Our team is composed of a few dedicated individuals with strong connections to Kamloops (Tk’emlúps) and the surrounding region and who are passionate about bringing in-depth, community-driven journalism to the Interior.
The Wren is always looking for local storytellers and photographers. If you’d like to contribute or know someone who would, send Brandi an email at [email protected].
Brandi Schier
Publisher
Throughout her career as a community news publisher in the Interior, Brandi has learned people want to see independent, in-depth, solutions-focused local news. She is dedicated to living and learning new journalism models and bringing a solutions-based outlook to community news in Kamloops (Tk’emlúps).
As the new CEO of Discourse Community Publishing, Brandi leads a growing network of independent news outlets, including IndigiNews, The Discourse and Sun Peaks Independent News. She’s working with her team to reimagine journalism to better serve communities, and is thrilled to launch The Wren as part of this family. She is also a sessional journalism instructor at TRU.
Lauren Kaljur
Audience Engagement Editor
Lauren Kaljur is an Estonian settler who works with Discourse Community Publishing outlets to surface local, in-depth stories from people who have been excluded from public dialogue.
She’s passionate about innovation and collaboration in storytelling and her solutions reporting can be found in The Discourse, Reasons To Be Cheerful, Hakai Magazine, Maisonneuve, and many others.
She works from the homelands of the xʷməθkwəy̓əm (Musqueam), Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish), and Səl̓ílwətaɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) Nations.
Kyra Grubb
Community Journalist
Kyra moved to Kamloops (Tk’emlúps) just over five years ago from Kingston, Tennessee to study at Thompson Rivers University where she worked at The Omega, TRU’s independent student newspaper.
At The Omega, she fell in love with the writing process and the connections made when interviewing and is thrilled to be part of a new, independent publication serving the people of Tk’emlúps.
Lyssa Martin
Community Journalist
Having grown up as a third generation Kamloopsian on the North Shore, a stone’s throw from the beach where the Thompson Rivers become one, Lyssa brings to The Wren a passion for learning and sharing local knowledge.
She’s tackled a great variety of projects from academic papers to adventure blogs, technical manuals to youtube videos, and many others.
Tegwyn Hughes
Community Editor
As Community Editor for Discourse Community Publishing, Tegwyn works with writers to make their stories shine. In her role, she also focuses on social media and other forms of digital outreach. A graduate from Queen’s University with a B.A.H. in History, Tegwyn spent most of her undergraduate career volunteering across campus and editing stories for The Queen’s Journal. She works from the homelands of the Lekwungen and WSÁNEĆ Nations.
Hollie Ferguson
Community Editor
Hollie moved to B.C. from Virginia with her partner and their two pups. After graduating from the University of Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in journalism, she earned her master’s degree at James Madison University in strategic communication. She loves to work on stories that focus on human rights, wellness, politics and the arts. In her free time, you can find her curled up with her dogs, hiking up to a climbing wall or sipping a cocktail at happy hour.
