Describe yourself in one word?
I acknowledge that this is ignoring your request for one word, but: I think I'm a mix of grit and grace.

When do you feel most at home in your body?
When I'm laughing hard with my friends. When I'm in water. When I'm writing and the words feel, as Durga Chew-Bose put it in her book, like body language.

What is your favourite way to move?
I am addicted to Lagree West in Vancouver. It's 40 minutes of pure pain, but it's the only thing that gets me out of my head—and it has completely transformed my body. I'm also a former dancer, and am in the midst of taking a commercial dance intensive led by my friend Portia Favro. It has been beautiful to explore that type of movement again; it's amazing how much the body remembers.

How do you keep yourself nourished?
I tend to eat vegan and gluten-free at home, making lots of bowls with lentils, chickpeas, or yams and fresh or roasted vegetables. Throw in some arugula and some homemade tahini dressing and that's pretty much my favourite comfort meal. When I go to a restaurant, though, I eat anything and everything. I also love coffee—the pandemic trained me to like it black—and am a big supporter of the natural wine movement.

Where do you find inspiration?
In the words of other writers; I have started taking photos of passages from books that speak to me and rereading them later, as if the repetition will help me understand how they got there. Also, as typical as it may sound, the sky is a constant source of inspiration for me. I have an amazing view from my apartment, and pretty much every night I find myself gasping at the colour of the sunset or the wisps of the clouds. I also love architecture and interiors—the Marine Building in Vancouver never ceases to make my heart skip a beat.

How do you manage your mind
Time alone, which the pandemic has given me an awful lot of, is key for me: the chance to sift through the cabinets of my mind, filing and organizing and recycling. Alternatively, having a friend (in my bubble!) over for wine on my rooftop and talking for hours always makes me feel refreshed. Other than that, reading and physical activity are my forms of meditation: exercise for the brain and for the body.

What are you currently reading, watching, listening to?
Reading:

I just finished reading "Heavy" by Kiese Laymon, which was absolutely incredible, and started "The Bluest Eye" by Toni Morrison. I subscribe to Vanity Fair and New York Magazine, as well as The New York Times online.

Watching:

I recently watched "The Great" and thought it was genius; I also watched "Selling Sunset" because I'm only human!

Listening:

As for music, I've got Dua Lipa's "Future Nostalgia" on repeat these days—she calls it "dance crying" music, which is quite perfect.

What are you most excited about at this present moment?
This is an interesting question right now. It's hard to be excited when the world feels like one big mess; I also went through an intense breakup at the start of the pandemic (fun!!!) and am still processing that. But I'm excited about my job, which I love; I'm excited about the friends I've formed deeper bonds with over this unsettling time; I'm excited about camping with my brother and sister-in-law and niece next week; I'm excited about the next time I'll eat a pastry, which will very likely be tomorrow.