Meet Nick

Freelance Writing: Introduction

Nick Marino always felt the urge to write. Over the years he had successfully penned some stand-up comedy, a couple of pilots for CBC and various other pieces of fiction, but by the time he found the UBC Extended Learning professional writing program, he had more or less given up on the idea that becoming a writer would ever happen for him. Until one helpful piece of feedback created a dramatic shift in his trajectory. 

Like many people during the pandemic, Nick was looking for ways to hone his skills and came across Jennifer Van Evra’s freelance writing course at UBC Extended Learning. The course appealed to him because he thought writing a few articles while working full time as a teacher would be achievable and rewarding. For Nick, the best part of the course was Jennifer's guidance in breaking down freelance writing to make it accessible as a pursuit. Although Nick admits that the assignments did feel a bit like homework at first, he adds that it was “nice to get some positive feedback on the exercises we did.”

One piece of feedback on an assignment proved to be life changing for Nick. In the course, students write pitches for their articles, and after reading Nick’s unique stories about wild carnies, fiery bosses and arcade bouncers from his time working at the Pacific National Exhibition (PNE) in the 1980s, Jennifer challenged him to think one step further. What about a book? As it turns out, that was just the question that Nick needed to hear.

While it took some time for the idea of the book to take shape, a birthday gift request further set Nick’s writing journey in motion. Nick’s father asked for a signed copy of Property Values by Charlie Demers–a comedian, author and founder of the publishing imprint Robin’s Egg Books. When Nick met Charlie to get the book signed, he casually mentioned Jennifer’s comment about his PNE stories. To Nick’s surprise, Charlie reached out four months later to ask if the book Nick was writing was funny. Seizing the opportunity, Nick said “Yes,” even though he hadn’t written a word yet. When Charlie asked for a sample chapter and annotated table of contents, Nick confidently answered “No problem,” googled how to write an annotated table of contents, and got writing.

Nick’s work was submitted to Arsenal Pulp Press, and five months later they offered him a contract to write his book. The writing process was challenging, and on multiple occasions he questioned whether or not the book was any good at all. During the process, Nick drew on what he learned in the freelance writing course to bolster his confidence. He found Jennifer’s lesson on being a good listener and leaving some silence when interviewing people to be especially useful. “I definitely did that when I was working on the book, and it worked. People opened up and shared more than I would have expected when I gave them the space.” 

After a year of research, interviews, drafts and rewrites Nick’s book East Side Story: Growing up at the PNE was published. All the steps of the publishing process were exciting: signing off on the final edit, doing radio and print interviews, and appearing at writers’ festivals. The book went to a second printing after just a few weeks and became a #1 BC Bestseller. Nick was surprised and thrilled with the success of his book. The positive reviews and unexpected bestselling status have helped reinforce Nick’s passion and commitment to writing as he forges ahead on his journey as author. On the success of East Side Story, Nick feels grateful to Charlie for giving him a chance, to Jennifer for encouraging him, and to Arsenal Pulp Press for publishing his book.

“I couldn’t have been more thrilled when Nick told me he was publishing his book East Side Story. This is precisely why I teach these courses: to demystify the writing and interviewing process, and to show people that getting published is far more doable than they might think,” says Van Evra, who has been teaching writing courses at UBC for 25 years. “Nick is a wonderful writer, and to watch his book climb the bestseller list was such a joy — and success stories like his help to inspire the students who follow."

Nick is currently working on another book for Arsenal Pulp Press – a history of Vancouver through the eyes of his family, who immigrated here from Italy 120 years ago. Look for it on bookshelves in the fall of 2026.