History
Founded by Pierre Coupey in 1972, The Capilano Review is known for its unique contribution to the development of West Coast Poetics and ongoing commitment to supporting innovative writing and art.
The editors of the magazine have included Pierre Coupey (1972 -1976; 1989-1991), Bill Schermbrucker (1976-1982), Ann Rosenberg (1982-1984), Dorothy Jantzen (1985–1989), Bob Sherrin (1991-1999), Ryan Knighton (1999-2001), Sharon Thesen (2001-2005), Jenny Penberthy (2005-2011, 2014), Brook Houglum (2011-2013, 2015,) Andrea Actis (2015-2017), Catriona Strang (2017-2018), Fenn Stewart (2018-2019), and Matea Kulić (2019-2022).
The Capilano Review was housed by Capilano College (now Capilano University) for its first four decades of operation. In 2015, amidst larger institutional funding cuts, the magazine parted with the university and established itself as an independent entity.
At a moment of uncertainty for the magazine’s future, the artistic and literary community came together in a tremendous demonstration of its support, raising nearly $25,000 of seed money through a kickstarter campaign.
Thanks in part to this community support, TCR was able to establish itself as an independent magazine in Vancouver.
In 2016, the Capilano Review Contemporary Arts Society was awarded charitable status. Our board of directors is active in the coordination of ongoing, yearly fundraisers to help keep our operations going. We are also sustained by individual donations from our Friends of TCR.
In 2018 we partnered with SFU Special Collections to create a free and fully accessible online archive. You can browse our fifty-year-long publication history here.