Loghan Paylor: The Canada Reads Winner Who Wrote People Like Them Into History

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Loghan Paylor once worked as a historical interpreter at a heritage site in British Columbia, where they were the only openly transgender staff member. The history being told there left out people like them, so they went to the archives to look for proof that people like them had always existed. That search grew into The Cure for Drowning, the debut novel that won the 25th edition of CBC’s Canada Reads in April 2026.

From a small Ontario town to the West Coast

Paylor grew up in a small town in Ontario, a childhood spent loving stories about heroes. They studied creative writing at Concordia University, moved to British Columbia, and completed The Writer’s Studio at Simon Fraser University part-time, graduating in 2016. They went on to earn a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing at the University of British Columbia in 2020.

Before writing took over, Paylor worked as a dog trainer, a retail manager and a historical interpreter. Their short fiction and essays have appeared in Room and Prairie Fire.

The Cure for Drowning

Random House Canada published The Cure for Drowning in January 2024. The novel took six years to write, much of it spent on historical research. It is set in a farming community in southern Ontario and spans 1931 to 1953.

At its centre is Kit McNair, born Kathleen, who drowns in an icy river at the age of ten and is brought back changed. Kit’s bond with Rebekah, the daughter of a German doctor whose family has left Montreal, is pulled into a love triangle with Kit’s brother. Then the Second World War arrives. Kit leaves home, enlists in the air force and comes back a decorated hero. The novel mixes historical fiction with magical realism, and its publisher describes it as a love story that “boldly centres queer and non-binary characters in unprecedented ways.”

The book became a national bestseller. It was longlisted for the 2024 Giller Prize, named a Globe and Mail Best Book and was a finalist for the 2026 Kobo Emerging Writer Prize.

Winning Canada Reads

For the 2026 edition of Canada Reads, the novel was defended by Tegan Quin of the duo Tegan and Sara. The debates ran from April 13 to 16, and on the final day it was chosen as the book all Canadians should read, ahead of runner-up Searching for Terry Punchout by Tyler Hellard.

Paylor said the win felt especially meaningful because of the theme, and added: “The biggest thing for me is knowing I played a role in supporting libraries, readers, and Canadian publishers.”

Teaching the next writers

In January 2026, Paylor came back to UBC as an adjunct professor in the School of Creative Writing, the same program where they earned their MFA. It is a fitting role for a writer whose path ran through community writing courses, a graduate degree and years of patient revision.

Where to learn more

Read the CBC announcement of the Canada Reads win, the UBC Magazine profile, or the publisher’s page for the book.

Questions and answers