6 years, sticky notes, and a selkie: How Loghan Paylor won Canada Reads

Loghan Paylor (MFA’20) didn't set out to win CBC's Canada Reads competition. They were just trying to write the book they needed to write. In this episode, the author of The Cure for Drowning—winner of Canada Reads 2026, Giller Prize longlistee, and Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize finalist—opens up about non-linear creative processes, writing queer and trans characters with care, the pros and cons of an MFA, and why the best writing advice has nothing to do with aesthetic morning routines.

Links & Resources Mentioned in This Episode:

• Transcript
• Contact Carol
• Contact Jeevan
• From Here Forward
• Podium Podcast Company
• Loghan Paylor
• Canada Reads
• Learn more about the UBC MFA in Creative Writing

• (00:00) - Introduction
• (01:42) - Meet Loghan Paylor
• (02:26) - Canada Reads whirlwind
• (03:02) - Publicity, introversion, and support
• (04:22) - The “gap” that wasn’t: writing life between milestones
• (05:29) - Favourite passages and hard-won scenes
• (06:44) - The Post-it drafting method
• (08:27) - Finding your process (and ignoring aesthetics)
• (11:18) - Old drafts, saved folders, and ideas that return
• (13:18) - Characters, POV, and writing identity
• (14:52) - Writing Ontario: memory, place, and research accuracy
• (17:11) - Nature and climate grief
• (18:17) - Bookworm Games and creative balance
• (20:14) - Reading influences
• (21:16) - UBC MFA and becoming a professional writer
• (24:44) - Advice for emerging writers
• (27:26) - Reader messages and impact
• (29:14) - Reviews and boundaries
• (30:16) - Conclusion