
Trained as a journalist, Heather Conn has worked as a professional writer for 40+ years, based in the Vancouver, BC region. She has published in 50+ magazines and newspapers, including The Globe and Mail, Vancouver Sun, Georgia Straight, and Canadian Geographic. She has also co-written two short films for Bravo! TV and served as a writer for CBC-TV Vancouver. Her specialty areas include arts and culture, the environment and conservation, travel, social justice issues, and spirituality.
Heather is the author of two nonfiction history books on public transit in Vancouver, BC (Vancouver's Glory Years, Whitecap Books, co-written with Henry Ewert) and two picture books, Gracie's Got a Secret and Six Stinky Feet and a Sasquatch. Her creative nonfiction memoir No Letter in Your Pocket will be published in 2023 by Guernica Editions. Her nonfiction features have appeared in at least a half-dozen anthologies, including New Beginnings (Timbercrest Publishing, 2019), Raincoast Chronicles 22 (Harbour Publishing, 2013), and Emails from India (Seraphim Editions, 2013).
Heather works as a writing coach in nonfiction and fiction and has taught professional writing full-time at Selkirk College. She created and taught five courses in creative writing for adults with mental illness for the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority in Sechelt, BC. Her popular writing courses in Continuing Education for the Vancouver School Board maintained waiting lists. She has taught writing workshops for the City of Port Moody, BC, at Powell River Digital Film School, and Pull Focus (now In Focus) Film School in Vancouver. Other teaching venues, on subjects from travel to memoir and creative nonfiction, include University of King's College (online), Capilano University, Continuing Education (Sechelt), Simon Fraser University at Harbour Centre, and the Kootenay School of Writing. Heather has an MFA in creative nonfiction from Goucher College, Baltimore. Contact her for a list of awards.
Besides editing nonfiction and fiction books, Heather has worked as editor-in-chief of PeopleTalk magazine, published by the B.C. Human Resources Management Association. She served as a contributing editor for Alive and BC Woman magazine and as western editor for Trucking Canada. She has edited at least a dozen books for a variety of B.C. publishers, including Harbour Publishing, MW Books, and Opus Productions Inc.
As former communications manager Ending Violence Association of BC and for B.C. Transit, Heather wrote and edited web material, social media, and an extensive range of internal and external content. She served as editorial director for Century Communications in Vancouver and has written and/or edited promotional materials or ad content for groups including Sustainability Television, Pacific Wild, and the Sunshine Coast Regional District.
Have presented on broad array of topics, from Writing History to Travel Writing to Writing About Trauma and Taboos, Memoir, Healing from Sexual Crimes, Creative Nonfiction, etc. Can prepare a tailor-made presentation on demand.
Enquire to discuss.
See Presentation description above. Can prepare a tailor-made workshop on many topics that address introduction to journalism, history writing and research, creative nonfiction, memoir, etc.
Reading from my picture book and general discussion regarding sasquatch stories, writing, working with publishers etc. Can include art project, if desired.