Stir is a digital media organization dedicated to covering Vancouver’s arts and culture scene through independent journalism.
Janet Smith is cofounder and editorial director of Stir. She is an award-winning arts journalist who has spent more than two decades immersed in Vancouver’s dance, screen, design, theatre, music, opera, and gallery scenes. She sits on the Vancouver Film Critics’ Circle.
Read MoreGail Johnson is cofounder and associate editor of Stir. She is a Vancouver-based journalist who has earned local and national nominations and awards for her work. She is a certified Gladue Report writer via Indigenous Perspectives Society in partnership with Royal Roads University and is a member of a judging panel for top Vancouver restaurants.
Read MoreAlexander Varty is a senior West Coast journalist specializing in cultural reporting of all kinds. An active musician on several instruments, he has also worked as an event producer in the cultural community. In his spare time, Alex is a keen ocean swimmer, record collector, amateur mycologist, and cook.
Stir editorial assistant Emily Lyth is a Vancouver-based writer and editor who graduated from Langara College’s Journalism program. Her decade of dance training and passion for all things food-related are the foundation of her love for telling arts, culture, and community stories.
Read MoreAdrian Mack writes about popular culture from his impregnable compound on Salt Spring Island.
Read MoreAngie Rico (she/her) is a Mexican-born cultural worker, currently living and working in so-called Vancouver. She is a graduate from Emily Carr University and past participant of Neworld Theatre’s Critical Futures training program. She's the recipient of the 2023 Max Wyman Mentee Award in Critical Writing. Her writing covers film, visual arts, and theatre.
Read MoreVince Kanasoot is a former professional dancer and musical theatre actor who performed for Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean, as well as in musicals across Canada. He left the stage to pursue his love for writing, and now works full time in corporate communications, while also working on his first novel. Follow his adventures on Instagram @VanCityVince.
Read MoreEmma Jeffrey (she/her) is a Métis and Irish-Canadian writer and editor raised in Vancouver on the unceded territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, xʷməθkʷəjˀəm, and səlilwətaɬ Nations. She is a member of the Indigenous Brilliance Literary Collective, an Arts and Culture Journalist for Stir Magazine, and former Associate Editor of Digital Projects at The Capilano Review. She holds a diploma in Arts and Entertainment Management at Capilano University.
Mélanie Ritchot is a Métis journalist based on Vancouver Island, with a passion for Indigenous storytelling and visual arts. She has written for outlets like the Globe and Mail and Nunatsiaq News, and recently completed her Master of Publishing thesis on Indigenous art books in Canada.
Read MoreRobert Kuang is a writer, musician, and aspiring plant Dad. Having spent time in Beijing, New York, and Vancouver, his mission is to bridge the distance between online and local arts and culture communities.
Read MoreJohn Lucas has covered music and the arts for longer than he cares to think about. He can also be found playing his guitar in dodgy rehearsal spaces and low-rent venues in and around Vancouver.
Read MoreOzioma Nwabuikwu is a writer, content creator, and pop-culture enthusiast. A relative newcomer to Vancouver, she is passionate about promoting the city’s BIPOC arts scene. Ozioma enjoys singing, reading, and talking to strangers.
Read MoreXenia Tejada Hayes is a graduating student from the journalism program at Carleton University. Working as a freelancer, her love for all things art, from films to paintings, is a driving force behind her writing. She hopes to one day mend her two passions of travelling and art together and write about the global art scene.
Read MoreTeresa Donck-Matlock (she/her) is an emerging queer/lesbian writer of white settler ancestry. She is dually based on the unceded territories of the Squamish, Tsleil-Waututh, Musqueam, and Tsq’escenemc Nations. She has contributed critical art reviews and interviews to SAD Mag online and Kamloops This Week, and she is currently earning a BA in art and performance studies at SFU’s School for the Contemporary Arts. With her practice, she hopes to make art more accessible and meaningful to others.
Tanmay Ahluwalia is a proud alumnus of the University of Delhi, where he studied journalism. His work has been published in various media outlets. In his free time, he enjoys skateboarding and filmmaking.
Read MoreAdrian Rui Hung is a Singaporean artist and journalist based in Vancouver. He is currently earning his BA in Asian Studies at the University of British Columbia. His interests lie in Sinophone cinema, fashion, and human rights coverage. Follow him on Twitter at @RuiUnofficial
Magdelaine Nicole is a journalism student at Kwantlen Polytechnic University. She also works in the film industry in Vancouver, In 2020 she won the Jack Webster Indigenous Journalism Student Award.
Read MoreVivian (Xiao Wen) Li a writer, editor, and interdisciplinary artist with creative works shortlisted in contests and/or forthcoming or published in The New Quarterly, The Massachusetts Review, and The Fiddlehead, among others. An MFA candidate at UBC, she enjoys reviewing and creating projects exploring mental health, music, and in-between identity.
Read MoreSena Law is a journalism grad from Langara College in Vancouver. As a creative being, she has always had an admiration for the visual arts, fashion, and music. Sena aspires to uncover the local underground art scene through her writing.
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