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“The Life of a Writer” – A Conversation with UBC Library’s Writer-in-Residence Kevin Spenst

Peña Room (Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, Level 3) Date & Time: Thursday, October  1 – 3.00-4.30PM PT


“The Life of a Writer” – A Conversation with UBC Library’s Writer-in-Residence Kevin Spenst

Peña Room (Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, Level 3) Thursday, October 1 – 3.00-4.30PM PT


Call for Applications: EDI Scholars-in-Residence 2027

UBC Library is pleased to share the call for applications for the EDI Scholars-in-Residence. The deadline for submission of applications is October 31, 2026, 5.00pm.


UBC Library Writer-In-Residence Kevin Spenst at Word Vancouver Festival

Saturday, September 19, 12.30pm-1.30pm at HSBC Hall, UBC Robson Square (800 Robson St, Vancouver)


UBC Library-iSchool Mentorship Program

The UBC Library–iSchool Mentorship Program is the first initiative of its kind in Canada. Developed by UBC Library, the program pairs librarians and archivists from the Vancouver and Okanagan campuses with graduate students in the Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) and Master of Archival Studies (MAS) programs at the School of Information. It is designed for students aspiring to careers in academic libraries. The application deadline is September 30, 2026.


A Conversation with Kevin Spenst, UBC Library Writer-in-Residence

Kevin Spenst is a poet, editor, teacher, and community arts organizer, who brings a deep commitment to poetry as a public, participatory, and place-based practice.



August is Intersectionality Awareness Month

An individual’s experiences are based on not just their individual identities, but the intersection these identities create. Discrimination can be based on one’s race, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, and more. When these identities often overlap with one another, unique experiences of discrimination or privilege will occur rather than experiences based on each factor in […]


Intriguing Connections’ Blind Date with a Book: Music, Author Readings, and Book Exchange

Thursday, August 20, 12.00-3.00PM PT, at the Peña Room (Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, Level 3)


July 14th is International Non-Binary People’s Day

Since 2012, we have celebrated International Non-Binary People’s Day on July 14th, the halfway point between International Women’s Day and International Men’s Day. The term “non-binary” does not have one definition but refers to individuals whose gender identity is neither female nor male. Other terms such as “gender non-conforming”, “genderqueer”, or “agender” are similar. Gender […]


UBC Library Announces Kevin Spenst as Writer-in-Residence

In collaboration with Word Vancouver, UBC Library is pleased to announce Kevin Spenst as its next Writer-in-Residence. A poet, editor, teacher, and community arts organizer, Spenst brings a deep commitment to poetry as a public, participatory, and place-based practice.


June is National Indigenous History Month

The University of British Columbia’s Vancouver campus is located on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ speaking xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam) people. In fact, anywhere you step in Canada is land on which Indigenous people have lived and stewarded since time immemorial. June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada, a time to learn […]


Intriguing Connections – Pop-Up Book Gathering at the UEL Community Gardens on July 5

Sunday, July 5, 2026, 4:30pm to 6:30pm at the UEL Community Gardens


Intriguing Connections – Pop-Up Book Display and Gathering at the UEL Community Gardens on July 25

July 31, 2026, 2.00-4.00 pm at the UEL Community Gardens


Intriguing Connections – Pop Up Book Gathering

Sunday, May 31, 2026, 2.00-4.00 pm at the Wesbrook Community Centre Outdoor Space (3335 Webber Lane)


May is Asian Heritage Month

Each year in May, Canada celebrates Asian Heritage Month to recognize the ways Canadians of Asian descent have helped shape Canadian identity today. Many Asian Canadians have made contributions that mark historical and cultural milestones in the development of the country. To read more about noteworthy Canadians of Asian heritage, see here. Though this yearly […]


Applications Open for the 2026 UBC Library Writer-in-Residence

Deadline for applications: May 30, 2026


April 2nd is World Autism Awareness Day

In 2007, the United Nations designated April 2nd as World Autism Awareness Day to not only raise awareness, but to promote acceptance, appreciation, and inclusion of autistic individuals as well as recognizing the positive contributions they have made to the world. Recently, there has been an increased movement to understand and advocate for neurodivergent communities. […]


A Conversation with Dana-Lyn Mackenzie

EDI Scholar-in-Residence 2025/2026



March 21st is International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination

Content warning: This post discusses and describes the Canadian Residential School System and the Chinese Exclusion Act. Please take care when reading. What is the International Day for Elimination of Racial Discrimination? The International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination is recognized each year on March 21st to call attention to the ongoing injustices […]


February 26th is Pink Shirt Day

Pink Shirt Day is a day to recognize and raise awareness of bullying, a major problem in schools, workplaces, and online. It began in 2007 in Nova Scotia, when a group of teenagers organized a protest to wear pink in solidarity with a boy who was bullied for wearing a pink shirt to school. The […]


EDI Scholars-in-Residence Event — “Tea and Learn: Meaningful Reconciliation” with Dana-Lyn Mackenzie

Thursday, February 26, 2026, 3:00pm - 4:00pm, at the Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, Pena Room (Rm 301)


UBC Library Writer-in-Residence program: “Unspoken Truths: A Poetry Workshop with Evelyn Lau”

Thursday, February 12 – 3.00-4.30PM, at the Peña Room (Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, Level 3)


EDI Scholar-in-Residence with Dana-Lyn Mackenzie: Advancing the Indigenous Strategic Plan at UBC

Thursday, January 29, 2026 – 3.00-4.00PM PT, Peña Room (Irving K. Barber Learning Centre, Level 3)


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