Tri-City Wordsmiths Member Directory
Nargis Abraham (she/her)
My rapport with writing began with a journalism degree and freelance articles in magazines and newspapers. I taught journalistic feature writing at Osmania University in India and professional writing skills at BCIT in Burnaby BC. Along the way, I acquired a Ph.D. and two masters’ degrees. Since 2015 I have registered in the Port Moody Writers’ Group where I have read several of my short stories and chapters of my novel “Munni at my Doorstep” that was published in 2025. I moved from India to Canada in 1991 and live in Coquitlam BC.
Trevor Atkins
Trevor Atkins writes historical adventure novels for middle-grade readers (and up). The Day the Pirates Went Mad (2021) and Back to the New Adventure (2024) feature the young sailors Emma Sharpe and Jack Randall as they navigate the early 18th century and overcome threats to their good health and that of their shipmates.
Trevor has also had three short works published in themed anthologies, and subscribers to his mailing list receive a Halloween Tale each year. Trevor is a member of Tri-City Wordsmiths, FBCW, and CWILLBC.
Visit the link below for behind-the-scenes, recipes, teacher's guides, educational resources, reviews, and more.
Lyn Elizabeth Ayre
Lyn is a prolific writer penning poetry, short stories, children’s books, cookbooks, spiritual books, energy healing manuals, memoir and romantic suspense. This tallies to beyond a million words over the last few decades. Her favourite saying is, “I eat words for breakfast.” An avid reader, she also enjoys dabbling in the arts—painting, potting, cooking, gardening, jewelry-making, perfumery, singing, and photography.
Website: Creative Heart Art Expressions at https://lynayre.com/
Margarita Escobar
Margarita is a bilingual Canadian-Chilean writer who enjoys writing in both English and Spanish. Her short story collection, ‘Under a Weeping Willow,’ was published in 2023. Followed by the same collection in Spanish. ‘A la Sombra de un Sauce.’ Some of her stories can be found on Reedsy. Tint, an Austrian online magazine geared to ESL writers, has published some of her articles and essays.
Learn more: https://linktr.ee/_margarita.b.escobar_
Lena Gibson
Award-winning author Lena Gibson is a teacher and keeper of the family lore. As someone with autism, she often creates characters that reflect this experience.
A voracious reader, Lena loves interesting characters and fast-paced, emotional narratives, leading her to write genre-defying stories in multiple categories. While her books are disaster romance, time slip, dystopian adventure, and sports romance, all are about love, resilience, and hope.
When Lena isn't writing, she reads, practices karate, and drinks a ton of tea. She resides in New Westminster, Canada, with her family and their fuzzy overlord, Ash, the fluffiest of gray cats.
Suzanne Grant
Suzanne Grant is a retired college instructor and resides in Coquitlam with her husband and little Boston Mia. A lover of nature, gardening, reading and local literary events.
"Writing was more of an unplanned, amazing journey that blossomed through a deep interest in history and interpersonal connections”. Is Suzanne’s usual response when asked why she began writing and published her first novel in Canadian historical fiction Wildflowers Grow in Broken Places.
Christopher Green
Christopher Green, a retired lawyer, writes recreationally, publishing “a Gentleman’s Relish” blog and is active in the Port Moody Writers Group and Tri-Cities Wordsmiths.
He writes short fiction, historical non-fiction, humour, travelogue, and, at the slightest provocation, pens pithy solutions to world problems.
He has been published in Canadian Lawyer Magazine, the Advocate Magazine, and the Canadian Writers Journal, was a Stephen Leacock humor award finalist, and received an honorable mention from the Cecila Lamont Literary Society contest.
Chris is fluent in English and Legalese, speaks bad French and broken Spanish, and can order a beer in several other languages.
Anne Hamilton
Anne Hamilton, an emerging writer and memoirist, lives in Maple Ridge, BC. Anne is a Scottish-born Canadian retiree, a student of life, and a trauma survivor – tenacious in her pursuit of justice, joy-filled peace and well-being. She is often found encouraging others to be curious and courageous as they seek healing for themselves. Amidst her collections of rocks, feathers and useful tools – she listens for, and learns from, whispers in the wind. 2025 SFU Writer’s Studio Alumni.
