Creative Writing and Journalism

News Stories

Portal magazine's 30th anniversary cover pops with orange and yellow bubbles

VIU's Portal Magazine Celebrates 30 Years of Literary Excellence

April 26, 2021

Portal is hosting a virtual launch of its 30th anniversary edition on Friday, April 30. For 30 years Portal, Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) nationally distributed literary magazine, has amplified the voices of emerging writers and showcased the works of up-and-coming illustrators, photographers and artists. Portal is hosting a Zoom virtual launch on Friday, April 30, 7-9 pm, to celebrate... Read more


Tyson Whitney on the beach

Alum of the Month: Tyson Whitney

February 23, 2021

Graduating in the midst of a recession, Tyson Whitney (Bachelor of Arts, Major in Creative Writing and Journalism ’08) worked a variety of jobs that didn’t focus on writing at first, including as a law clerk and warehouse manager. In 2015, he went to work for the North Island Gazette in Port Hardy, where he became editor a year later and has never looked back. The paper has since been nominated... Read more


Spenser Smith, a VIU Creative Writing alum, seated outdoors with his laptop

Alumni of the Month: Spenser Smith

December 8, 2020

Through his writing, Spenser Smith (Bachelor of Arts, Major in Creative Writing ’19) is attempting to change the public’s perception of drug users and add another perspective to the conversation about BC’s overdose crisis. In September 2019, he started his Master of Arts in Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia (UBC), for which he is writing a book of poetry that explores his... Read more


Cloudhead Games, VIU Alumni staff

A Career in the Clouds

September 17, 2019

For most people, the prospect of spending days immersed in virtual reality worlds is a pipe dream made possible only by winning the lottery or some other turn of good fortune. For the folks at Qualicum-based Cloudhead Games, five of whom are VIU alumni, this is their everyday. Up against heavy competition from AAA studios for games like Fallout 4 and Skyrim, the virtual reality game development... Read more