Literature

A collage of four photos: Maria Marraza’s professional headshot, a cut-out photo of Barazza in her grad uniform holding flowers after graduating SFU, a photo of Barraza holding her degree in front of the university of Salamanca, and a photo of author Gabriel García Márquez
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SFYou: Dr. María Ignacia Barraza

Peak Web November 11, 2025

By: Noeka Nimmervoll, Staff Writer María Ignacia Barraza is an assistant professor in the department of world languages and literatures in the faculty of arts and social sciences at SFU. This semester, she’s teaching “Modern World Literatures 104W” and “World Literature 410,” with the special topic of Latin American Literature. Her research involves “the Spanish literary generations of 1898 and 1927, 19th and 20th century Latin American poetry and prose, as well as film and the visual arts.”  In an interview with The Peak, she tells us where it all began. Born and raised in Argentina, Barraza always held close…

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It is an illustration of a portrait of Fyodor Dostoevsky writing his book under a candle light in a dimly-lit room
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On reading Dostoevsky

Peak Web July 3, 2025

By: Yildiz Subuk, Staff Writer I have read a significant amount of Fyodor Dostoevsky’s work and found myself both exhausted and enlightened. His book Notes from Underground (1864) is hailed as the first existentialist novel, exploring the depths of an…

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Three books spread out on a flat surface in this order from left to right: Caste by Isabel Wilkerson, The Souls of Black Folk by W.E.B. Du Bois, and Notes of a Native Son by James Baldwin
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The Book Nook: 100 years of literature on Black liberation

Peak Web March 10, 2025

By: Yildiz Subuk, Staff Writer Content warning: this piece centres around racial segregation and systemic oppression.  Over the past century, Black writers have produced some of the most impactful works of non-fiction examining race, prejudice, and oppression. The three books…

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a red floppy disk with a white label near the middle
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Create and Enter: Free summer opportunities in the arts

Peak Web May 22, 2024

By: Prerita Garg, SFU Student The Small File Media Festival Deadline: June 15, 2024 Entry fee: none Website: https://smallfile.ca/  Film enthusiasts and creators can showcase their talent in The Small File Media Festival. Hosted by The Cinematheque (a partner of…

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LiterASIAN offers an in-depth glimpse into the Asian-Canadian writing community

Arts October 26, 2019

By: Kitty Cheung, Peak Associate Now in its seventh year, LiterASIAN is an annual Asian-Canadian writers’ festival. Organized by the Asian Canadian Writers’ Workshop (ACWW), this year’s festival occurred on September 27 and 28 in Vancouver’s Chinatown with the theme…

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Urban planning displaces Black populations, says professor

Peak Web November 6, 2018

Written by: Michelle Gomez, Staff Writer   A public lecture held at SFU Harbour Centre on October 24 tackled the issue of how urban planning constantly fails to consider the Black population. The talk was held by Ted Rutland, associate…

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My favourite books from 2017

EIC January 6, 2018

By: Victoria Lopatka, Staff Writer The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas Inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement, this exceptional novel follows Starr Carter, a sixteen-year-old living in a poor neighbourhood and attending an upscale high school across town,…

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Three Day Road: a Cree story from the Great War

EIC July 4, 2017

By: Alex Bloom Based loosely on a true story, Three Day Road follows two young brothers of the Cree people, Xavier and Elijah, who join the Canadian infantry during World War One. Their upbringing in the country and experience hunting…

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Book of the Week: Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie

EIC May 16, 2017

It is hard to know where to begin with this one. Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie is an extremely talented writer. She conveys the emotions and thoughts of each of her characters in a very real and relatable way; it is impossible…

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Former Peak editor argues newspapers aren’t dead

EIC November 15, 2015

Think the end is near for your local daily broadsheet? Do you believe the doom and gloom that newspapers will never be viable again, and that journalism is a risky profession given that the industry is disappearing? Former Peak editor-in-chief…

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