David Leach

Biography

David joined the faculty in 2004. Born in Winnipeg, he grew up in Ottawa and lived in Israel before studying creative writing and literature for a B.A. at the University of Victoria and graduating with an M.A. in English from Queen’s University, Kingston. He taught and freelanced in the Czech Republic, and then returned to Victoria, where he worked as a sessional instructor in the Department of English and as the City Life Editor at Monday Magazine. For three and a half years, he lived in Toronto and was the Managing Editor of explore: Canada’s Outdoor Magazine. He has published in Financial Post Magazine, British Columbia, Canadian Geographic, Island Parent, The Globe & Mail, and other newspapers and magazines. 

Selected professional & creative achievements

David's magazine writing and editing have been nominated for and won a number of regional and national awards, including a Canadian Society of Magazine Editors Award, a Western Magazine Award in arts and culture, a Northern Lights Award for Travel Writing, and a 2009 National Magazine Award in sports and recreation. His travel features have been republished in Germany, the U.K., the U.S., the Czech Republic, France and New Zealand. His first book, Fatal Tide: When the Race of a Lifetime Goes Wrong, was released in 2008 by Penguin Canada and won the Special Jury Mention at the Banff International Mountain Book Festival. His second book, Chasing Utopia: The Future of the Kibbutz in a Divided Israel, was published internationally by ECW Press in 2016 and earned nominations for a Vine Award for Canadian Jewish Literature and the Frank Hegyi Award. He has conducted research, given talks, organized conferences and done media interviews about the use of video games and interactive storytelling for art and education.

Selected publications