Erika Thorkelson | The Walrus
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Erika Thorkelson

Erika Thorkelson is a freelance journalist and culture critic living in Vancouver. She teaches humanities and writing at Emily Carr University of Art and Design.
A woman wrinkles her brow and holds up a phone with a photo of her mouth over where her real mouth would be
Technology

Me, My Selfies, and I

February 29, 2024February 29, 2024 - by Erika Thorkelson

Those of us on the line between Gen X and millennial are watching our identities shift and age in a way no previous generation has

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A scary-looking mansion.
Memoir

I’m Haunted by the Mansions of My Youth

October 31, 2022October 31, 2022 - by Erika Thorkelson

I grew up having nightmares about big houses that represented the trauma of my childhood. As an adult living through the housing crisis, my relationship with mansions has only grown more complicated

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Illustration of small cartoon people moving freely atop small green platforms––cartwheeling, dancing, and holding hands.
Health

Fat Shaming Shouldn’t Be Part of Our “New Normal”

August 25, 2020August 25, 2020 - by Erika Thorkelson

Even in a pandemic, our culture is obsessed with controlling our bodies

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Illustration of a young brown woman in a suit, telling jokes from onstage at a comedy club. The young, diverse audience laughs. Several male comics, older and white, stand outside the spotlight looking moody and resentful.
Arts & Culture / June 2020

The Comedy Culture War

May 25, 2020June 18, 2020 - by Erika Thorkelson

A new wave of comics is rejecting stand-up’s tired tropes

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Three rows of identical women standing together
Business

The Perils of Professional Dress

July 29, 2019April 3, 2024 - by Erika Thorkelson

What women’s workwear standards reveal about our attitudes toward class, gender, and body type

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collage of multiple mouths wearing different shades of lipstick
Society

Why Wearing Lipstick Is a Small Act of Joyful Resistance

October 22, 2018March 24, 2022 - by Erika Thorkelson

Lipstick is unapologetically feminine. That’s what makes it so rebellious

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Arts & Culture

Off Script

June 23, 2016November 29, 2023 - by Erika Thorkelson

A dust-up between a playwright and a critic demonstrates the insidious sexism of the Canadian theatre world

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Environment / March 2013

New Waves

February 18, 2013July 17, 2019 - by Erika Thorkelson

As Japan’s tsunami debris washes up on the BC coast, beachcombers consider the meaning of the refuse

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The July/August 2025 cover of The Walrus magazine featuring an image of a woman reading a book while listening to music. She is sitting in a room filled with plants that also has a window through which a city skyline can be seen. July/August 2025

Explore how tariffs are testing ties between Northern neighbours, the death of the middle class musician, Afghanistan’s lost generation, and more.
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The Walrus is located within the bounds of Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit. This land is also the traditional territory of the Anishnabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples.

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© 2025 The Walrus. All Rights Reserved. Charitable Registration Number: No. 861851624-RR0001
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© 2023 The Walrus. All Rights Reserved.
Charitable Registration Number: No. 861851624-RR0001

​​The Walrus is located within the bounds of Treaty 13 signed with the Mississaugas of the Credit. This land is also the traditional territory of the Anishnabeg, the Haudenosaunee, and the Wendat peoples.

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How’s The Walrus?

As the executive director, I am frequently asked this question. These days, I reply: “The Walrus was made for this moment.” From on-again, off-again trade news and negotiations to a new prime minister, we are committed to Canada’s conversations. We launched six regional bureaus earlier this year to ensure comprehensive coverage across this great country of ours. But we can’t do this alone. As a non-profit newsroom, this work isn’t possible without our readers’ support. If you believe in Canada’s stories, support our paywall-free journalism with a donation today.

Our team is small, but our commitment is big; just like our country. Every story we publish is the result of writers, artists, and editors going the extra mile (well, kilometres) to bring Canada closer together through compelling, fact-checked, and regionally grounded reporting.

Thank you for your support.

Jennifer Hollett
Executive Director, The Walrus


How’s The Walrus?

As the executive director, I am frequently asked this question. These days, I reply: “The Walrus was made for this moment.” From on-again, off-again trade news and negotiations to a new prime minister, we are committed to Canada’s conversations. We launched six regional bureaus earlier this year to ensure comprehensive coverage across this great country of ours. But we can’t do this alone. As a non-profit newsroom, this work isn’t possible without our readers’ support. If you believe in Canada’s stories, support our paywall-free journalism with a donation today.

Our team is small, but our commitment is big; just like our country. Every story we publish is the result of writers, artists, and editors going the extra mile (well, kilometres) to bring Canada closer together through compelling, fact-checked, and regionally grounded reporting.

Thank you for your support.

Jennifer Hollett
Executive Director, The Walrus

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