Virtual Coffee Chat

Pour yourself a cup of coffee and get to know some of our Blank Spaces contributors a little better as they answer questions about writing, their process, and their hopes and dreams for a creative future in Canada.

Currently booking in bi-monthly interviews for 2025. If you are a past Blank Spaces contributor and would like to be featured, click the button below.

Coffee Chat with Nick Perry
Alanna Rusnak Alanna Rusnak

Coffee Chat with Nick Perry

Pour yourself a nice steaming cup and settle in to get to know Nick Perry a little better.

“For the next generation, know that your country has not yet been written and you may be the one to do so.”

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Coffee Chat with Don Palmer
Alanna Rusnak Alanna Rusnak

Coffee Chat with Don Palmer

Pour yourself a nice steaming cup and settle in to get to know Don Palmer a little better.

“Blank Spaces holds up a candle in a very dark place.”

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Coffee Chat with Mary-Clare Terrill
Alanna Rusnak Alanna Rusnak

Coffee Chat with Mary-Clare Terrill

Pour yourself a nice steaming cup and settle in to get to know Mary-Clare Terrill a little better.

“Blank Spaces holds a special place in my heart because it was the very first literary magazine to accept and publish my work. It is also special because it is specifically for Canadian artists and I feel privileged to be included as a Canadian-Australian.”

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Coffee Chat with Gary Kirchner
Alanna Rusnak Alanna Rusnak

Coffee Chat with Gary Kirchner

Pour yourself a nice steaming cup and settle in to get to know Gary Kirchner a little better.

“One of the highlights of my whole writing career was getting a response…saying that my story was going to be published in Blank Spaces. To say it gave a boost to my confidence and to my writing energy stores would be an understatement. My wife wrote me a note which says, “Congratulations! You did it!”, which is still pinned to the door of my workroom. I see it every day.“

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Coffee Chat with Ace Baker
Alanna Rusnak Alanna Rusnak

Coffee Chat with Ace Baker

Pour yourself a nice steaming cup and settle in to get to know Ace Baker a little better.

“Everyone I show [Blank Spaces] to is amazed at the colour and quality. That's expensive to do. This journal has high quality writing put together in a high quality product!“

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Coffee Chat with Pauline Shen
Alanna Rusnak Alanna Rusnak

Coffee Chat with Pauline Shen

Pour yourself a nice steaming cup and settle in to get to know Pauline Shen a little better.

“I began reading Blank Spaces a few years ago and found encouragement by what I saw. I am impressed by its colourful and vibrant nature. What I admire most is the commitment to supporting Canadian writing while remaining independently funded. “

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Coffee Chat with Alyssa Bushell
Alanna Rusnak Alanna Rusnak

Coffee Chat with Alyssa Bushell

Pour yourself a nice steaming cup and settle in to get to know Alyssa Bushell a little better.

“Blank Spaces was the first literary magazine I ever submitted a creative non-fiction piece to. It felt very vulnerable, putting such a raw piece of my story out there for strangers' eyes, but it has been oddly freeing.“

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Coffee Chat with Ilham Alam
Alanna Rusnak Alanna Rusnak

Coffee Chat with Ilham Alam

Pour yourself a nice steaming cup and settle in to get to know Ilham Alam a little better.

“Blank Spaces was the first time that I was professionally published! It was and still is a VERY proud moment. It is so hard to get your story into a literary magazine, so I appreciate Blank Spaces for giving me that opportunity.”

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Coffee Chat with Trevor Abes
Alanna Rusnak Alanna Rusnak

Coffee Chat with Trevor Abes

Pour yourself a nice steaming cup and settle in to get to know Trevor Abes a little better.

“I cover business news, mostly Canadian public companies, for The Market Herald Canada. I've been based in Toronto for the past six years.”

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Coffee Chat with Jen Lavallee
Alanna Rusnak Alanna Rusnak

Coffee Chat with Jen Lavallee

Pour yourself a nice steaming cup and settle in to get to know Jen Lavallee a little better.

“I am currently in grad school working towards my MPA (Master’s in Public Administration), in addition to working full-time.”

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Coffee Chat with Gail M. Murray
Alanna Rusnak Alanna Rusnak

Coffee Chat with Gail M. Murray

Pour yourself a nice steaming cup and settle in to get to know Gail M. Murray a little better.

“I'm a retired English teacher and teacher-librarian who always encouraged my students to write both stories and poetry. I'd often write and share poems along with them…”

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Coffee Chat with Tsara Shelton
Alanna Rusnak Alanna Rusnak

Coffee Chat with Tsara Shelton

Pour yourself a nice steaming cup and settle in to get to know Tsara Shelton a little better.

“I've always, from my earliest moments, sought opportunities to be an audience. Craving stories - from books, songs, movies, cereal packaging, anywhere - seemed to be what my little self was made for. I couldn't get enough of the emotional ride and insights…”

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Coffee Chat with James Dick
Alanna Rusnak Alanna Rusnak

Coffee Chat with James Dick

Pour yourself a nice steaming cup and settle in to get to know James Dick a little better.

“As a child, I was always more comfortable disappearing into imaginary worlds rather than spend much time in the real one. I could go into the backyard and play-act with toy swords for hours, weaving huge, complex stories of magic and adventure. My parents kept telling me I should write these stories down, and one day, in grade five, that's exactly what I did. I just started pouring all the worlds in my head out onto paper and I haven't stopped.”

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Coffee Chat with Cheryl Skory Suma
Alanna Rusnak Alanna Rusnak

Coffee Chat with Cheryl Skory Suma

Pour yourself a nice steaming cup and settle in to get to know Cheryl Skory Suma a little better.

“I believe we all have stories to tell. Different stories will resonate with different people. Anyone can find their audience. The key is just to do it, keep at it, edit, seek feedback, but get writing!”

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Coffee Chat with Jennifer Turney
Alanna Rusnak Alanna Rusnak

Coffee Chat with Jennifer Turney

Pour yourself a nice steaming cup and settle in to get to know Jennifer Turney a little better.

“Blank Spaces has helped me gain a lot of confidence to share my work. Whether it's published or not it's just getting written and out there. I know a lot of writers who struggle with that part and It's been a very encouraging experience.”

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Coffee Chat with Ronald Zajac
Alanna Rusnak Alanna Rusnak

Coffee Chat with Ronald Zajac

Pour yourself a nice steaming cup and settle in to get to know Ronald Zajac a little better.

“I have been doing this long enough now to have a rich vein of raw material to refine into fiction.”

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Coffee Chat with Brian Moore
Alanna Rusnak Alanna Rusnak

Coffee Chat with Brian Moore

Pour yourself a nice steaming cup and settle in to get to know Brian Moore a little better.

“I started scribbling stories when I was ten years old. My first love was astronomy and that morphed into science fiction.”

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Coffee Chat with Mitchell Toews
Alanna Rusnak Alanna Rusnak

Coffee Chat with Mitchell Toews

Pour yourself a nice steaming cup and settle in to get to know Mitchell Toews a little better.

“Hans Christian Andersen, the Hardy Boys, comic books, the University of Manitoba Extension Library…and the short stories in my dad's Esquire Magazines were all contributors to my eventual inky ambitions.”

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