Room is Canada’s oldest feminist literary journal, and has published fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction, art, interviews, and book reviews for forty years. Published quarterly by the West Coast Feminist Literary Magazine Society, also known as the Growing Room Collective, Room showcases writing and art by women (cisgender and transgender), transgender men, Two-Spirit and nonbinary people.Room believes in publishing emerging writers alongside established authors, and because of this, approximately 90% of the work the magazine publishes comes from unsolicited submissions or contest entries. Work that originally appeared in Room has been anthologized in The Journey Prize Anthology, Best Canadian Poetry, Best Canadian Stories, and Best Canadian Essays, and has been nominated for a National Magazine Award.
About Chelene Knight
Chelene Knight lives in Vancouver, BC and is a graduate of The Writer’s Studio in multiple genres. Chelene is a Library Assistant at the Vancouver Public Library, and Managing Editor at Room. Chelene has worked as a Manuscript Consultant through SFU and has been published in various literary magazines and anthologies. Her second book, Dear Current Occupant, a memoir, is forthcoming with BookThug in 2018. Chelene is now working on a novel set in the 1940’s in Vancouver’s Hogan’s Alley. Her first book, Braided Skin, was published by Mother Tongue Publishing in Spring 2015. Find out more about Chelene at cheleneknight.com and @poetchelene.
Quotes from the Episode
“I don’t have a favourite genre. I have a favourite mindset: I have the power to change the world however I see fit.”
“Listen to the writing and follow it.”
“[At Room we are] #transparency. I don’t see many other magazines doing that right now.”
“You have a small window to do something amazing. You gotta drive it home really quick.”
Episode Credits
Host: Rachel Thompson
Audio Editor: Meghan Bell
Music: https://musicformakers.com/songs/the-return/
Production & Research Assistant: Gulnaz Saiyed
Produced by Room magazine and Rachel Thompson