Loghan Paylor named 2026 VPL Writer
September 30th, 2026
The Vancouver Public Library (VPL) has appointed bestselling author and 2026 CBC Canada Reads champion Loghan Paylor as its 2026 Writer in Residence.
Now in its 22nd year, the four-month residency runs from September through December, dividing the author’s time equally between developing their own creative projects and mentoring the local writing community through free public workshops and one-on-one manuscript consultations.
Based in Chilliwack, Paylor is a queer, trans writer whose debut novel, The Cure for Drowning (Random House Canada, 2024), captured the 2026 CBC Canada Reads crown. The national bestseller was also shortlisted for the 2026 Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize and the 2025 BC and Yukon Book Prizes’ Jim Deva Prize for Writing That Provokes, alongside a longlist nod for the 2024 Giller Prize. An alumnus of SFU’s The Writer’s Studio and UBC’s MFA program, Paylor’s prose and essays have appeared in Room, Prairie Fire and CBC Arts.
For Paylor, the appointment brings their writing journey full circle. A library workshop in their Ontario hometown originally inspired them to leave pre-law studies and pursue writing:
“Years ago, an author came to my small hometown and taught a free writing workshop at the local library. I attended on a whim, and it changed my life. This is the power of libraries. The magic is in us, of course, and libraries happen to be a special setting where that magic can get to work. My hope is to provide a nurturing, safe space for others to write something true.”
Throughout the residency, Paylor is hosting Thursday evening craft classes in the Alice MacKay Room at VPL’s Central Library branch, covering narrative technique, worldbuilding and historical research:
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Worldbuilding Through the Senses: Creating Fictional Settings (October 1): Register here.
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Nylons, Newsreels and Nightclubs: Turning Historical Research into Historical Fiction (October 8): Register here.
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Beyond Correctness: Grammar as Creative Practice (October 29): Register here.
Aspiring and emerging writers can also book individual consultation sessions with Paylor to receive targeted feedback on their works-in-progress.
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