About MeI'm an award-winning speculative fiction (fantasy, sci-fi & (light) horror) author, speaker, creative educator based in the Comox Valley—and the current + read more president of CWILL BC!

I love connecting with audiences of all ages and welcome inquiries from event planners both at home and further afield.

Look for Metro Vancouver, Fraser Valley & other BC locations in most of my work, often with a climate fiction edge or historic flair.

I've become known for short fiction, including translations, audio adaptations, and publication in leading genre markets including BRAVE NEW WEIRD: BEST NEW WEIRD HORROR and YEAR'S BEST CANADIAN FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION, as well as for the celebrated gothic-dystopian YA Science Fantasy trilogy THREADS OF DREAMS, in which a neurospicy misfit unravels monster-infested, post-eco-apocalypse Vancouver.

When I'm not hard at work on my next releases (for younger—and older—readers), I curate the "Short Speculative CanLit for Teens" educational resource, teach local and international term-length intensive creative writing workshops and themed summer camps for kids and teens with the Creative Writing for Children Society, speak at festivals and conferences, and serve on the CWILL BC executive as President. Show Less

My Work Speaker Info Contact Me

---

You May Know Me For:

Literature Types
• YA Fiction

Published WorksYA Science Fantasy series THREADS OF DREAMS: a neurospicy misfit unravels monster-infested, post-eco-apocalypse Vancouver. Gothic-dystopian coming-of-rage with more blood than kissing.

--1: BLIND THE EYES (2022 Whistler Independent Book Awards Shortlist, Reader Views 2021-2022 Literary Awards Bronze, Page Turner Awards 2020 Book Spotlight Prize, Barnes & Noble Press "20 Favorite Indie Books of 2018.")
--2: BLACK THE TIDES
--3: BURN THE SKIES

Related (in-series) short fiction:
--LETTER FROM THE END OF THE WORLD / LETTERA DALLA FINE DEL MONDO (Virgibooks, 2019, translation)
--BOY WITH NO NAME: THE DEVIL YOU KNOW: A FICTION-ATLAS PRESS ANTIHERO ANTHOLOGY (Fiction-Atlas Press, 2020)
--SPECTRES OF THE OLD WORLD 1-3: A squad of dreamwalker teen ecologists fight sea monsters in post-climate crisis Powell River of the future. (2022)
--UNDER: YA Dystopian Fantasy (2022)

Standalone short fiction:

"The Tangle (Did Not Kill Kitsault)" (STRANGE HORIZONS, 2024/BRAVE NEW WEIRD: BEST NEW WEIRD HORROR, Vol. 3, Tenebrous Press, 2025 reprint)

"The Patron Saint of Flatliners" (MYSTERION, 2024/YEAR'S BEST CANADIAN FANTASY & SCIENCE FICTION, VOL. 3, Ansible Press, 2025 reprint)

"Powerhouse" in THE KINDREAD COAST (Black Cat Books, 2025)

"Crumbling of the Sandwich Generation" (FACTOR FOUR, 2025)

"The Mistletoe Matchmaker Is Wilting" (PULPHOUSE, 2025)

"Geosapiology: a brief history of geogenesis, the Stones, and the Theory of Appeasement" (THE DAILY TOMORROW, 2025)

"Mud Maidens Rise" (LIGHTSPEED, 2024)

"Those Who Look at Hidden Things" (LIGHTSPEED MAGAZINE, 2024)

"The Pink Slime's Appointment With Destiny" (PULPHOUSE, 2024)

"Hollow" (THE NOSLEEP PODCAST, 2024)

"Calloused" (in THERE'S NO PLACE, Renaissance Press, 2023)

"Children of Earth" (FANTASY MAGAZINE, 2023/PULPHOUSE, 2024 reprint)

"Castoffs" in IT WAS ONLY A DREAM (Hungry Shadows Press, 2022):

"On the Edge" (THE FAIRYTALE MAGAZINE, 2019/FROZEN WAVELETS, 2020 reprint)

---

Speaking InformationI'm a confident speaker with experience in a variety of settings (one-on-one coaching, camps, term-length workshops masterclasses, festivals, conferences, and + read more large-group/auditorium venues, both in Canada and abroad) for all ages (but I especially love working with teens!)

Willing to travel, schedule permitting, and happy to adjust to the themes and needs of your event. I prefer to offer dynamic, flexible/topical presentations or workshops with direct audience engagement where possible (vs. a static reading or "book talk"), but large-group presentations with or without display graphics are also available.

