Return to site

Elaine

broken image

"I am a Portuguese-American living in Vancouver, Canada. I became a Canadian Citizen in 2002. My grandfather was proud of me for that—we were both immigrants who became citizens; he came to America for a better education. I’ve never lived in Portugal. I’m empowered by the culture and language. I feel at home there in a way I don’t anywhere else. I’m a playwright, and Portuguese culture often filters onto my pages. Portuguese immigrants faced a lot of prejudice in America and Canada, and it’s only now that we are beginning to tell our stories. I love that mine get brought to life on stage. I won the first Disquiet International Short Play Competition to attend a literary program in Lisbon in 2015. My play, set in the infamous Café A Brasileira, was performed at the São Luiz Winter Garden Theatre, around the corner from the café. I also had the profound experience of trekking the Portuguese Camino Pilgrimage with fellow writers. I love Vancouver. The wilderness is beautiful, and there are brave, vibrant theatre communities. But Portugal…it still calls to me, filters into my dreams when I sleep. One day."