Picture a Canadian storyteller who turned her university struggles into a powerful memoir that’s shaking up the literary world—meet Eternity Martis! A Toronto-based journalist and professor, Martis has carved a unique space in journalism and literature with her raw, honest voice. Her bestselling book, They Said This Would Be Fun: Race, Campus Life, and Growing Up, dives into her experiences as a Black student at a predominantly white university, blending humor with hard-hitting truths about race and identity.
From reshaping media style guides to creating Canada’s first course on reporting on race, Martis is a trailblazer whose work resonates far beyond the page. Let’s explore her journey, from her early days to her lasting impact on Canadian storytelling.
The Making of Eternity Martis
Born in 1993 in Toronto, Eternity Martis grew up with a love for reading and writing, fueled by her Jamaican and Pakistani heritage. As a high school student, she honed her skills on the school newspaper, setting the stage for her journalism career. Martis earned a double honors BA in English Language and Literature and Women’s Studies at Western University, followed by a Master’s in Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University (then Ryerson). Her early career included stints at CBC, CTV, and Xtra magazine, where her focus on race and gender began to take shape.
Eternity Martis’s Unforgettable Stories
Martis’s debut memoir, They Said This Would Be Fun, published in 2020, is a standout in Canadian nonfiction. The book chronicles her time at Western University, where she navigated racism, microaggressions, and the complexities of being one of few Black students. With a blend of wit and unflinching honesty, Martis crafts a narrative that’s both a personal story and a broader commentary on systemic racism in education. It won the 2021 Kobo Emerging Writer Prize for Nonfiction and landed on must-read lists by CBC, Globe and Mail, and PopSugar.
Her journalism, featured in outlets like Vice, The Walrus, and Huffington Post, tackles race, gender, and social justice with a sharp, intersectional lens. As a senior editor at Xtra magazine, Martis helped transform it into an award-winning digital platform. She’s also working on Reporting in Black Communities, a guidebook inspired by her groundbreaking course, “Reporting on Race: The Black Community in the Media,” which equips journalists to cover Black stories equitably.
Martis’s style is conversational yet authoritative, weaving personal anecdotes with research to challenge stereotypes and spark dialogue. Her work feels like a warm hug for marginalized readers while holding institutions accountable, making her a vital voice in modern journalism.
Why Eternity Martis Matters
Eternity Martis has redefined Canadian journalism by pushing for inclusivity and accountability. Her advocacy led to media style guide changes, like capitalizing “Black” and “Indigenous,” adopted by outlets like the Toronto Star and Xtra. Her course at Toronto Metropolitan University, the first of its kind in Canada, is training the next generation of journalists to report on race with nuance and care. In 2020, she was named one of Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women by the Women’s Executive Network, and in 2022, she received the Viola Desmond Award for her contributions as a Black woman in journalism.
Through her memoir and teachings, Martis amplifies Black voices and challenges the status quo, leaving a legacy of courage and change in Canadian literature and media.
About Eternity Martis
- Born: 1993, Toronto, Canada
- Key Work: They Said This Would Be Fun (2020)
- Awards: 2021 Kobo Emerging Writer Prize, 2022 Viola Desmond Award
- Notable Roles: Assistant Professor at Toronto Metropolitan University, former Senior Editor at Xtra
Snag They Said This Would Be Fun and dive into Eternity Martis’s bold, transformative storytelling!