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36Ideas

“The land of misfit toys”

Meet one of the minds behind Inspired Word Café, an Okanagan literary society that caters to the margins.

Original reporting by Richard Littlemore

“The land of misfit toys”
IdeasMeet one of the minds behind Inspired Word Café, an Okanagan literary society that caters to the margins. It was Erin Scott’s kindergarten stage debut that convinced her parents their child was a born performer. During a Christmas concert, she was standing at the back of the stage blending in—but then the music started. “I parted the other children, came to the front of the stage, and bellowed the songs,” Erin recounts, grinning.Photo: Richard Littlemore

Where the work begins

Meet one of the minds behind Inspired Word Café, an Okanagan literary society that caters to the margins.

What follows

Further reporting continues across the university network.

At a glance

  • Campus: UBC Vancouver & Okanagan (Point Grey & Kelowna)
  • Focus: Research & public discovery (Ideas)
  • Outcome: Verified reporting (September 2026 issue)
Sources 1
  1. Original reporting · magazine.alumni.ubc.ca

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This story is from the September 2026 issue of Alumni Digest · UBC. It's free, monthly and independent.

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