Parum
Hey folks! My name is Parum (he/him) and I’m a 3rd year Visual Arts major. My practice is mainly media-based (photo+film) but also includes writing! So much writing. I am really enthusiastic about most genres and forms, be they creative or academic, and the process of adding our voices to what we are creating!
I am here to help you in any way I can, to the best of my abilities. If you have no idea where to start, or have too many ideas, or don’t understand the assignment at all, or just need help with citations – I have your back! Writing and language get me really excited, like in a nerdy way, so if you just need some support and cheerleading, you can for sure rely on me for that as well! I have always found it incredibly reassuring to have support from the Writing Centre when I am producing my work, so I am really glad to offer that on my own now! Let’s work through the confusion together!
I’d love to get to know you more! Drop by and say hi and we can figure it all out from there!
Fatima
Hello! My name is Fatima and I am the person in the picture! I usually wear black, I am a second-year student majoring in communication design with high hopes of not ending up as a graphic designer (Yes, you heard me correctly). I am also a writer, I mostly write poetry, short stories and non-fiction, but when it comes to writing I am very open-minded to try anything!
I chose design as my major because of its logical perspective of the universe, the idea of creating stuff that will make the world a better place to live, I also love to connect with people and get to know them and see how their brains work, design for me it’s more of a way of looking at things, I have a very deep and serious approach to it that I hope I will find it through these years here.
What I enjoy the most is appreciating how beautiful life can be, reading books, writing, drinking tea, watching TV shows (I’m a pro at this one), and listening to music, I also do photography and illustration in my spare time. I love learning, so I never stop. I am multilingual, my friends call me a language nerd which I happily take as a compliment. I believe learning a language is not just about vocabulary or grammar, but getting to know another universe. I am supposed to be a logical extrovert but who knows what my brain is doing! I am me.
Alexis
My name is Alexis (she/her), and I’m a 2D Animation major. When I’m not being weighed down by assignments, I enjoy watching animated shows, films or discovering new graphic novels. Naausica of The Valley of The Wind and Pixar’s Soul are some of my favorites.
Writing is a struggle, and can be even more difficult if you speak more than one language. As a Korean speaker, I know the frustration that comes when the context of one language doesn’t translate into English. Like the other tutors, I want to help and support others at any stage of writing or work process. Whether you are in the planning stage, having trouble writing, or need help revising, I am here to help.
Emily
Hello everyone!!! My name is Emily (she/her), and I’m currently in my 2nd year majoring in 2D animation.
Outside of university, I enjoy listening to the same songs on repeat while playing games that push me further to the brink of insanity. Another interest of mine is media; Any movie, TV show or anime I can hyper-fixate on is a gold mine.
As an international student from a non-English-speaking country, I’m all too familiar with the struggle of adjusting your writing to another language. However, know that no matter what level your language and writing skills are currently at, there’s nothing to be ashamed of; you’re here to learn, and I’d be delighted to help you! Be it brainstorming, reviewing your work or just talking your ideas through – I’m here for you!!
What I love about writing is how unique and chaotic our approaches can be, while all end up with a final product. I’d be happy to hear about your process, and accompany you on your writing journey, so we can tackle any hurdles together! I look forward to learning from and about you 🙂
Tenaya
Hello!! My name is Tenaya (she/her) I’m a fourth-year industrial design student and creative writer. My work in the Writing Centre entails being a peer tutor, a Co-facilitator of the Design Writing Group, and an event assistant for the On Edge Reading Series. My creative practice is a combination of intuitive making with my hands, and critical analysis of how we interact with objects, materials, and life! Outside of design and writing, I love to sketch with ink markers, practice yoga, go hiking, disassociate and notice how the everyday is innately surreal, and bake vegan goods!
I believe writing and discussing your work is an essential process to help realize and define your work. It helps bring a personal understanding of your own goals and intentions and helps to ensure this is being communicated to others. Let’s talk about what you’re making, and unpack all of those wonderful, sometimes chaotic, and creative ideas!
Anoushka
I’m Anoushka and I use she/her pronouns. I’m majoring in Interaction Design and I’m so happy to get the chance to meet all of you!
My writing journey began when I was 11 and I found myself expressing my thoughts better through writing than talking. Since I’m from India, I’ve been raised to be fluent in both English and Hindi. Writing proved to be an anchor for me in both languages, helping me process information, whether it be academic or personal!
I know we’ll meet each other, not just as writers, but also as students and members of an educational community. So I can’t wait to meet you and explore that balance between our creative passion and our academic interests!!
Joanna
Heyo, I’m Joanna (she/her)! I’m a 3rd year Visual Arts student who works in a wide range of interdisciplinary mediums (which a fancier way of saying I couldn’t make up my mind as to what medium I wanted to be my “main one” so I’m trying to embrace it all), like photography, digital illustration, animation, sculpture, mixed media, and poetry.
If you’re anything like me, sometimes you just need someone there so you can get yourself to keep working on your writing. And I am more than happy to be that person to help you with anything from polishing up academic papers to brainstorming creative worldbuilding (yes, I do play ttrpgs), to workshopping storyboards!
