Vanessa Winn

Vanessa Winn lives in Victoria, BC, where she received a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature. Her latest novel, Trappings, depicts real people and events in 19th-century British Columbia, during the aftermath of the gold rushes. It was a course textbook for a Public History seminar at UVic. Her debut novel, The Chief Factor’s Daughter, was also studied in several history courses at BC universities.  In 2024, she contributed a chapter to Métis Matriarchs: Agents of Transition (University of Regina Press), featuring a biographical study of Josette Work, the matriarch of her novels. The Canadian Historical Association awarded this collection the Indigenous History Book Prize in 2025. She also writes book reviews, and her poetry has appeared in several journals. Please visit her website at vanessawinn.com.

Title:  Fur-trade Family Trails

Description:  Victoria author Vanessa Winn will explore her research of a Hudson’s Bay Company family, including their journey through the Pacific Northwest to becoming a founding family of Victoria, BC.