Vivek Shraya

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

I used singing as a safety measure. I would pay attention to what songs the popular girls liked, learn those songs from…

— Vivek Shraya

My intention was never to write a "trans novel" - which is perhaps an effective strategy for writing a trans novel.

— Vivek Shraya

I especially worry about the ways Canadians can be glib about our supposed difference from the US in our "acceptance" of "diversity."

— Vivek Shraya

My art career often feels less like an art career and more like a career in educating, usually by using my body.

— Vivek Shraya

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

I continue to explore poetry.

— Vivek Shraya

I tend to focus less on genre as a starting point and more on idea or intention and let the idea dictate…

— Vivek Shraya

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

As a person of color, I know race can't be stripped from admiration or preference.

— Vivek Shraya

It's exciting to consider how art, in its ability to reveal, can be ahead of the artist.

— Vivek Shraya

In my thirties, I have felt a greater urgency to make art that highlights what it feels like to be racialized, likely…

— Vivek Shraya

Should I be collaborating with artists of color solely because of their race and my politics? This question is weighted with my…

— Vivek Shraya

I think white artists have a responsibility to be not only naming white supremacy, but to be using their power and privilege…

— Vivek Shraya

Writing about racism requires a directness that writing a love story does not.

— Vivek Shraya

When I was writing, I wanted every word to be not only deliberate, but musical. Precious.

— Vivek Shraya

When I do book readings, I always incorporate music or singing.

— Vivek Shraya

I have always considered the aesthetic of a project, including press photos, as a means to further the message of the art…

— Vivek Shraya

Children are receptive to talking about gender creativity, confirming the importance of the book as a means to instigate this dialogue at…

— Vivek Shraya

Now is not the time for Canadians to be sanctimonious. It is time for us to be prudent and active.

— Vivek Shraya

Art can sometimes be separate from the artist.

— Vivek Shraya

I would love to see more dialogue around the "responsibilities" of art consumers - how can audiences better financially support artists we…

— Vivek Shraya

I didn't want to give the white reader an opportunity to think of racism as imaginary - a sentiment that is already…

— Vivek Shraya

If anything, I have witnessed the ways my art travels, or is rendered more accessible, when sanctioned by or connected to white…

— Vivek Shraya

I have dedicated a significant portion of my time and artistry to making art that addresses various forms of oppression, including white…

— Vivek Shraya