I recently did a reading at an elementary school in Ottawa, and one of the children asked me if I was a girl. I said yes. Another child commented that I had a deep voice. I responded: "Can girls have deep voices?" There was a pause and then the group responded, "Yes!"

Children are receptive to talking about gender creativity, confirming the importance of the book as a means to instigate this dialogue at an early age.

My art career often feels less like an art career and more like a career in educating, usually by using my body.

I feel like I have had to catch up to the art I've made, and learn from the protagonists I have written, especially in relation to gender.

My intention was never to write a "trans novel" - which is perhaps an effective strategy for writing a trans novel.

Should I be collaborating with artists of color solely because of their race and my politics? This question is weighted with my own worry that I have been invited to speak or collaborate solely because of my race, and not because of my abilities.

I think white artists have a responsibility to be not only naming white supremacy, but to be using their power and privilege to support artists of color.