Arleen Paré is a poet and novelist with an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Victoria. Her first book, Paper Trail, won the Victoria Butler Book Prize and was a finalist for the Dorothy Livesay B.C. Book Award for Poetry. Her second book was a mixed-genre novel entitled Leaving Now. Paré’s writing has appeared in several Canadian literary journals and anthologies. Originally from Montreal, she lived for many years in Vancouver, where she worked asa social worker and administrator to provide community housing for people with mental illnesses. She now livesin Victoria with her partner, Chris Fox.