Births on February 15

Vivek Shraya, Canadian singer and songwriter

Vivek Shraya (born February 15, 1981) is a Canadian musician, writer, and visual artist. She currently lives in Calgary, Alberta, where she is an assistant professor in the creative writing program at the University of Calgary. As a trans woman of colour, Shraya often incorporates her identity in her music, writing, visual art, theatrical work, and films. She is a seven-time Lambda Literary Award finalist, and considered a Great Canadian Filmmaker of the Future by CBC Arts.Shraya is dedicated to bringing creative writing opportunities to emerging BIPOC writers over the age of 50 through the founding of her award-winning publishing imprint VS. Books, which serves as a "mentorship and publishing opportunity" for these writers.Shraya is also a director on the board of the Tegan and Sara Foundation, which fights for health, economic justice and representation for LGBTQ women.Currently, she is focusing on the adaptation of her debut play, How to Fail as a Popstar, for use on television with the support of CBC.