First Person | The Walrus

An illustration of the head and shoulders of a human silhouette. In the background are several small houses, spread far apart, with a high density of trees in between. The colour scheme is dark periwinkle blue and the houses have yellow lights.

How Northern Landscapes Helped Shape My Queer Identity

June 1, 2020June 1, 2020 - by Lori Fox

In the boreal, locked between the tundra, the coastal rainforests, and the prairies, I learned to relate to my body beyond my gender

Illustration of a woman on a couch playing guitar. In front of her is an open laptop on a coffee table; behind her is an easel with a painting of a sun. Scattered books and vases are around and beneath the table.

If a Book Is Published in a Pandemic, Will Anyone Read It?

May 21, 2020May 21, 2020 - by Katrina Onstad

We already undervalue our artists. COVID-19 has only made it worse

Overhead view of a man working at table in a living room beside his young daughter doing homework, while his second daughter lies behind him on a sofa and looks at a tablet.

Education / First Person

Why Home-Schooling Was Right for Me

May 12, 2020 - by Elizabeth Howell

When school stifled my creativity, my parents turned to independent learning

Photograph of a young black girl sleeping at her desk in a classroom.

First Person

Race Is a Story and No Single Narrative Defines Me

April 23, 2020 - by Tessa McWatt

In a Toronto classroom, I was forced to confront how language makes one person “other” to the next

Illustration of a dark haired woman, crouching to pet a rooster. Around her are two other chickens.

First Person / May 2020

We Turned Our Pet Chickens Into Dinner

April 17, 2020 - by Yasuko Thanh

First we bonded over our unusual pets. Then we bonded over butchering them

A kaleidoscopic oil painting composed of green leaves and red flower petals.

First Person / Society

Taking Hallucinogens with My Mom

April 14, 2020April 16, 2020 - by Rachel Matlow

When my mother was diagnosed with cancer, she didn’t want chemo. Instead, she tried every other potion under the sun

An illustration of a woman, sitting at a window inside an apartment. In front of her is a laptop with an open window that says "stay home." Outside the window is a park and a block of buildings, in which people socialize, picnic, play basketball, and talk, not bothering to maintain any physical distancing measures.

COVID-19 / First Person / Society

Family on the Front Lines of a Pandemic

April 7, 2020June 27, 2020 - by Judy Ziyi Gu

Until my uncle was sent to care for patients in Wuhan, the outbreak didn’t feel real to me. If only we had all paid attention sooner

A photo of a Black woman with her hair in a bun, looking to the right of the frame. The image is slightly blurred.

First Person / Society

The Pressure to Describe My “Background”

March 24, 2020March 24, 2020 - by Eternity Martis

As a Black child in a brown family, I had to learn how to define my identity in a new way

Illustration of an elderly woman sitting in a chair with her back to the viewer. She is surrounded by animals––an owl, a leopard, a turtle, a goose, and a dog, which she pets while it sits at her feet.

April 2020 / First Person

What I’ve Learned from What My Mother Has Forgotten

March 19, 2020March 27, 2020 - by Damian Rogers

My mother’s dementia made me think about my own future in a new way

A stick-figure illustration of three figures beneath raining clouds. To their right are large pink flowers being consumed by flame. The background is midnight blue and the figures are outlined in green.

Environment / First Person

Parenting Through an Apocalypse

March 17, 2020March 27, 2020 - by Liz Harmer

What stories can we tell our children to help them face the world they will inherit?