Poet and freelance writer. Mother of three.
Hi I’m, Cara.
I was born in Ottawa, Canada, but have a history of movement: I have been fortunate to live in Austria, Kenya, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, England and Costa Rica. And now I have returned to Côte d'Ivoire for a third time.
Writing has helped me navigate the complexities of identity, place and belonging. And subsequently, I have cultivated a lifelong passion for words in their many forms. I have over two decades of communications experience, including copywriting and editorial work, in the not-for-profit and private sectors.
Grappling with so much newness as a geographical, cultural and linguistic insider has forced me to confront my own prejudices. I have learned by doing and recognize these experiences and the mistakes I have made along the way as some of my greatest teachers. My writing career is the culmination of my lived experience, creative work, schooling, professional endeavours and numerous detours.
I completed a post-graduate diploma in journalism with the London School of Journalism, which allowed me to further hone my writing skills. And I was the recipient of a National Geographic Glimpse Correspondent grant to document my experiences living in Côte d’Ivoire in two long-form features, entitled “Rebelles: Ivoirian Women Fight for Change” and “Art as Reconciliation”. To read a selection of my journalism, please click here.
I am also an award-winning poet, who was mentored by Vancouver Poet Laureate Fiona Tinwei Lam for my Poetry & Lyric Discourse diploma at SFU’s The Writer’s Studio. My poetry has been featured in Best Canadian Poetry, The Ekphrastic Review, The Night Heron Barks and more. I am a two-time finalist for Radar Poetry’s The Coniston Prize and have won Room’s 2018 Short Forms and 2020 Poetry Contests, and was shortlisted for the 2019 CBC Poetry Prize. To read my poetry, please visit my portfolio.
I have found the disciplines of poetry and journalism have helped me become a better writer. Both rely on close observation and engagement with their subjects, and bear witness through vivid narrative. Although they have different ways of arriving at the truth; at their best, they hold up a mirror to ourselves. My objective in my writing is always to foster curiosity, empathy and creativity.
professional development
POETRY & LYRIC DISCOURSE – POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA, The Writer’s Studio, Simon Fraser University.
Mentored by Vancouver’s Poet Laureate, Fiona Tinwei Lam.
READER @ FRONTIER POETRY
JOURNALISM - POSTGRADUATE DIPLOMA,
London School of Journalism, London, U.K.
Journalism & News writing / Media Law, Subediting, Freelance & Features; Freelance & Internet.