Hollay Ghadery is a multi-genre writer living in Ontario on Anishinaabe land. She has her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph. Fuse, her memoir of mixed-race identity and mental health, was released by Guernica Editions in 2021 and won the 2023 Canadian Bookclub Award for Nonfiction/Memoir. Her collection of poetry, Rebellion Box was released by Radiant Press in 2023, and her collection of short fiction, Widow Fantasies, was released with Gordon Hill Press in fall 2024 and was longlisted for the Toronto Book Award. Her debut novel, The Unraveling of Ou, was released with Palimpsest Press in 2026, and her children’s book, Being with the Birds, with Guernica Editions in 2027. Hollay is a host on The New Books Network, as well as a co-host on HOWL on CIUT 89.5 FM. She is also a book publicist, the co-chair of the League of Canadian Poets BIPOC committee, as well as the Poet Laureate of Scugog Township. Learn more about Hollay at www.hollayghadery.com.
Photo Courtesy of Hollay Ghadery
Do you have any early memories of being interested in poetry specifically or writing generally?
Absolutely. I loved Shel Silverstein’s poetry as a child and I adored reading in general. Like most writers, I was a reader first (I still am a reader first actually!) and escaping into the world of books was a reprieve from a unpredictable and sometimes frightening and painful external reality. My mother also read to me a lot. I still remember her reading to me from The Trumpet of the Swan by E.B. White and a beautiful book of nursery rhymes by Lucy Kincaid, The Magic of Rhymes. These early experiences opened portals to other worlds and possibilities. They were transformative.
Did you study literature at university or college?
I did! I completed by BAH in English Language and Literature from Queen’s University and I received my Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing by from the University of Guelph.
How did you develop your skills and craft?
In addition to studying literature and writing in school, I read voraciously—anything I can get my hands on, really. I particularly love poetry. The way it encourages play and curiosity, I’d argue more than any written form (and I write across genres. My most recent book is a novel, The Unravelling of Ou, published by Palimpsest Press, 2026). I think reading and reading poetry specifically has been the most crucial component to my development as a writer.
Does form and structure matter to you when constructing your poetry?
Yes, mostly because it gives me something to work with or against. I write a lot of form poetry like pantoums or sestinas. Or I start a poem in forms like this. They can act as a map, guiding me through blank spaces in my mind because of the formula that necessitate. I have to end a line with a certain word, or repeat a certain phrase, etc. so even if I’m lost, I know I have to work toward that one thing. That helps. However, if I start to find that the form is restrictive and I want to break free of it, I will. But many of my poems start as a form. If the form isn’t serving the poem, I abandon it.
If you want to look into the work of Hollay Ghadery – See links below
www.hollayghadery.com
www.riverstreetwriting.com
and the following social media platforms
Instagram: @hollayghadery & @river_street_writes
TikTok: @hollayghadery @river.street.writing
Facebook: @riverstreetwriting & @hollayghaderywriter
Twitter: @Hollay2 @riverstwriting
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/hollayghadery
