Carmen Aguirre

Carmen Aguirre is an author, actor, and playwright. She was born in Santiago, Chile to parents who were teachers and activists. Her parents were supporters of Allende, and went into exile after Pinochet’s coup. Carmen was six years old when her family fled to Vancouver, where they were accepted as political refugees. After spending much of her teenage years and early adulthood back in South America working for the underground resistance movement against the Pinochet dictatorship, Carmen returned to Vancouver in 1990 to attend the prestigious acting training program, Studio 58, at Langara College. Since then, Carmen has written and co-written twenty-five plays which have been nominated for twelve local and national awards. As an actor, Carmen has worked extensively across North and South America, with over eighty film, television, and stage acting credits to her name.

Carmen’s first book, Something Fierce: Memoirs of a Revolutionary Daughter, about her experiences in the Chilean resistance, was published in 2011 and received rave reviews on the international stage, won CBC Canada Reads in 2012, was nominated for several national and international awards, and is a #1 national bestseller. Carmen’s second memoir, Mexican Hooker #1 and My Other Roles Since the Revolution, a sequel to the first, in which she explores healing from PTSD is just published Carmen lives in Vancouver. Her favourite pastime is salsa dancing.