior files, cover design), genre (general speculative/SF/fantasy/horror and subgenres thereof), short fiction, and related topics.
I have experience working with all ages (kids grade 4+, teens, and adults) and all skill sets (beginner, pre-published, and professional) in multiple lengths (hour-long, multi-hour/half-day, camp, and term-length), and in multiple formats. Workshops may include any of (depending on need/preference/age/ability/fee) a presentation/lecture, crafts/activities, exercises/assignments and/or individual feedback.
I love working with kids and teens and have spent the last several years speaking and teaching in BC and internationally (including with the Creative Writing for Children Society and Children's Writers & Illustrators of BC.)
While I can do author talks/readings, I find incorporating creative education really engages students and interactive storytelling (see my site for photos) is one particularly popular example of the many flexible/scalable activities I offer for any age/skill level/group size!
I also love talking about "weird fiction" and can highlight fantasy/sci-fi/dystopian/horror topics, or keep it more general, depending on taste. (Many of my presentations (and my own work in publishing) also highlight Canadian people and settings, and I often reference BC and Canadian children's authors.)
I got my start as a young writer through the encouragement of teachers and winning a few local awards, so I'm passionate about cheering on the next generation of storytellers—but I've found even reluctant students can come to alive when given the chance to engage in creative programming!
Also available for extended collaborations (author in residence, workshops, etc.) See my website for ideas and inspiration, photos, and other logistics.
