Ali Bryan gets up at 5 a.m., tosses on the first toque she finds and heads to Tim Hortons. She enjoys driving the trafficless streets with the urban deer and feral rabbits until she returns home with not one, but three coffees. She drops her jacket and toque on the floor wherever she is when she decides she no longer wants them, never anywhere close to the entry or closet, and then she’ll sit in the pitch dark and write for several hours. She stops when the kids get up. In between demands for food, they discuss feelings and social situations and how they’re going to get from point A to point B later in the day. The most productive writing period of her day is over.
Afternoons, she exercises and writes again. And edits and reads and preps classes and plans events and critiques other writers’ work. Then it’s off to buy kale for the pet rabbit, drive kids from point A to point B and socialize. Later we watch a terrible History channel show, or else she kisses me goodnight and sprints off to play soccer for one of eight different teams. Ali was shortlisted for the Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, has won awards and has three novels coming out in 2023. Not bad for writing in the dark.
-Written by Dave Bryan, Ali’s husband and fan (even when she loses his toque)
In my office surrounded by the things that bring me joy art, books, photos, sea glass, and treasure. I share this space with my paranoid dwarf rabbit, Alfie. He’s getting old.Hosting the launch of author Bradley Somer’s incredible new book “Extinction” at one of my favourite Calgary arts venues—cSpace King Edward—where I also teach writing classes for the Alexandra Writers Centre. I’m hosting the launch of my fourth novel, Coq, there in April.Posing with fellow Leacock Medal shortlisted authors Mark Critch and Cathal Kelly. I was shortlisted for my second novel, The Figgs, which has been optioned for TV. The most memorable part of the weekend? Getting a certificate congratulating me on “The FRIGGS”.Our entire family is or has been involved in combat sports at one time or another: wrestling, Muay Thai, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. We turned our garage into a wrestling room. It was a Godsend during the pandemic. Here my oldest daughter, Pippa, is tossing her father. I have a forthcoming young adult novel, Takedown, starring a girl wrestler coming out in 2024.Taken somewhere in southern Alberta during the summer of forest fires a few years back. I love photographing abandoned buildings, barns, cars, buildings. A hobby I share with my son Hugo and youngest daughter, Odessa. Brokenness is a recurring theme in my work and my forthcoming novel, The Crow Valley Karaoke Championships, takes place in a small town such as this.A candid of my family from last July. We were on our way to California and barely made it through security before our flight was called. It was the last family trip before my oldest moved to Queen’s for university. California makes me feel alive.I spent over a decade in the fitness industry, touring North America as an instructor and training clients locally. My fitness routine is a critical component to both my artistic practice and my mental health. When I’m not working out at home, I’m on the soccer pitch. I love my teammates.Taken at the greenspace a mere twenty meters from my front door. We’ve spent many nights here playing kick-the-can until sundown, climbing the rocks or passing through on our way to get a Slurpee, a bottle of wine or more often than not, more kale for the rabbit.
***
Which ’hood are you in?
Among the ravines in Strathcona Park, SW.
What do you do?
I write about the what-ifs, the wtfs and the wait-a-minutes of every day.
What are you currently working on?
I am revising the final draft of The City, book 2 in the YA dystopian Hill series, and writing a new work of contemporary adult fiction, a novel, called Survival Machines.
Where can we find your work?
Anywhere you can buy books, preferably at a fabulous local independent bookstore, but also at Indigo and Amazon. Several pieces of my short-form work in both fiction and creative nonfiction can be found on my website and on Instagram.
Demian is an Argentinian retired musician, avid gamer and editor for the Montréal Guardian, Toronto Guardian, Calgary Guardian and Vancouver Guardian websites.
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