Edmonton, Alberta

For the Record, will be out with Arsenal Pulp Press on October 20, 2026. You can pre-order the book here and wherever books are sold. 

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Nisha Patel is an award-winning disabled queer spoken word author & artist. She was the City of Edmonton’s 8th Poet Laureate, and is a Canadian Individual Poetry Slam Champion. Her debut poetry collection, COCONUT (NeWest Press) was a finalist for the ABPA Regional Book of the Year. Her sophomore poetry collection a fate worse than death is out now with Arsenal Pulp Press. Nisha has taught creative writing, arts leadership, and more. She currently works for the Writers' Guild of Alberta.

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Nisha is a full-time type 2 diabetic. Although labels are temporary and ever-evolving, her identifying labels have helped her to narrow down treatment, access affirmative and proactive care, and fight for disability justice. She has delivered keynotes and lectures on the intersections between queerness and disability, and frequently teaches workshops on using creativity as a tool in understanding and celebrating mental health. Much of her day to day is spent with her partner, author and artist Matthew James Weigel (Whitemud Walking), as they navigate care. 

 

Nisha was awarded the Edmonton Artists’ Trust Fund Award, the Queen's Platinum Jubilee Medal, and was a finalist of the Vallum Chapbook Award. Nominated for a Pushcart Prize, she has been published by filling station, GUTS magazine, THIS Magazine, Edify, New Trail, Glass Buffalo, The Polyglot, and more, and has works in anthologies with The City Series: Edmonton (Frog Hollow Press), COVID Collections, and Hush No More: Poetry and Art to End Rape Culture. Nisha holds a Masters of Arts in Cultural Studies from Queen’s University and is completing a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing from the University of British Columbia. She also holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Alberta - Alberta School of Business.

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Nisha works towards her goal of building a stronger artistic community through living in her truth. You can find her on social media @anothernisha

You can find her books at Audreys Bookshop in Edmonton, and online through your local and national bookshops.