About
Vivek Shraya is an artist whose body of work crosses the boundaries of music, literature, visual art, theatre, and film. Her best-selling book I’m Afraid of Men was heralded by Vanity Fair as “cultural rocket fuel,” and her album Part‑Time Woman was nominated for the Polaris Music Prize. She is also the founder of the publishing imprint VS. Books.
A seven-time Lambda Literary Award finalist, Vivek was a Pride Toronto Grand Marshal and was featured on The Globe and Mail’s Best Dressed list. She is a director on the board of the Tegan and Sara Foundation, an Assistant Professor of Creative Writing at the University of Calgary, and is currently adapting her debut play, How To Fail As A Popstar, into a television pilot script with the support of CBC.
vivekshraya.com is the digital archive for a living trans artist of colour, featuring her music, writing, visual art, theatrical and film works, from 2002 to present.
Contact
- General inquiries · contact@vivekshraya.com
- Speaking & appearance bookings · Lynne Dubuc, NSB
- Brands & partnerships · Sara, Platform Media
- Music bookings · Tao-Ming Lau
- Website & web accessibility issues · Amy Grace

Awards & Honours
- Finalist · Lambda Literary Awards · Transgender Fiction · The Subtweet
- Nominated · Dublin Literary Award · The Subtweet
- Shortlisted · Stonewall Book Awards · Barbara Gittings Literature Award · The Subtweet
- Longlisted · Toronto Book Awards · The Subtweet
- Finalist · Doug Wright Award · Death Threat
- Finalist · Lambda Literary Awards · LGBT Comics · Death Threat
- Super Queeroes · CBC Arts
- Winner · Healing Through the Arts Award · ATB Financial
- Finalist · Lambda Literary Awards · Transgender Non-fiction · I’m Afraid of Men
- Nominee · Forest of Reading Evergreen Award · Ontario Library Association · I’m Afraid of Men
- Women of the Year · Chatelaine
- Top 40 Under 40 · Avenue Calgary
- Longlisted · Polaris Music Prize · Part-Time Woman
- Canada’s Best Dressed · The Globe and Mail
- Great Canadian Filmmaker of the Future · CBC Arts
- Winner · South Asia Book Award · Highly Commended Book · The Boy & The Bindi
- Winner · Publishing Triangle Award · Trans and Gender-Variant Literature · even this page is white
- Finalist · Digital Publishing Award · Have You Told Your Parents?
- Finalist · J.S. Woodsworth Award
- Finalist · Lambda Literary Awards · Transgender Poetry · even this page is white
- 9 Trans Influencers You Should Follow · Out Magazine
- Finalist · Premier’s Award for Excellence in the Arts · Emerging Artist
- Grand Marshal · Pride Toronto
- Honour of Distinction · Dayne Ogilvie Prize · Writer’s Trust of Canada
- winner · South Asia Book Awards · Honour Book · God Loves Hair
- Finalist · Emerging Artist Award · Toronto Arts Foundation
- Finalist · Bisexual Book Awards · She of the Mountains
- Winner · Most Promising LGBTQ Crusader · Anokhi Media
- Finalist · Lambda Literary Awards · Bisexual Fiction · She of the Mountains
- Winner · Steinert & Ferreiro Award for LGBTQ Leadership
- Winner · George Brown College Achievement Award for Leadership
- Finalist · Lambda Literary Awards · LGBT Anthology · What I LOVE about being QUEER
- Finalist · Lambda Literary Awards · LGBT Children’s/Young Adult · God Loves Hair
- Winner · We Are Listening International Singer/Songwriter Award
- Winner · Futures Fest