Born and raised on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tseil-Waututh peoples (Vancouver), C.E. Gatchalian (he/him) is a Filipinx queer author, playwright and editor who has authored six books and co-edited three anthologies. His memoir, Double Melancholy, was published in Spring 2019 by Arsenal Pulp Press. In 2022 he was one of the recipients of the one-time only British Columbia Lieutenant Governor’s Arts and Music Awards for his contribution to the arts in BC. He currently lives in Tkaronto (Toronto).

Reading: Double Melancholy: Art, Beauty, and the Making of a Brown Queer Man

In this intimate reading, acclaimed writer CE Gatchalian shares excerpts from his memoir Double Melancholy: Art, Beauty, and the Making of a Brown Queer Man—a lyrical and provocative exploration of race, desire, and artistic identity. Blending cultural criticism with personal reflection, the memoir traces the formation of a brown queer sensibility through encounters with literature, film, and family history. This reading will offer a glimpse into a richly textured inner world shaped by both beauty and marginalization.

Workshop: Writing the Unraveling Self

What if your writing didn’t have to “make sense”? What if you could let it stutter, fragment, contradict, or fall apart? In this hour-long workshop, participants will explore what it means to write from a place of emotional rawness and formal disruption. Through short, guided prompts and group reflection, we’ll challenge the idea that good writing must be polished or coherent—and embrace the mess, confusion, and vulnerability that often lead us closer to truth.