“Dear listener, thank you for your interest in my album, Not Dead Yet. ‘Not Dead Yet’ is a common saying in cancer communities to remind ourselves and others that we’re still living full lives in spite of whatever treatments we’re going through or cancer status we have.

“I was diagnosed with cancer in March 2020, three days after I returned home from a tour for COVID-19 isolation. I was forced into the health care systems I had previously avoided because of how I was treated as a trans/non-binary person with CPTSD.

“These songs are intended to be an expression of the unpredictable joy I discovered despite discrimination, indignities, medical abuse, relationship break downs and near-death experiences. I found who my people were, communities that engage in mutual support and that I no longer fear death or living. I developed a deep respect for health care workers and found that being in relationship often bridged our differences.

“My treatment has not been linear and the impacts on my body and mind are ongoing. I hope singing about my experiences creates more space for under-represented folks in healthcare systems. Though, health experiences are as nuanced as each individual person, disability justice, universal health care and universal human rights are goals that serve everyone.” - Rae Spoon

Rae Spoon is a musician, songwriter, producer, multi-instrumentalist, and author. They have released twelve solo albums (Coax Records) spanning folk, country, indie rock, and electronic genres and published three books (Arsenal Pulp Press). Rae has been nominated for two Polaris Music Prizes, a Lambda Literary Award, and a Western Canadian Music Award. They have toured internationally (Canada, Europe, the USA, Australia, China). Rae is a non-binary, trans artist who lives with multiple disabilities. Their most recent album, Not Dead Yet (2023), was written about their lived experience of cancer diagnosis, treatment, and complications.

Rae Spoon is an uninvited guest and settler with European ancestry on stolen land. They were born and grew up on Treaty 7 territory in Mohkínsstsisi/Calgary (the traditional and ancestral territory of the Blackfoot Confederacy: Kainai, Piikani and Siksika as well as the Tsuu T'ina Nation and Stoney Nakoda First Nation). Rae currently lives between Tkoronto/Toronto (the traditional territory of many nations including the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Anishnabeg, the Chippewa, the Haudenosaunee and the Wendat peoples) and Tiohtià:ke/Montréal (the unceded Indigenous lands of the Kanien’kehá:ka/Mohawk Nation).