Kai Thomas is an author and educator. His background and body of work span from land stewardship, carpentry, and small-scale farming to historical research and scholarship.
His debut novel, In the Upper Country, was awarded the 2023 Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust prize for fiction and was shortlisted for the Governor General’s Award for Fiction and the Amazon Canada First Novel Award. The work has been featured in news outlets such as NPR, CBC, The New York Times, and the Globe and Mail.
SPEAKING TOPICS
Writing from the Land
How can writing cultivate connection with nature? In this workshop, Kai facilitates exercises of storytelling from the land, offers reflections on how land-based work and play can invigorate and inform writing practice, and opens discussions on the role of storytellers in an era of environmental crisis.
Approaching the Novel
Novel writing can be a daunting task. In this presentation, Kai makes it less so by speaking candidly about strategies for managing some of the challenges of the process. From topic-selection and drafting techniques to research approaches, participants will learn and engage with valuable perspectives in the craft of prose fiction.
Story-ing the Past
Stories of our past are a powerful way to understand the present. Through personal storytelling and guided reflection Kai holds space to immerse in and meditate on the narratives that have shaped us.
Other topics or types of workshops, consultations, lectures, readings, or interviews may be developed for a particular group or event.
To book Kai Thomas, contact Rob Firing at rob@transatlanticagency.com