Find her on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/anne.hamilton.5496
W.L. Hawkin
W. L. Hawkin loves myth, magic & mayhem, so created an edgy LGBTQ urban fantasy/crime series about a Wicca magician who works at a Vancouver goth club. She also writes romantic suspense, YA novels with diverse characters, and created Writing with your Muse for folks seeking inspiration. She’s also a presenter, reviewer for the Ottawa Review of Books, and book designer. She trained her food-crazed yellow Lab as a PADS therapy dog and then happily adopted her. If they’re not at Blue Haven Press, you’ll find them wandering the woods, listening to their characters and creating worlds.
Kirsten Hogan
An avid reader and writer, Kirsten has had several pieces published in literary journals (Touchstone, Howl) in her original home of Wisconsin, winning a few awards. In 2021 she began a blog for friends and family chronicling her cancer journey. In 2022 she transformed that blog, The C-Word, into an award-winning stage show of the same name. After working in professional theatre in New York City for a decade, she moved to Vancouver. Locally she has worked as a performing artist, graphic designer and marketing copywriter for both The Rio Theatre and for her own performing-arts company, Brixxhouse Arts.
Bonnie Jacoby
Bonnie Jacoby writes adventurous fantasy and futuristic science fiction for teens. As a resident of the beautiful Pacific Northwest, Bonnie's love for nature is reflected in her stories, transporting readers to worlds that are both familiar and fantastical.
Her debut book, Dreams of a Dragon Girl, is a magical fantasy with hidden dragons, where a young girl discovers her own strengths and stands up for those in need.
Bonnie's tales are about respecting all beings, no matter how different they may seem.
website: https://www.bonniejacoby.com
Debra Purdy Kong
Debra Purdy Kong has published short stories in many genres as well as personal essays and articles for publications such as Chicken Soup for the Bride’s Soul, B.C. Parent Magazine, and The Vancouver Sun. Her volunteer experiences, criminology background, and security work inspired her to write the 7-book Casey Holland mystery series set in Metro Vancouver. She’s currently working on an urban fantasy trilogy, the first of which is When Darkness Draws Near.
More about Debra can be found at www.debrapurdykong.com.
Nancy McNeil
Nancy McNeil enjoys writing children’s picture books for 5-to-8-year-olds who love goats, llamas, farms, and adventure. Her books include themes about the environment, climate change, family, responsibility, leadership, friendship, and STEAM.
Working in education for many years, Nancy’s career shift led her to small-scale farming while gaining experience in both agriculture and horticulture.
Finding humor, Nancy enjoys:
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playing tag with her llama, Alpaca-chino,
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battles with invasive plants like Himalayan blackberry and H. balsam,
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maintaining a dwarf Japanese Lace-leaf Maple Tree nursery.
Nancy’s debut book in the Becki’s Farming Adventures series, Becki and the Trailer Kids (Spring) is available from Amazon.
Rhea Rose (aka (R.E. Rose and Rhea E. Rose), Sable Purspell, Izabet B.A. Gardener)
Rhea Rose has published many speculative short fiction stories and poems. She is a four-time Canadian Aurora Award Nominee, a Rhysling nominee, and a recipient of several Ellen Datlow honourable mentions. She was the featured author in a recent issue of Pulp Literature. She is an active member of HWA, SF Canada, and SFPA and the editor of Polar Starlight, an online magazine of speculative poetry by Canadian authors. Her latest short story appears in ParSec Magazine’s 2024 issue #11, and her next flash fiction story and poem appears in Polar Borealis, 2025.
Tracey Schaeffer
Tracey Schaeffer’s been writing for fun her entire life. She was as surprised as anyone when a few of her personal essays appeared on the CBC News website and in the Globe and Mail newspaper.
You can find chilling in Pomo with her family.
