U of A Reads: Stories Behind the Stories

Welcome to U of A Reads: Stories Behind the Stories — the podcast that takes you beyond the book jacket and into the creative heart of the University of Alberta’s finest storytellers.

In each episode, we sit down with U of A authors — from celebrated alumni to inspiring faculty and emerging student voices — to explore the passion, process, and personal journeys behind their latest works. From fiction to memoir, poetry to research, discover the experiences, memories, and motivations that shaped the stories on the page.

Because every great book has a backstory — and we’re here to share it.

Territorial Acknowledgement

The University of Alberta, its buildings, labs and research stations are primarily located on the territory of the Néhiyaw (Cree), Niitsitapi (Blackfoot), Métis, Nakoda (Stoney), Dene, Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) and Anishinaabe (Ojibway/Saulteaux), lands that are now known as part of Treaties 6, 7 and 8 and homeland of the Métis. The University of Alberta respects the sovereignty, lands, histories, languages, knowledge systems and cultures of all First Nations, Métis and Inuit nations.

Contributors

Host

Katy Yachimec-Farries

Katy Yachimec-Farries (she/her), '04 BA, is the Program Lead of Online Engagement in the University of Alberta’s Office of Alumni Relations, where she develops innovative digital programming that connects graduates around the globe. She is also the host of U of A Reads: Stories Behind the Stories, guiding listeners into meaningful conversations with the university’s authors and storytellers. With a passion for community-building and creative engagement, Katy champions projects that inspire learning, connection, and lifelong curiosity.

Guests

Guest

Conor Kerr

Conor Kerr(he/him), '12 BA, is a national award winning (and losing) Metis/Ukrainian writer and bird hunter living in amiskwaciwâskahikan (Edmonton). Born in Saskatoon, raised in Buffalo Pound Lake and Drayton Valley. He is a member of the Metis Nation of Alberta. His Ukrainian family are Settlers on Treaty 4 Territory.

Conor is the author of the novels Avenue of Champions (2021), Prairie Edge (2024) and the poetry collections An Explosion of Feathers (2021), Old Gods (2023), and the forthcoming poetic novella Beaver Hills Forever (2025). His debut novel, Avenue of Champions, won the 2022 RELIT Award, was shortlisted for the 2022 Amazon/Walrus Debut Novel Award and longlisted for the 2022 Giller Prize. Old Gods was shortlisted for the 2023 Governor General’s Award for Poetry and named one of CBC’s Best Books of 2023. Prairie Edge was shortlisted for the 2024 Giller Prize and the 2024 Writer’s Trust Atwood Gibson Fiction Award.

Guest appearance on:

Conor Kerr

Guest

Lauren Seal

Lauren Seal (she/her), '13 BA, is a writer, librarian, and St. Albert’s third Poet Laureate. She mentors the teen and young adult poets of SWYC, the Spoken Word Youth Choir, and performs in the adult incarnation of the group. When she’s not busy recommending books to library patrons, Lauren can be found reading, writing, and composing poems in her head on long dog walks.

https://laureneseal.com/

Guest appearance on:

Lauren Seal