Vancouver writer, filmmaker and musician Aaron Chan has been selected as one of five recipients of the 2026 Writers’ Trust Rising Stars program, a national career development initiative supporting emerging Canadian authors.

Chosen by acclaimed writer Paul Seesequasis, Chan was recognized for work that explores identity, belonging and queer Asian experiences in Vancouver. “Aaron Chan writes with a fierce candour about navigating the layered complexities of coming out and negotiating Vancouver’s Cantonese and gay communities,” Seesequasis said in the announcement.

Presented annually by the Writers’ Trust of Canada, the Rising Stars program pairs five early-career writers with established Canadian authors for mentorship opportunities tailored to each recipient’s creative goals. Winners also receive a $5,000 prize and a two-week residency at Gibraltar Point Centre for the Arts on the Toronto Islands.

Born and raised on unceded Coast Salish territories in Vancouver, Chan is the author of This City Is a Minefield (Signal 8 Press, 2019), a memoir-in-essays about growing up gay and Asian in Vancouver, and the children’s picture book The Broken Heart (Rocky Pond Books, 2024). His work has appeared in publications including Plenitude, filling Station, Polychrome Ink and Xtra.

Chan holds a BFA from the University of British Columbia and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of California Riverside. His honours include subTerrain’s Lush Triumphant Literary Award in Creative Non-Fiction, and his essay “Quiz” was longlisted for the 2024 CBC Nonfiction Prize. He is also serving as the 2026 Writer-In-Residence for the City of Richmond.

The 2026 Rising Stars cohort also includes Curtis John McRae, Cassandra Myers, Vinh Nguyen and Siavash Saadlou. The program was launched in 2019 to help emerging Canadian writers develop their craft through mentorship, professional support and industry connections.

Founded in 1976 by writers including Margaret Atwood, Pierre Berton and Margaret Laurence, the Writers’ Trust of Canada remains one of the country’s leading literary organizations supporting Canadian writers through awards, grants and career development initiatives.