Janet Smith is founding partner and editorial director of Stir. She is a Webster Award–winning arts journalist who has spent more than three decades immersed in Vancouver’s performing arts, film, and gallery scenes. She sits on the Vancouver Film Critics’ Circle.

Angie Rico (she/her) is a Mexican-born cultural worker, currently living and working in so-called Vancouver. She is a graduate from Emily Carr University and past participant of Neworld Theatre’s Critical Futures training program. She's the recipient of the 2023 Max Wyman Mentee Award in Critical Writing. Her writing covers film, visual arts, and theatre. 

Ashley Kim is an American writer based in Vancouver with a degree in English Literature from McGill University, where she also minored in Hispanic Studies and European Literature and Culture. Her work is shaped by a love of food and travel, and fuelled by a passion for storytelling in all its artistic and cultural forms. 

John Lucas has covered music and the arts for longer than he cares to think about. He can also be found playing his guitar in dodgy rehearsal spaces and low-rent venues in and around Vancouver.

Alexander Varty is a senior West Coast journalist specializing in cultural reporting of all kinds. An active musician on several instruments, he has also worked as an event producer in the cultural community. In his spare time, Alex is a keen ocean swimmer, record collector, amateur mycologist, and cook.

Robert Kuang is a writer, musician, and aspiring plant Dad. Having spent time in Beijing, New York, and Vancouver, his mission is to bridge the distance between online and local arts and culture communities. 

Adrian Mack writes about popular culture from his impregnable compound on Salt Spring Island.

Vince Kanasoot is a former professional dancer and musical theatre actor who performed for Princess Cruises and Royal Caribbean, as well as in musicals across Canada. He left the stage to pursue his love for writing, and now works full time in corporate communications, while also working on his first novel. Follow his adventures on Instagram @VanCityVince.

Brian Lynch has written and edited in West Coast arts and culture fields for many years. Music and hockey take up the rest of his time.

Breanne Doyle is an arts writer and creative professional based in Vancouver, B.C. Her work has appeared in Stir, The Georgia Straight, and Edmonton-based fashion magazine The Issue. For five years, she served as the host of rabble.ca’s weekly podcast rabble radio. 

Julian Coyle Forst is a journalist specializing in arts and culture, living and working on the unceded lands of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səlilwətaɬ peoples. He can be found at DIY venues and house shows across Vancouver when he's not busy writing about them.

Emma Jeffrey (she/her) is a Métis and Irish-Canadian writer and editor raised in Vancouver on the unceded territory of the Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, xʷməθkʷəjˀəm, and səlilwətaɬ Nations. She is a member of the Indigenous Brilliance Literary Collective, an Arts and Culture Journalist for Stir Magazine, and former Associate Editor of Digital Projects at The Capilano Review. She holds a diploma in Arts and Entertainment Management at Capilano University.

Olivia Hart is an Australian journalist and editor living in Vancouver with six years of experience working in digital media. She has written across culture, fashion, food and lifestyle for publications including Time Out, Vogue Australia, and Better Homes and Gardens.

Zuzana Krejčíková writes about arts, culture, and the communities behind them. She spends most of her time at festivals, galleries, and other places where good stories tend to happen.