See more of her work on her blog: https://medium.com/@kofigurl
Farida Somjee
Farida Somjee is an award-winning Canadian author. Her debut novel, The Beggar’s Dance, won the Whistler Independent Book Awards for Best Fiction. She is also the author of the children’s picture book Mommy Whey Aah You?.
Born in Mbeya, Tanzania, and raised in the coastal city of Dar es Salaam, many of her childhood memories—and later, her experiences as a mother—have shaped her writing. She moved to Canada in her late teens and now lives in Coquitlam, British Columbia, with her husband and their dog, Zorro.
Learn more at faridasomjee.com
Mallee Stanley
Mallee Stanley is a Canadian writer who has lived in Africa, Asia, and Australia for over forty years, lending her writing an international flavour. She has completed five historical fictions set in East Africa, Sri Lanka, India, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, and Canada with a through line dealing with racism and patriarchy.
Ming Louie Stein
I am Ming Louie Stein—a first-generation immigrant Chinese-Canadian. I began my career as a typesetter in the 1970s and progressed to a sales assistant/production coordinator position at a large printing company in Vancouver by 2004.
Previously a Bed & Breakfast host, today, my husband and I live in Port Moody with our darling pets.
I discovered my passion for writing in Port Moody. I write women’s stories and I’m a devoted pupil of Tai Chi.
My debut book, “Kintsugi: A Woman,” was self-published in January 2025. Currently, I am working on two novellas and a children’s book.
My website is www.minglouiestein.com
Carmy Stubbs
CARMY STUBBS is a lover of the Word and its power for transformation and healing. Through her poetry, short stories, writings, and illustrations, she explores the creative force of the Heart and the finding of one’s True Voice. Carmy is the author of the novel The Six Knowings of ASAIRA, a metaphysical fantasy, where all her loves ~ the poems, the magic, the storytelling, and the search for the Divine~ weave themselves alchemically through text and illustration. Carmy also holds Creativity & Silence Meetings and Workshops on Healing through Writing, Storytelling, and Art.
Learn more at https://www.carmystubbs.com/
Rohini Sunderam (Pseudonym: Zohra Saeed)
A Canadian of Indian origin, Rohini’s heart belongs to India, Bahrain, and Canada. She enjoys gardening, reading, writing formal poetry and short stories, although she does have a novel in search of a publisher. Her books span a variety of genres, including romance and crime. Her poetry and stories have appeared in several anthologies and print and online publications including The Society of Classical Poets, The Missouri Review, Dilliwali, (Poetry: March 2018) Quesadilla & Other Adventures (Poetry: 2019), and Arabian Noir (Crime story). A CNF entry and Flash Fiction were separately long listed in WOW: Women on Writing Contests.
KT Wagner
KT Wagner writes speculative fiction and poetry in the garden of her Maple Ridge home surrounded by gnomes and gargoyles. She enjoys daydreaming and is a collector of strange plants, weird trivia and obscure tomes. KT graduated from Simon Fraser University’s Writers Studio in 2015 (Southbank 2013). She organizes writer events and nurtures literary community. A number of her short stories are published in magazines and anthologies. She’s currently working on a scifi/folk-horror novel.
Krista Wallace
Krista is a fantasy writer, musician, audiobook narrator, podcaster, mum, Gran; a lover of pie, dark chocolate, and fine single malt scotch. She hails from Port Coquitlam, BC, where she sings jazz and tap dances (not usually at the same time). She is the author of the Gatekeeper fantasy series; an urban fantasy comedy romance, Griffin & the Spurious Correlations; and stories in Pulp Literature, Heart's Kiss, electricspec, and 49th Parallels.
Learn more at https://kristawallace.com/
Carmen Wright
Carmen Wright is the author of the children’s chapter books Spy Skills for Girls and the Tri-City Mysteries, which she indie publishes under her imprint Bright Green Books. She’s also written comics, screenplays, interactive games, and has a fantasy romance novel nearing completion. Carmen completed Fiction Editing and Children’s Book Editing through Simon Fraser University’s publishing program and leverages her experience in marketing, communications, and graphic design to inform her author business. She enjoys shepherding books through the development and production process and coaches other authors on their own projects.