About Me

I am a disabled writer who has enjoyed writing for most of my life. Most of my work is in short stories, which I have presented at various open mic nights, including at The Cure and the Vertigo Open Stage during the Cathedral Village Arts Festival. Pam Bustin also gave me the opportunity to read some of my work at her Regina Public Library Writer in Residence Showcase.  

 

In the last half of 2018, I wrote a short book about life-altering mistakes. During this project, I was mentored by Leila Kirkconnel, a Palestinian-American author who lives and works in the United States. Leila reviews and edits my work, suggests changes, and offers suggestions on improving my writing. She describes my writing as follows: “RaeAnne possesses a unique voice and a profound storytelling ability that sets her apart in the literary world. She has already shown promise in her writing, and her work has garnered praise from both peers and mentors in the writing community.” The mentoring by Leila is ongoing. 

 

The plan was to release my book in early 2019, but the other person involved in the story did not give me permission, saying it was too easy to tell who was who in the narrative. I will be telling an extended version of this story in my upcoming memoir, RaeAmblings—A Memoir About Disability & Other Stuff, with better aliases.  

 

When I started working on my memoir at the end of 2022, a friend suggested I get in touch with 2022/2023 Regina Public Library Writer in Residence Pam Bustin. Though it was terrifying to show my work to a complete stranger who is a professional writer, I went through with it. I met with Pam one-on-one, attended her weekly Writing Circle, and read my work at her Writer in Residence Showcase. Pam wrote to me recently: “You have an important story to share with the world and your determination to learn and grow as a writer is an inspiration to us all. Your voice in the memoir is strong and clear and I love the humour that you include. There are some dark hard things to tell, but you also give your audience some giggles along the way. Your personality shines through your words. And your prose just gets stronger and stronger each time I read a piece.” 

 

I’ve since kept in touch with Pam and the other writers I met through her. In March 2024, Pam offered me a sponsorship to attend an online version of her Saturday Scribblers writing circle. I also briefly worked with the 2023/2024 Writer in Residence, Holly Luhning, and made a few connections through her. However, I have found that I have a stronger rapport with Pam will continue to work with her on my memoir. 

 

I’m writing this book as smaller stories that will all be connected to tell an over-arching story—one of resilience.  These stories will not only include stories about my disability, but also stories about: life in a day program, going to shows in Regina, family/friend relationships, moving to Regina, and more. The inspiration for the format of this book is from I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jeanette McCurdy. My goal is to release the book spring/summer 2025.