For 15 years in the 1980s and ‘90s, Kate Braid worked as a construction carpenter, a trade that even now is not exactly acceptable for a woman. Her mentor during that time was (deceased) painter Emily Carr, another woman who was told “Not!”  Braid has since written, edited or co-edited 11 books of non-fiction and prize-winning poetry. See www.katebraid.com

Amber Dawn is the author of the magical realism novel Sub Rosa and the memoir How Poetry Saved My Life: A Hustler’s Memoir, winner of the 2013 Vancouver Book Award. Her writing traverses themes of sex work, queer identity, survivor pride and the transformative power of literature.

The Georgia Straight says her poetry is “lit by compassion and courage … a tribute to survivors.”