Notes:
-I often incorporate BC/Canadian books into workshops/presentations for kids especially when presenting to audiences younger than I write for
-short fiction is great for tweens and up—it's not only more accessible, it's weirder than most novels! Happy to champion that cause anytime :)

My most popular presentations are:

-Those Who Look At Hidden Things: this is my default author talk. A/V capable spaces are best for this one so I can include video of a wriggling canker worm and talk about being forced to walk through veils of them on the way to elementary school. Fun for all ages! (Usually a little silly, a little gross, scalable for all ages-and-stages, and segues to discussions around how artists focus, notice details, share unique perspectives, etc...) Can be paired with follow-up/take-away activities for extended learning.

-Monster Feast/Writing the senses: descriptive (sensory) writing topic best for classroom or small group workshops with a craft, can be spun out into a mini-series or extension activities involving writing all five senses!

-Interactive Storytelling/Story-building Improv: fun-&-funny mid to large group performance-based presentation where we build a story via audience input (on whiteboard/flipchart sketches/notes) while picking up story structure along the way.

Learn more (additional inspo, logistics, fee structure, etc.!) at https://kaie.space/bookings.html Show Less

I will visit:
• Vancouver
• Coast
• Lower Mainland
• Gulf and Vancouver Islands
• Thompson Okanagan
• Northern British Columbia
• Cariboo Chilcotin Coast
• Kootenay Rockies
• The Territories
• Canada - beyond BC
• USA
• International
• Virtually

I Present to Age Groups:
• Grades 4-6
• Grades 7-8
• High School
• College / University / Adult

Request Booking Info

Testimonials"Kaie recently joined our Guild of Young Writers program for a virtual Speculative Fiction workshop + read more that exceeded all of our expectations!

Kaie provided such an insightful presentation, sharing her own writing process and tidbits about the business of writing itself before diving deep into the elements of speculative fiction.

Her presentation was interactive and engaged the students with specific tips and examples from her own writing, along with suggestions to bring back to their own writing practice.

She answered all of their questions with thoughtful and knowledgeable responses and provided the students with such inspiration to move forth with their own writing projects."

-Rebecca Ruiter
Coordinator & Facilitator | Story Studio Writing Society
storystudio.ca Show Less "K.A. Wiggins is an articulate and engaging professional who knows how to bring authors into + read more dynamic conversations meant to inform, entertain and enlighten audiences of all levels.

Her ability to seamlessly orchestrate events from beginning to end further demonstrates her passion and care for all that she does."

-Bonnie Nish, PhD
Executive Director | Word Vancouver
Department of Language and Literacy Education, Faculty of Education | University of British Columbia Show Less

---

Awards and Recognition:"The Patron Saint of Flatliners"
-Top 6 Anchor Author/Story, YEAR'S BEST CANADIAN FANTASY & + show more SCIENCE FICTION: VOLUME 3 (Ansible Press, 2025)
-Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2024: Longlist
-Writers of the Future Awards 2023 Q2: Semi-Finalist

"The Tangle (Did Not Kill Kitsault)"
-BRAVE NEW WEIRD: THE BEST NEW WEIRD HORROR VOLUME 3 (Tenebrous Press, 2025)

"Joe the Potato Wants to Die"
-Writers of the Future Awards 2024 Q4: Silver Honorable Mention

"A Queen of the Folk Is the Realm"
-Writers of the Future Awards 2024 Q3: Honorable Mention

"Swallow Down the Notes"
-Writers of the Future Awards 2024 Q1: Honorable Mention

"Simone's Stakeouts and the Case of the Speakeasy Arsonist"
-Writers of the Future Awards 2023 Q4: Silver Honorable Mention

"The Pink Slime's Appointment With Destiny"
-Writers of the Future Awards 2023 Q1: Honorable Mention

"Children of Earth"
-Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2023: Longlist
-Writers of the Future Awards 2023 Q1: Honorable Mention

Abbotsford Arts Council 2021 Arty Awards: Literary Arts Award Winner

BLIND THE EYES (Threads of Dreams, 1)
-Whistler Independent Book Awards 2022 Shortlist
-Reader Views 2021-2022 Literary Awards: Bronze in Children's Books Classics (pre-2021 releases)
-Page Turner Awards 2020: Book Spotlight Prize
-Barnes & Noble Press "20 Favorite Indie Books of 2018"
-2018 KWL cover contest, SciFi/Fantasy category shortlist
-NetGalley Most Requested fantasy

"Calloused"
-Writers of the Future Awards 2022 Q3: Silver Honorable Mention

"Hiding A Pearl"
-First, Law Week Short Story Contest 2004

"Incognito"
-First (Regional) & Second (Overall), "It's Happening Here" FVRL Teen Writing Contest 2004 Show Less