Jaclyn Desforges, a 2011 graduate of our Journalism program, has made great strides in her career so far. As the author of her poetry collection, “Danger Flower”, which was added to CBC Book’s, Best Canadian Poetry of 2021 list, as well as the author of a children’s picture book, “Why Are You So Quiet?”, Jaclyn’s exceptional storytelling skills shine through her work across genres.
“I have been writing since I could hold a pencil basically. I used to dictate stories to my mom, and she would write them down for me, and I would make little books, so I’ve been writing forever.”
In high school, Jaclyn explains that she wanted to be a writer, but says it was a dream that felt too big to approach directly. “A lot of my early education was sort of dancing around what I secretly wanted to do,” she explains. However, she felt that Journalism could be an area where she could read, write, take pictures, and get involved with design, all of which she really enjoyed doing.
One of the key lessons that stand out to her about the Journalism program is that it forced her to get out of her comfort zone. “We needed to really be out in the world reporting and talking to people. I went once to go and cover a fire and I had to go up to the firemen there and ask them questions, so obviously, that is not really my comfort zone because I ended up being a poet, which is a very different job from a reporter. However, it was a great lesson in getting things written on a deadline… and we had to write things whether we were inspired or not, which was a fantastic lesson,” she says.
Jaclyn adds that the program also taught her how to write in a very clear way. “I feel like that is a huge thing for all writers, whether you end up in journalism or not. It's so important to not get caught up in making your writing sound flouncy and fancy when you need to know what you're saying. Once you know what you’re saying, then you can dress it up,” she explains.
Life After Graduation
After completing an internship at a homemakers magazine, and then working in Communications, Jaclyn’s creative writing career only began after she had her daughter and went on maternity leave. “Having a baby and everything was so scary that the idea of doing creative writing didn’t seem quite as scary anymore,” she explains. Needing a creative outlet, Jaclyn would write on her phone in the middle of the night, and that is what helped launch her into the creative writing career she has today.
Now, Jaclyn is a soon-to-be graduate from the University of British Columbia’s School of Creating Writing, which she explains has been a wonderful experience.
“Why Are You So Quiet?” is Jaclyn’s first book that she published in 2020, which she had the opportunity to write after she won a short story contest with RBC/PEN Canada. “Someone at Annick Press, [who is] the publisher, reached out to me asking if I wanted to write a picture book, and I said yes. Funnily enough, the picture book is called ‘Why Are You So Quiet?’ and it is about being an introverted kid, so that was such a wonderful opportunity and I was so happy to be able to do that.”
Jaclyn’s primary genre is poetry, and she published her first full-length collection in 2021 called “Danger Flower” with Anstruther Books/Palimpsest Press. “That has been a really cool experience. It is funny because I ended up publishing both of my books in a pandemic – the first in 2020 and the second in 2021. But there has been so much wonderful response to my book of poetry, and I’m so grateful to have been able to publish it,” she shares.
Being Added to CBC Book’s Best Canadian Poetry of 2021 List
Jaclyn explains that she has a group chat with friends who are also writers, and they often talk about writing, so when she received a message from her friend saying “this is huge, Jaclyn” with a link, she immediately clicked on it and scrolled to find “Danger Flower” on the list, which she says was very exciting.
“Writing a poetry collection was my goal when I started taking creative writing seriously. I also write fiction, but I have always felt really connected to poetry and my writing is very musical and lyrical and very symbolic, and so it is always just felt very natural to me to express myself through poetry,” she shares. “When my daughter was born, I didn’t know how to write a poem, really, and I didn’t know what I was doing at all. [Now she is] seven, and I have a book out… so it is amazing what you can accomplish if you work at it and just keep chipping away.”
Advice for Creative Writers
“The thing about creative writing is that there's so much to learn about it, and you can learn for your entire life, so don't worry if you feel like you are not necessarily taking a direct path to whatever it is you really want to write. I've learned so much from writing news articles… and I think the good thing about creative writing is that there is always more to learn, there's always more to play with, you can always try out a different genre, and so I would say just take advantage of every opportunity.
Also, follow your own interests at heart and don't worry so much if you feel like you aren't fitting into a certain path or a certain niche, not all of us do fit into the standard… and sometimes things can be a bit roundabout, and I think that can be really fun.”
Congratulations, Jaclyn, on such a phenomenal accomplishment!
Article by: Alexandra Few