Ivan Coyote

PLAYLIST

Do you still remember every word of every song that ever changed your life? Are you already humming the tune of the first song that really made you cry? Do you still know all of the lyrics that you copied onto the pages of your journal in grade eight? Writer and performer Ivan Coyote has crafted a playlist of stories that sing to us about how they managed to discover a coded but very possible queer future hidden in the music coming out of the AM radio in the kitchen, lurking in their parent’s record collection, and leaking out of the lyrics in their elementary school musical. Combining Coyote’s equal parts hilarious and heartbreaking stories with long-time collaborator Clyde Petersen’s animations, Playlist will have you hitting rewind on your own list of songs that helped shape you.
 
See the Calendar page for performance dates.
 
 
 
 

 

Ivan Coyote is a writer, storyteller and performer. Born and raised in Whitehorse, Yukon, they are the author of thirteen books, the creator of four films, seven stage shows, and three albums that combine storytelling with music. Coyote’s books have won the ReLit Award, the B.C. Book Prize for Writing That Provokes, been named a Stonewall Honour Book, been longlisted for Canada Reads, been shortlisted for the Hilary Weston Prize for non-fiction, and the Governor General’s Award for non-fiction twice. 

 
In 2017 Ivan was given an honorary Doctor of Laws from Simon Fraser University, and an Honorary Doctor of Arts from Yukon University in 2023. Coyote is currently serving as a Specialist in Inclusion and Creative Expression at Yukon University. Ivan’s 13th book, Care Of, was released in June 2021 by McClelland and Stewart, and their new show Playlist will premiere in February of 2024.

Photo by Emily Cooper

 

Coyote has long worn their heart on their sleeve, but here, in words that feel like a whispered confidence, they reveal the true depths of their integrity, their honesty, and their, dare I say, soul. . . . a vital reminder of the value not only of connection, but of every story, every voice.

Toronto Star

Coyote ought to be recognized as one of Canada’s great humorists, although often the stories are the laughing-through-tears variety. A lot of grit and a lot of heart.

Globe and Mail

Jade Colbert

The work is a charming and nuanced contribution to the genre; the writing has a springy, playful quality that is highly sensory. The prose throughout is thick with grief and tenderness…a salve for a tired heart.

Quill and Quire

Jackie Mlotek

From pronoun choice and queer visibility to gendered spaces like bathrooms, Coyote showcases the complexity of everyday experience…On all these topics, the expression is careful, deeply considered and suffused with compassion.

Vancouver Sun

Bret Josef Grubisic

[Care Of] is an engaging and entertaining look into Coyote’s life through their heartbreaking, hilarious, insightful, and entertaining responses.

Vancouver Sun

There is a courageous vulnerability in Coyote’s writing, in which they offer up their own stories in the hope of fostering connections and overcoming prejudice…The book is hilarious, heart-breaking, uplifting. It is, in other words, profoundly human.

Understorey Magazine

Michelle Deines

In Rebent Sinner, one of North America’s pre-eminent storytellers and performers takes on the intimate and the personal as well as the political in beguiling and revealing stories about what it means for them to be trans and non-binary today. At a time in their life when they must carry the burden of heartbreaking history, while combatting those who would deny their very existence, these stories span thirty years of tackling TERFS, legislators, and bathroom police. But there is delight and pleasure and triumph to be found here, too, as Ivan pays homage to personal heroes while gently guiding younger trans folk to seek joy and find their family as well. Rebent Sinner is the work of an accomplished artist whose plain truths about their experience will astound readers with their utter, breathtaking humanity.

Cover for Ivan Coyote
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Ivan Coyote

Ivan Coyote

Check my website for upcoming gigs: www.ivancoyote.com

1 week ago

Ivan Coyote
Hey Whitehorse folks. Exciting municipal election coming up here in town soon. Make sure you are registered to vote! I registered online and it was easy, and took me less than two minutes. Engage. Ask questions. Learn about the candidates and VOTE!! These are trying times and we need leaders who will uphold our values and help us build a better city. We got this!! ... See MoreSee Less
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2 weeks ago

Ivan Coyote
Ivan Coyote's cover photo ... See MoreSee Less
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3 weeks ago

Ivan Coyote
I’ve been home in the Yukon for a year and a half, and so far making my plans happen. ... See MoreSee Less
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