Kara Toews has been teaching at Mount Royal for three years, focusing on writing and literature courses. Her scholarly interests include creative writing and academic writing. Where the Fire Burns, her debut fantasy novel, engages with questions of identity and familial relationships.

When she is not writing or teaching, she can be found exploring forests or local bookshops. She runs on strong coffee, loves a crisp fall day, and has a slight addiction to pumpkin pie.

Teaching Statement:
I encourage my students to take creative risks with the hope of bolstering their writing confidence by teaching them how to read and revise closely and to think critically about their words. I believe teaching is a collaborative endeavour, an ongoing mentorship based in constructive feedback and empathy. Because writing comes from a place of vulnerability, I always aim to create an inclusive space, inside and outside of the classroom, where students feel comfortable enough to ask questions and to seek support, and, most importantly, to know they are not alone. There is—and always will be—a fundamental need for writing, as its promotion of wonder and fulfilment grants us a way to understand the complex world around us and, perhaps more importantly, ourselves.

Selected Publications:

Where the Fire Burns (2026)

“Restoring the Connection: Clayoquot Sound Land Acknowledgement” (2020)

“Fairy House” (2019)

Selected Honours and Awards:

SSHRC CGSM, for Work on MA Thesis

Avie Bennet Emerging Writer Scholarship

James Patrick Folinsbee Memorial Prize in English

MacEwan Literary Arts Scholarship