The TL;DR

Eavesdrop is a nonprofit multimedia community founded on Canada’s West Coast that supports queer, disabled, BIPOC, and other marginalized artists to showcase their work. Eavesdrop Magazine takes patrons through a multimedia exploration of self, art, and belonging. We publish poetry, short fiction, creative nonfiction, plays, comics, visual art, and spoken word. Through anthologies, podcasts, audio editions, and other content, Eavesdrop cuts through the industry’s status quo by making literature more accessible fiscally, visually, and audibly. We are passionate about sharing the experiences this diverse country has to offer through every perspective and emphasize growing alongside one another as we untangle what it means to be an artist in the modern world.

The Beginning

Co-founders Evelyn & Larissa met as artists and coworkers at Makerlabs on Vancouver’s Downtown East Side. They bonded quickly over a shared love for eco-conscious art, cold drinks, and their boss’ corgi that frequented the building. They also soon discovered a shared passion for the written word. Both Ev and Larissa started graduate programs while working at Makerlabs, but took slightly different directions. Evelyn trekked to SFU for a Master of Publishing program while Larissa scooted to UBC for a Master of Creative Writing degree. As they neared the end of their programs, they both started to take more notice of shifts in their fields. Larissa loves to write YA and did a lot of research into the inclusion of audiobooks in schools and what reading means for youth in general. Evelyn’s work led them toward podcasts and radio. They discussed what literary art means to them and agreed that literary magazines have struggled with an equitable presentation of materials thus far. Today, novels and other long-form works get a lot of audio action, but short-form, digital poetry, and essays often do not get transferred to audio. While this is not always the case, major players that do transfer their short-form publications into audio often have paywalls.

The Idea

We want to be a changing force and combine the two. We want to give folks access to great content without a paywall and with exceptional accessibility. We want to give local voice actors and artists a platform that is dedicated to sustainability, Indigenous cultural resurgence,  equitable art consumption as well as production, and diversity. Furthermore, we want to create a platform that attracts a diverse range of visitors so artists’ work can be vastly discovered and enjoyed. 

So, what the heck does that all mean? What do we actually plan to DO? Great question! Eavesdrop is a literary magazine that is dedicated to publishing talented, diverse writers, new and established, sustainably via audio and written anthologies of poetry, fiction, plays, visual art and CNF. We want to be predominantly a digital magazine with a serious focus on audio. Podcasts will be posted alongside regular written content and we will talk about EVERYTHING. We will dive into the perspectives of writers versus publishers, agents, editors, and much more. Anthologies and podcasts are cool, but we will also have non-anthology content rolling in, offer digital courses, readings, and seminars, and have special events to bolster our community. The coolest part of our vision, in our opinion, is that every piece of written content will be read out by a human and every audio piece will be transcribed by a human. Yes, by hoomans (unless, of course, our boss’ corgi wants a voice-acting job). We also accept submissions in spoken word, something that is not yet common in the literary sphere.

The Promise

What does sustainability look like for us? Well, firstly, we don’t plan on publishing many paper copies, perhaps once a year, in an effort to reduce our footprint.  The paper copies we do publish will all be West Coast made from recycled materials. We recognize some folks don’t have digital access, and that is something we always consider. Secondly, we want to give back to the community just as much or more than we are given. If folks can give, we can do more, if they can’t, we will do everything we can with what we have to enrich the spaces around us. That said, we want to pay artists. We are artists. We know how tough it can be to dedicate yourself to practice with no guarantee. It’s terrifying and we want to give Canadian artists a chance to get their art out to as many eyes and ears and hands as possible. Now more than ever artists are struggling to continue their work, an essential work that is so undervalued. People need art and we want to provide it as often as we can without requiring anything in return, but your help, dear reader, will allow us to reach so much further. Affluence should not be a precursor for art consumption, but supporting with what you can when you can will help neighbours, friends, and family across vast distances enjoy the diverse art this community has to offer. Therefore, our fiscal sustainability promise is that we will never put up a paywall for our digital anthologies and podcasts, but you can support this work by purchasing limited prints and handmade digital copies, becoming a member of Eavesdrop, listening to podcasts, attending our events, or, you know, telling a friend about us! Lastly, we live on different parts of the West Coast, on the traditional, unceded territories of many Indigenous peoples, and we are responsible for taking care of this land that we are uninvited guests on. We acknowledge that the lands we live, listen, and grow on were acquired through the breaking of Treaty Agreements, and the oppression that resulted is still felt today, requiring much action and allyship to heal and rectify. We strive to listen and build equity from a place of self-education and gratitude, vowing to work with communities so that Indigenous voices are heard loudly through our platform as well as BIPOC, Disabled, and Queer voices. We are committed to creating a magazine through a decolonial lens and dedicated to making our content accessible for neurodivergent folks as well as readers/listeners with both visual and hearing accessibility issues. Art brings people together, and bringing people together is imperative for a culturally sustainable future. 

The Final Drive

To cap it off, Eavesdrop Magazine is queer-founded and operated and we plan to keep it that way indefinitely. We aim to have monthly guests with diverse backgrounds come on our podcasts to discuss the issues they face in today’s writing and publishing industries. Alongside our current news takes and friendly discussions, we also want to offer industry expert advice for folks who want to embark on this journey. It’s rough out there, we know, and ideally, Eavesdrop can be a haven for people who want to learn just as much as it will be a place of engagement and enjoyment. We want you to come along and learn with us, grow with us and our platform as the industries we have dedicated our lives to continue to change alongside the world, hopefully for the better. 

Sincerely, 

Ev & Larissa