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.“

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!“

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. “

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.“

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.”

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.”

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.”

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…”

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…”

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.”

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!”

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.”

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.”

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.”

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.”