About Becky Blake

A two-time winner of the CBC Literary Prize (for non-fiction in 2017 and short fiction in 2013), Becky’s stories and essays have appeared in publications across Canada. Her debut novel, Proof I Was Here, was published by Wolsak & Wynn’s Buckrider Books in Spring 2019. Becky teaches creative writing at the University of Toronto’s School of Continuing Education, and holds an MFA from the University of Guelph. She is currently working on a second novel and a memoir-in-essays.

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From the publisher

Days after she arrives in Barcelona, Niki’s world is turned upside down when her fiancé calls off their engagement. Unwilling to return to Toronto and face a looming assault charge, she turns to life on the streets. Living among pickpockets, squatters and graffiti artists in a city she barely knows, she is challenged to reassess her ideas about family, luck and art. With the help of a passionate Catalan separatist who dreams of building a new country from the ground up, Niki realizes that starting her life over from scratch could be an opportunity – if she can just find a way to clear her name.

Praise

“Proof I Was Here brims over with authentic insider details, taking readers on a tour of Barcelona’s underground avoided by most guidebooks.” 

Sue Carter, Toronto Star


“Laced with grit, art, and angst, this evocative novel explores the intersection of privilege and survival, “good” and “bad” behaviour, permanence and the ephemeral… it reminds us of the power of our choices, but also shows how serendipity can, in a moment, change what we think about ourselves and the world.”

Leesa Dean, author of Waiting for the Cyclone


“Becky Blake takes us on an extraordinary journey through Barcelona’s underbelly, exploring with empathy and insight the human need for belonging and security, and what it means to lose everything. Finely crafted and richly imagined, Proof I Was Here is an enthralling, intelligent and fast-paced novel you won’t be able to put down.”

Ayelet Tsabari, author of The Best Place on Earth