Sierra Louie, MFA 2025
Sierra Louie
The School of Creative Writing is pleased to congratulate Sierra Louie, MFA. Sierra’s thesis is a graphic novel entitled Turn Blue.
Sierra is a Chinese Canadian writer, artist, and editor. During her MFA, she served as the prose editor at PRISM international while also working as a senior editor at Pulp Literature Press. Writing across multiple genres including comics, fiction, and poetry, Sierra’s work has appeared in CV2, Depth Cues, Pulp Literature, SAD Mag, and elsewhere. Her art has been exhibited at the AHVA Gallery, The Arts Factory, and the Hatch Art Gallery, and her comics have been shared at festivals including VanCAF, TCAF, and Small Press Fest. Sierra holds a Bachelor of Media Studies from UBC. She is currently at work illustrating her debut graphic novel.
Turn Blue is a gothic horror graphic novel that follows Iris Jiang as she grapples with the physical and psychological manifestations of her repressed sexual trauma. Upon encountering her abuser three years after her assault, Iris develops a seemingly untreatable, multicoloured rash which reflects her feelings on her skin like a mood ring. Hoping to cure herself in secret, Iris escapes to her deceased mother’s cabin in the woods where she is haunted by a malevolent shadow that pushes her to confront her trauma. Atmospheric, haunting, and introspective, Turn Blue explores themes of isolation, agency, and ultimately healing.
Contact
Request more information about Sierra’s thesis project using our Grad Showcase Contact Form.
Nancy Wu, MFA 2025
Nancy Wu
The School of Creative Writing is pleased to congratulate Nancy Wu, MFA. Nancy’s thesis is a novel entitled That Time I Dreamt for You.
Nancy Wu (she/her) is still deciding what she is and what she wants to be, but she is certain she is a writer. She holds a BA from Indiana University Bloomington, a Master’s in Journalism and a MFA from UBC, as well as a JD from the University of Toronto. During her time at the School of Creative Writing, Nancy has earned a SSHRC award, published poems in Poets Choice and had her play First Love performed at the Brave New Play Rites Festival. She moved to Vancouver during her childhood, and she considers the city her home. Her work explores themes of diaspora identity, relationships and value through an immigrant millennial perspective.
That Time I Dreamt for You is a novel where Janet Ye, a 28-year-old law student, wakes up in an alternate world as her boyfriend O after bombing her final exam. There, she discovers there is another her, living a different life than the one she knew. As she lives the life that O wished he had, where he quits his job to open a bubble tea shop and partake in underground gambling, the intricate chain of events leads O/Janet closer to the other Janet. Through the trials of love and betrayal, Janet must get to the bottom of the difficult truths in this world, and within herself and O to achieve the life they desire and learn to dream once again.
Contact
Request more information about Nancy’s thesis project using our Grad Showcase Contact Form.
Jesset Karlen, MFA 2025
Jesset Karlan
The School of Creative Writing is pleased to congratulate Jesset Karlen, MFA. Jesset’s thesis is a middle-grade fantasy novel entitled The Place Between Words.
Jesset is a Saulteaux Métis writer with a fondness for children’s literature and speculative fiction. While persuing his MFA he worked as the coordinator for the UBC New Shoots anthology and served as a reader for both PRISM international and Pulp Literature. He is a 2025 winner of the Indigenous Voice Awards, the 2022 Diaspora Dialogues long form mentorship competition, and finalist for the 2022 We Need Diverse Books mentorship competition. When described by his friends he is referred to as a niche nerd. A fair judgement as he has an approximate knowledge of many nerdy things.
The Place Between Words is a middle-grade fantasy novel that follows Quill Owens after his untimely death—a predicament that proves only to be the start of his many troubles. Finding himself transported to a world called the Betwixt, Quill is tasked with finding the long-ago stolen power of Death, with the promise that should he succeed, he may return to the world of the living. During his adventure Quill must reckon with his own perceptions of the cyclical role death plays in nature, ultimately culminating in his need to answer one question: Could life ever exist without death?
Contact
Request more information about Jesset’s thesis project using our Grad Showcase Contact Form.