ABOUT ME

Kayla MacInnis is a Métis storyteller who, in her work, mixes the visual and written worlds. Kayla completed her Bachelor's Degree in Journalism and Creative Writing with distinction at Kwantlen Polytechnic University in the spring of 2024. She is now preparing to commence her Master of Arts in English at Simon Fraser University, with future plans to pursue a Ph.D. in Communications and Film Studies.

Currently, as well as being a freelance writer and photographer, Kayla is a Teaching Assistant, Director of Community Outreach for Special Bird Service, Social Media Coordinator for Room Up Front, and an associate editor for IndigiNews. In life, and reflected in her work, Kayla is interested in the phenomenology of seeing, which approaches how an experience can affect how we experience the world around us. In storytelling, this happens through expanding knowledge further than the written. Kayla's approaches include the use of other experimental mediums (such as sound design) to recreate moments and tell stories as closely as possible to the way they were previously experienced (words by Laura Machado).

INTERVIEWS

HONOURS & AWARDS

  • Indigenous Student Journalism Award, Jack Webster Foundation, Oct 2021

  • JoAnne Ward Creative Writing Award, April 2022
    Words from the judges: ”Kayla MacInnis identifies one of her primary influences as ‘questions’ and says that writing is the answer. Her work is crisp, clear and confident in tone and line and impulse. One senses a pure heart speaking. Exploring the intersections of identity, culture and this precipitous now, Kayla folds a living, vital world into her enquiry. Of an autumn day in a garden sprung with strawberries, coriander and thyme she writes: ‘I let it wash over me.’ And she does this washing again and again in work that’s smart and crafted and personal – saying this is the world, this is me. This is brave work from an artist who knows where they’re headed.”

  • Warfield Radical Visionary Award, June 2022

  • Student Journalism Award, Jack Webster Foundation, November 2023

  • Bess Coyne Creative Writing Award, April 2024
    Words from the judges: “In words both lyrical and rich with sense-based imagery, this writer demonstrates skill and sensitivity in the craft of both essay writing and poetry. Books are a refuge, and words gave the writer enough power to save her life—a moving statement on the importance of reading and making stories come alive through lived experience. This is a writer who collects the unknown and the new just for the love of words. Her attention to diction and the sensory impact of language packs an emotional punch, particularly with layered references to Indigenous and family history. Her Poem, Cut Grass Smells Like Watermelon, is a moment of beauty among many that resonate."

  • PIPS Lorem Ipsum, June 2024

  • Lieutenant Governor’s Medal for Inclusion, Democracy and Reconciliation, June 2024
    Find more details here.

  • KPU Endowed Journalism Award ("Most Promising Journalist"), June 2024

CONSULTING

  • Consulted with KPU’s Journalism department on the creation of their Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization program.

WRITING

  • Clients Include Beatroute Media, New Westminster Record, Una Terra, SAD Magazine, Room Magazine, Chatelaine Magazine, and Emily Carr University.

EDITING

  • Worked with Helen Knott on the pre-edits for the manuscript of her second book, Becoming a Matriarch. Worked to develop her ideas, including offering feedback on plot structure, character development, and other aspects of storytelling, reviewed and edited the first drafts of chapters and provided commentary to support revision, and corrected errors in spelling, punctuation, and syntax.

COURSES & MENTORSHIPS

  • Room Up Front - A Canadian Photojournalism Mentorship for Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour. - Oct 2020 to Oct 2021

  • Social Documentary Network - Recruiting Art in Service of Real Life Stories with Amber Bracken - September to November 2021

WORKSHOPS TAKEN

  • Fundamentals of Anti-Oppression with Bakau Consulting

  • Trauma and Resilience for Journalists with The Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma

  • Decolonizing Journalism with IndigiNews

VOLUNTEERING
Passionate about volunteering, Kayla tries to do shoreline cleanups or help out at soup kitchens often. She is currently a part of My Eco-Action, a one-year program with an aim to establish and maintain meaningful relationships with the environment and other Indigenous Youth. This program helps youth have the opportunity to learn how to become supporters and advocates in Reconciliation through Métis cultural land-based perspectives. She also volunteers with Sea Smart School, Plastic Oceans Canada, Indigenous Women Outdoors, Indigenous Student Council, Vancouver Pride Society, SAD Magazine, Growing Room Literary & Arts Festival, Vancouver Writers Festival, and Capture Photography Festival.