Now is not the time for Canadians to be sanctimonious. It is time for us to be prudent and active. — Vivek Shraya Copy Share Image
Writing about racism requires a directness that writing a love story does not. — Vivek Shraya Copy Share Image
I do use art as a site of protest, particularly in relation to dominant narratives. — Vivek Shraya Art Copy Share Image
As a person of color, I know race can't be stripped from admiration or preference. — Vivek Shraya Admiration Copy Share Image
I have been and continue to be committed to art as a tool to ignite, comfort, and discomfort. — Vivek Shraya Art Copy Share Image
I always work with text orally in the writing process, saying passages aloud to measure flow. — Vivek Shraya Flow Copy Share Image
My intention was never to write a "trans novel" - which is perhaps an effective strategy for writing a trans novel. — Vivek Shraya Books Copy Share Image
“Reinvention requires both a kind of death and a desire to keep living. And so at its core, reinvention is inextricably linked… — Vivek Shraya Death Copy Share Image
My interest in language is steadfast, but I think each project and its accompanying intentions dictate how language must be used. — Vivek Shraya Intention Copy Share Image
I didn't want to give the white reader an opportunity to think of racism as imaginary - a sentiment that is already… — Vivek Shraya Barriers Copy Share Image
I worry about what Trump will inspire in Canada, especially given incidents that have already occurred here since the election. — Vivek Shraya Canada Copy Share Image
In my thirties, I have felt a greater urgency to make art that highlights what it feels like to be racialized, likely… — Vivek Shraya Art Copy Share Image
I feel like I have had to catch up to the art I've made, and learn from the protagonists I have written,… — Vivek Shraya Art Copy Share Image
I couldn't write about love without writing about hate - specifically, how the experience of hatred embeds itself in the body and… — Vivek Shraya Body Copy Share Image
In poetry, I didn't have to provide resolution. I could ask hard questions without feeling responsible for the answers. — Vivek Shraya Copy Share Image
Should I be collaborating with artists of color solely because of their race and my politics? This question is weighted with my… — Vivek Shraya Ability Copy Share Image
I would love to see more dialogue around the "responsibilities" of art consumers - how can audiences better financially support artists we… — Vivek Shraya Art Copy Share Image
I am more likely to get paid for my art if it's presented alongside a white artist, so the questions around value… — Vivek Shraya Copy Share Image
Of course, I can't separate my queerness from my brownness - if anything, my queerness amplifies my brownness, and vice versa -… — Vivek Shraya Copy Share Image
Making music has been connected to one of my greatest heartaches, because my own music has never quite connected with audiences. But… — Vivek Shraya Art Copy Share Image
Generally, I start by observing the existing and popular narratives in my social spheres and media, and the pressures I face in… — Vivek Shraya Constantly thinking Copy Share Image
I used singing as a safety measure. I would pay attention to what songs the popular girls liked, learn those songs from… — Vivek Shraya Attention Copy Share Image
I recently did a reading at an elementary school in Ottawa, and one of the children asked me if I was a… — Vivek Shraya Children Copy Share Image
As a brown artist, I have mixed feelings about my relationship to art and my "responsibilities" post-Trump. — Vivek Shraya Art Copy Share Image
I tend to focus less on genre as a starting point and more on idea or intention and let the idea dictate… — Vivek Shraya Focus Copy Share Image
My art career often feels less like an art career and more like a career in educating, usually by using my body. — Vivek Shraya Art Copy Share Image
It's exciting to consider how art, in its ability to reveal, can be ahead of the artist. — Vivek Shraya Ability Copy Share Image
As a general rule, I tend to collaborate with artists whose work I admire. — Vivek Shraya Copy Share Image
When I was writing, I wanted every word to be not only deliberate, but musical. Precious. — Vivek Shraya Deliberate Copy Share Image
Despite the fact that I'm not highly skilled in any visual art, aesthetics have always played a strong role in my art,… — Vivek Shraya Aesthetics Copy Share Image
I have dedicated a significant portion of my time and artistry to making art that addresses various forms of oppression, including white… — Vivek Shraya Copy Share Image
I don't yet know what style will be required for my next novel, but my sense is that each book will involve… — Vivek Shraya Book Copy Share Image
I think white artists have a responsibility to be not only naming white supremacy, but to be using their power and privilege… — Vivek Shraya Art Copy Share Image
I am always hesitant to call myself an activist, mostly out of respect for the activists who are using their bodies and… — Vivek Shraya Activist Copy Share Image
Children's books have great potential to reveal new possibilities to readers, because the intended audience is at an age of genuine learning. — Vivek Shraya Age Copy Share Image
Children are receptive to talking about gender creativity, confirming the importance of the book as a means to instigate this dialogue at… — Vivek Shraya Age Copy Share Image
