Historic Joy Kogawa House Society

Historic Joy Kogawa House is a home for writing, education, and dialogue. The 1912 heritage home is a culturally significant heritage site situated on the south side of the street at 1450 West 64th Avenue on unceded Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh traditional territories in what is now known as the Marpole neighbourhood of South Vancouver.

The cultural site is considered significant today as one of the earliest surviving homes in Marpole, and as a representation of the Japanese internment in 1942.

The 1912 house is a vibrant meeting place that hosts writing workshops and literary events, compensates writers-in-residence, and presents a historical perspective on the story of Japanese internment in Canada through interpretive displays and tours.

Currently, gatherings at the literary landmark offer visitors an opportunity to interact with and learn from the professional and emerging writers who live and work at the house for two- and three-month residencies. These writers represent a wide variety of backgrounds and genres.

As an equity-driven organization, it is our priority to create opportunities and a time and place to hear voices from historically underrepresented communities and from among writers who articulate the experiences of marginalized and racialized groups in our history, including Indigenous people, Black people, and people of color (BIPOC), members of the LGBTQ2S+ community, people with disabilities, and women. We uplift these writers and create audiences for their work.