I love cats, gardening, and rain. So I guess if you ever see me in a garden, with a cat, in the rain, come join me!
Cherry
Hi friends, I’m Cherry (like the fruit)! I use she / her pronouns and I’m currently a 3D animation student at Emily Carr. I love cartoons, sweets, and anything in pastel colors!
I was born in Taiwan, and lived in China for a few years before coming to Canada. So in addition to English, I know both Traditional and Simplified Mandarin, as well as a tiny bit of basic Japanese too. Learning languages has definitely been a big part of my adventure in Canada — especially through writing. I always love to think of words as a fun medium to share all kinds of stories and to connect with one another. Though big essays and long reports can definitely be stressful, I have experience in academic writing to help you out! I also enjoy creative writing, my favorite things to write are definitely birthday cards and letters 🙂
I’d love to get to know you! Feel free to come chat with me (and tell me about your birthday so I can make you a card) I’ll try to be your best cheerleader on your very own writing journey!
Weijin
Hello everyone! My name is Weijin (she/her) and I am currently a 4th year Interaction Design student minoring in Social Practice and Community Engagement.
I’m happy to help with academic writing, creative writing, or design-related writing (things like process books, case studies, and portfolios). I definitely know how it feels to get stuck, not know how to translate a concept into words, or get completely lost in MLA citations and I’m here to help! No matter what stage your writing is in, I’m always delighted to discuss ideas and learn something new along the way 🙂
Between classes I really enjoy reading and writing creative nonfiction and poetry! I’m also a big fan of Gertrude Stein, textiles, and making bad fridge magnet poems!
Zoë
Aniin, Hello! My name is Zoë and I am a second year MFA student. I also have my BFA and minor in Social Practice and Community Engagement from ECUAD. I’m Anishinaabe Metis and I was born and raised in so-called Calgary AB, moving to so-called Vancouver in 2019. My art and research and writing has been focused in community, culture, and place-based practices involving water, energy, the interdimensional and the rejection of linear time in favour of cyclical, layered existences. I deeply value my connection to the land and territory I’m on while honouring traditional knowledge as well.
BUT! Enough about that! I love weird movies and animation and the paranormal! Text in/as art and graphic novels, as well as how language is used in “non-traditional” ways is super interesting to me as well.
I enjoy reading poetry and science fiction, and I ESPECIALLY ENJOY helping people find and develop their voices and build confidence in their writing and formulating ideas. I take pride in advocacy and finding what works best for us while we navigate academia and this wild time.**
Sandy
Sandy (she/her) has supported the Writing Centre team since Fall 2018. She has a BFA in Media Arts & Digital Technology from Alberta College of Art + Design (now Alberta University of the Arts), level 9 Royal Conservatory of Music piano certification, and used to play drums in a band a long time ago. She loves playing video games and can solve a 3×3 Rubik’s Cube in about two minutes.
She appreciates the opportunity to work with the many kind and funny people who make up the team each semester, and to watch students be helped and grow in their writing journey.
Sara
Hi! My name is Sara and I’ve just returned to live, work, and play on the unceded, traditional and ancestral xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), and səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ(Tsleil-Waututh) territories as the new Learning Specialist.
After attending Emily Carr as an undergraduate (where you were most likely to find me in the ceramics studio), I studied East Asian art history at the University of Toronto. There, as a graduate student, I researched and wrote on the Second Sino-Japanese war’s effects on contemporary art, mostly centred around the imaginary Cyborg. I read and speak Japanese, and have spent several years studying Mandarin but mostly for reading.
During covid, my project has been to knit and send people I can’t visit with cowls (like circular scarves). So far I’ve done about 20, and I’ve really enjoyed the process of meditating on friendships and past memories and moments as I stitch. I’m looking forward to meeting you, and hearing your story at Emily Carr, as a student, writer, thinker, and maker.
Heather
Heather Fitzgerald is the Coordinator of the Writing Centre and a Senior Advisor, Teaching and Learning at ECUAD. She has been teaching academic writing for the past fifteen years, at both Emily Carr and the University of Toronto, and has a Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages through Woodsworth College (UToronto). Previously, she worked for six years as a lexicographer on the Canadian Oxford Dictionary project with Oxford University Press. And even before that (because she is old) she worked for many years as a copywriter for marketing and advertising companies in Calgary, Toronto and New York, writing many many words that very few people read!
Jacqueline (on leave)
Jacqueline Turner (on leave) is the author of five books, most recently Flourish (ECW Press, 2019) and a Writing Specialist focusing on Foundation and Grad students. She is the developer of the WRTG curriculum and Co-coordinator of the Writing Centre. Her recent writing-related research investigates the role of generous curiosity in creating conditions for collaboration. She is a co-researcher in a SSHRC-funded project exploring the potential of critical literacies and pedagogy-as-gift in post-secondary learning environments. She has held writing residencies in Brisbane, Tasmania, Granada, and Berlin. Over the years she was a founding member of filling Station magazine, on the collective of the Kootenay School of Writing, co-curated an early webzine with Meredith Quartermain called The News, and is still part of a group that runs the On Edge Reading Series at Emily Carr.