CreativeMornings | Creating Spaces to Belong: The Parallel Stories of Two Meg(h)ans

Join us on March 21 at Launch Co-Working in the Exchange District to explore the CreativeMornings global theme of PARALLEL! Doors open at 8am for networking and breakfast. Our event is free and everyone is welcome.

As writers and storytellers, Meghan Malcolm (they/she) and Megan Kiyoko Wray (she/her) have spent their lives searching for reflections of themselves in the stories around them—only to realize that true representation often requires creating the spaces and narratives they longed for. Their journeys parallel in many ways: both grew up feeling underrepresented in media, both found community through storytelling, and both have worked to build spaces where others can feel seen, valued, and understood.

Meet our Speakers: Meghan Malcolm and Megan Wray

Meghan, a queer writer, founded Willow, a bookstore and community hub that grew from a self-publishing project into a beloved gathering space. With a mandate of sharing stories to “find and lose yourself” in, Willow championed diverse books and fostered a space for inclusive events like queer open mics, drag performances, and community workshops.

Megan, a queer, mixed-race Japanese Canadian writer, has spent years uncovering the histories that shaped her family and community, confronting the intergenerational trauma of wartime incarceration and dispossession. Through her work with Mata Ashita: An Intergenerational Writing Circle for Japanese Canadians, she has found—and now helps create—a space for connection, healing, and shared stories.

Together, Megan and Meghan will explore the power of representation, the intersections of their journeys, and how storytelling can be an act of both self-discovery and community-building. Join us as they reflect on the parallels between their paths and the ways creativity fosters belonging.

Meet our Musician: Raine Hamilton

Resonant, acoustic chamber folk with an otherworldly edge, and a lyric presence that cuts deep. Prism-clear vocals + strings. Anchored in the ancient mountains, reaching out beyond the earthly.

Raine is part prairie songstress, part storyweaver; Each song has a story, delivered between songs with humour and grace. Raine invites deep love of the violin into the singer-songwriter genre, writing for violin and voice, as well as for guitar and voice. Joined by cello and upright bass, expect string arrangements that push and pull, that move as they console.

Art is for everyone, music is for everyone. Raine often performs alongside an American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter, making their concerts accessible to the Deaf community. Raine is great with kids; Ask them about their songwriting workshops.

SOUNDS LIKE: A string quartet + Sarah Harmer + Joni Mitchell