Since retiring, Dennis Hawkins-Bogle has embraced a life rich with purpose, creativity, and community. A lifelong storyteller, his passion for writing was reignited after a transformative summer on Cortes Island. His work spans children's tales, fantasy, comedy, memoir, and political and social commentary — but at its heart, his writing always centres love, compassion, and a refusal to let silenced voices remain unheard. His collection, The Blue Taffeta Party Dress & Other Stories, is a raw, honest, and often wry journey through coming of age as a gay man in 1970s and 80s rural British Columbia. Dennis lives in Campbell River with his husband Stephen, volunteering at the community theatre and local writers' festival when he isn't writing.