Lana's Wandering in Residence Newsletter
Spring 2026 Edition
But first, a story:
I moved to Burnaby, BC, in 1988 to attend Simon Fraser University.
I still remember my first day.
Then, SFU had a population of over 25,000 students. By contrast, Telkwa, BC, had a population of 863. The math? SFU, the school that looked like a prison, had twenty-nine times more people than my entire hometown.
But I wasn’t scared.
Until I had to find my first class.
The huge lecture halls were located underground. There were no windows to help a rural kid get her bearings. Smaller seminar rooms were located on the second and third floors of the Quad. The room numbers were not intuitive, but I could, at least, see the mountains from the windows.
Imagine small town, 18-year-old me, my back pressed firmly against a wall. I was afraid to be swept away in the throng of students. Trying harder still, not to cry.
To say I was lost, implies I had once known where I was going. I did not.
I was in sensory overwhelm. Young deer, big ass headlights.
Before the tears started rolling, someone touched my shoulder, and yell whispered into my ear, “Do you know how to get to class?”
Headshake. Glassy eyes. Nope, I did not. Without asking, he took my schedule from my hands and scanned the print.
Again, without asking, he took me by the elbow, parted the sea of bodies, and led me into a jampacked elevator. Up three floors and right to my class door. Then he watched until I found a seat. He gave a slight wave and disappeared.
Fortunately, it did not take long before the city became less intimidating to me; still, I mostly avoided driving because of the frantic pace and snarly (paid!) parking.
So, on weekends, I bussed down Burnaby Mountain to Lougheed Mall to visit Coles Books, or downtown Vancouver to Robson Street to cruise Chapters.
I trailed my hand along the spines till an unseen force told me to pause, pull a book off the shelf, and read the blurb on the back. Inevitably, I spent hours leaning against the stacks or sitting on the floor flipping pages, drinking in books of all kinds.
But I seldom left with a book in hand. Not because I did not have money – although certainly my student finances came into it – there were simply too many titles to choose from. Again, with the sensory overwhelm.
As much as I loved reading then, I did not imagine myself becoming a writer. But God, oh God, I loved spending time in those big city bookstores.
Wahoo! Great News!
The Spiritual Life Writing Workbook: From Concept to Bookshelf is now available for purchase online at Indigo – Chapters – Coles.
For additional purchase options, visit my webpage.
Wahoo! Great News!
Just last week, Heidi Klaassen, the Executive Director of the Creative Nonfiction Collective, informed Set L. Shuter and me that our festival proposal will be on the festival lineup.
We are thrilled to be presenting “Chronic Courage: Staying True to Writing & Wellness“ on the first day of the 2026 CNFC Festival: Courage and the Writing Life, held online from November 4th to 8th.
Upcoming Events
I am excited to be a guest on the May 26th episode of “A Word about Mental Health”. Poet and author Isabella Mori founded and hosts the series, which features conversations about intersections between mental health and the literary world. Contact me to receive the session link.
Nurturing Spirit Retreats presents Sacred Fire: Awakening Our Inner Mystic at Stillwood Lodge and Conference Centre (near Chilliwack, BC). Learn more and register here for September 18th-20th. I can hardly wait!
“Beyond the Will: The Stuff Nobody Teaches about Dying” is a three-part series I am facilitating on October 13, 20, and 27 at Vancouver Island University. The sessions take place on Tuesday mornings, in person, at the Powell River VIU campus. Details and registration will appear in their fall course calendar.
More News! Wahoo!
Spiritual Life Writing: Memoir for Seniors, the course I offered at Vancouver Island University, February 17th – April 7th, went well.
Participants expressed gaining confidence during the course and clarity regarding their personal vocabulary for spiritual matters. Reading aloud their fresh work to classmates was a highlight. Students discovered that writing as a group is highly motivating, and they are interested in forming an SLW writing group in the fall. Participants also expressed a desire for a next-level course to dive more deeply into writing craft.
It was a pleasure to gather new, emerging, and published writers curious about the spiritual life writing genre.
Following the final class, a brave student submitted their narrative essay for publication. The editor has accepted her work. Congratulations, Michèle!
Stay tuned for news about her publication date.
Hot off the Press
In honour of Earth Day on April 22nd, I penned “Our Planet, Our Story, Our Power” for Issue #23 of Penlights, an online newsletter that addresses craft topics relating to the spiritual life writing genre. I struggled to write this piece. I did not realize how strongly I believe that politics and spirituality ought to be reckoned with together -- intelligently, and fairly -- in public discourse.
In contrast, Issue #20, Chameleons, Cuttlefish, and the Peacock Flounder was fun to write. I played with the notion that sometimes writers identify too strongly with their preferred literary form. I also questioned if there is a cost to the narrative when writers are too rigid about form.
Susan Scott is a longtime literary editor as well as a co-author of The Spiritual Life Writing Workbook. If you are a writer who avoids reading the work of other authors because you fear your unique voice will become distorted, Penlights Issue #23, “Please Spare Yourself this One Temptation”, written by Susan, will change your mind.
Susan and I publish Penlights on a bi-weekly basis.
Sharon S. Hines, also a SLW Workbook co-author, writes prolifically on her Substack. My favourite recent article by Sharon is, After You Marie Kondo Your Faith. Prominent thinkers and writers discuss deconstructing one’s faith, but Sharon addresses the aftermath and the opportunities that result in reconstruction.
Substack Live
Susan, Sharon, and I have just finished recording our tenth Live video. We chat about craft-related topics every 2nd Wednesday at Noon PDT. Previous live recordings are at @spirituallifewriters on Substack. Humour in spiritual life writing was our topic on April 1st.
Pause for Paws
It would not be a Wandering Writer in Residence Newsletter without a photo from a pet sit.
What a glorious newsletter. Thanks for all the shares, especially! My calendar is ful...