About
Sophia Conway is a West Coast poet and writer; originating from the town of Westport on the West Coast of Ireland and now residing on Vancouver Island on the West Coast of Canada, with her husband and young son.
Coming from a Welsh-speaking village in Wales with her German-speaking family to Ireland at the age of 8, her love for the written word began when she was forced to read introductory English language books in her school's program for children with learning disabilities (a misdiagnosis - she was and is simply stubborn!) As she grew in fluency, she fell in love with the stories she read and began writing her own on her father's old computer long into the night. Her passion for poetry came later at age 14 when she won a poetry contest at her Catholic All-Girls School and went on to represent them at the All-Ireland Secondary School Poetry Slam. Though she didn't win, it was the first time that her work had been recognized, which encouraged her to continue writing.
She abandoned her craft in early adulthood as life became busier. Over the past few years, some life events caused her to take up a pen and paper again to help her process and express what she was feeling and experiencing. Within the first two years of returning to the art, over 60 of her poems were published in various forms and across multiple publications. Her speculative fiction novella 'His Last Companion' was released on Amazon and Audible, and her haiku is being recorded in the Living Haiku Anthology and The Haiku Foundation's Haiku Registry. The Origami Poetry Project published her first micro-chapbook, 'Crumbs & Constellations: A Haiku Story' in the Spring of 2024, and her debut poetry book containing her first full collection of free-form poetry on her journey to motherhood and self-acceptance will be published by Alabaster Leaves Publishing in 2025. She is a member of the League of Canadian Poets.
Sophia has led an interactive haiku workshop at Vancouver's Sakura Days Japan Fair where she enjoyed sharing her joy of haiku with others, and her heart through her poetry spoken-word performances. She loves bringing all her interests together by combining poetry with storytelling and visual art through film, photography, scrap-booking, sumi-e painting, and whatever else she can discover! Whether you encounter her poetry in print, performance, or visual art, she hopes it meets you with compassion and leaves you feeling a little bit less alone as you journey on.
Sophia's inspiration comes from nature, her Christian faith, her search for belonging as an immigrant, and her motherhood.
Soli Deo Gloria