Claire Matthews
BIO
Biography

Claire Matthews is a bi, neurodivergent writer, editor, and creative facilitator who lives on the unceded, traditional territories of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh (Squamish), xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), and Tsleil-Waututh nations.

With a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia, she studied poetry and specialized in creative non-fiction. She received her bachelor of arts from Kwantlen Polytechnic University, where she co-founded their first literary and arts magazine, pulp mag.

Her work has appeared in Coast Mountain Culture, Arc Poetry, Plenitude, Joyland, Loose Lips Magazine, Grain, and CV2, among others. Her poetry was long-listed for the CBC Poetry Prize, short-listed for the 2018 and 2019 Ralph Gustafson Prize for Best Poem, and her fiction won second place in the Vancouver Writers Fest Short Story Competition. Her research and writing has been supported by the Canada Council for the Arts.

Along with writing, Claire enjoys freelance editing and copyediting. As a freelance editor, she provides proofreading, copyediting, stylistic editing, and structural editing in poetry, creative non-fiction, and fiction. She also offers manuscript consultations and evaluations. Past and present clients include FriesenPress, Emelia Symington Fedy for her memoir Skid Dogs (Douglas & McIntyre 2023), and Zena Sharman for The Remedy: Queer and Trans Voices on Health and Healthcare (Arsenal Pulp Press 2016), among others. 

Claire's public performances include readings, school visits, workshops, and panels for poetry, creative non-fiction, and fiction. 

She is a member of Editors Canada and the League of Canadian Poets.

ADDRESS
City: Vancouver, Province/Territory: British Columbia
EMAIL
GENRE
Poetry, creative non-fiction, fiction
LANGUAGES
English
LINKS
Links
Contact Claire through her website:
Follow Claire on social media:
PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS AND WORKSHOPS
EQUITY INITIATIVE
As part of the Union’s Equity Implementation Plan, we are committed to increasing awareness of authors who are Black, Indigenous, racialized, LGBTQI2S, or living with a disability. This author identifies as:
Members who identify as:
LGBTQI2S
Living with a disability
Programs & Interests
Interested in participating Union’s Ontario Writers-in-the-Schools program:
All members are eligible for the Union’s Ontario Writers-in-the-Schools program. Are you interested in participating in this pro
Yes
Interested in participating in the Northern Ontario WITS program:
The Union’s Northern Ontario Writers-in-the-Schools program funds in-person visits to northern Ontario schools when possible. Ar
Yes