Fantasy and reality collide in Victoria Koops’ debut novel
SWIFT CURRENT - Victoria Koops’ debut novel, Who We Are in Real Life (Groundwood Books, 2024), won the 2025 Saskatchewan Book Award for Young Adult Literature, was nominated for the 2025 Forest of Reading White Pine Award, and appeared on the Globe and Mail’s list of best books of 2024.
The young adult novel also appeals to adult readers. It follows Darcy, who moves with her two mothers to a small prairie town. She joins a group playing Dungeons & Dragons, where their characters battle corruption, while in real life they confront small-town homophobia and work to establish a queer/straight alliance at school. The story combines adventure, conflict, romance, and social issues relevant to today’s readers.
Koops, a practising counsellor on Treaty 4 Territory, describes herself as a writer, gamer and nerd.
Her presentation is sponsored by the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild, with additional support from the City of Swift Current, the Coast Hotel, Nightjar Restaurant, and Yellow Canary Bookstore.
Write Out Loud begins Nov. 19 at the Swift Current Lyric Theatre. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Local musician Luke Dugan will perform at 7 p.m., followed by Koops’ presentation. Admission is $10.