About Me

Memoirist. Essayist. Prose poet.

I’ve always embraced the concept “feel the fear and do it anyway.” Whether it’s been earning a master’s degree in history, backpacking Europe solo for six weeks, or teaching English in South Korea for six years, I gravitate to new challenges. At fifteen, I escaped from an abusive home and embarked on a quest to heal. This often arduous process is ongoing, but through it I’ve discovered a deep inner resiliency, embraced optimism as my lifeline, and learned how to finally and fully love and accept myself.

Writing has always been my gateway to self-discovery. My creative projects address the mother-child relationship, childhood abuse, body image, sexuality, sexual assault, and being hard of hearing in the context of a worldwide search for self. In my short-form essays, prose poems, and upcoming memoir, I lay clues to my path of healing, breadcrumbs I hope readers can use to journey through their own weeds of discovery. I also share the healthier ways I’ve learned to write about trauma in my ongoing series with Hippocampus Magazine. I believe with persistence and tenacity, anyone can mend their deepest wounds and step into their power. 

Some interesting tidbits:

My self-care routine includes regular meditation, yoga, and dark chocolate. I’ve won National Novel Writing Month eleven years in a row. My name is pronounced “yo-LAND.” My partner and I have housesat around Toronto since 2021. Batgirl is my favourite superhero.

 

Short Bio

Yolande House’s creative writing has appeared in literary magazines such as The Rumpus, The Fiddlehead, Grain, PRISM international, Joyland, and the Humber Literary Review. Her writing has made it to the finalist round at Creative Nonfiction three times, and her Entropy essay was selected as one of the magazine’s “Best of 2018.” She can be found on Instagram (healthruwriting) and Twitter (herstorian). Currently, she’s working on a memoir-in-pieces about being hard of hearing.

Long Bio

Yolande House’s creative writing explores powerful themes of recovery, healing, and moving on from trauma and has appeared in literary magazines such as The Rumpus, Grain, Joyland, PRISM international, and The Fiddlehead. Her essays have reached the finalist round at Creative Nonfiction three times, and her Entropy essay was selected as one of the magazine’s “Best of 2018.”

Born on Prince Edward Island, she has lived in Alberta, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, South Korea, and Thailand, and is currently located in Treaty 13 territory in Tkaronto. She holds a Master’s in History from Queen’s University and a Bachelor of Journalism from Carleton University, and she is a graduate of the Sage Hill Writing Experience. Her work has been supported by Access Copyright, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Canada Council for the Arts, and she has assisted others in successfully applying for grant funding.

Yolande is bisexual, disabled, and hard of hearing. Currently, Yolande is polishing a completed childhood memoir and working on a memoir-in-pieces about invisible disabilities such as CPTSD, chronic illness and injury, and being hard of hearing. You can find her on Instagram (healthruwriting) and Twitter (herstorian).

My Work

This reads "Voices From the FOLD" (the Festival of Literary Diversity) across the top, with an orange sketch of an ear underneath.

Hard of Hearing: A Diptych

Voices From the FOLD: A Festival Magazine

Studying the Conversation

Joyland Magazine

This Global Life

Porcupine Literary 

Yolande gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Canada Council for the Arts, The Access Copyright Foundation, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Government of Ontario.

Canada Council for the Arts logo
Government of Ontario logo
On the left, a stylized logo reads "OAC." To the right, it reads "ONTARIO ARTS COUNCIL: an Ontario government agency" in French and English

Photo credits: Roy Cruz (top), Sarah McCarthy-Sitthiket (Batgirl tee)