Sam Forster

Samuel Forster is a Canadian American journalist, poet, and cultural critic whose 2024 book, Americosis, was awarded the Sutherland House Prize for non-fiction.^[1][2]

Sam Forster
Born	(1996-12-17) December 17, 1996 (age 28) Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Nationality	Canadian, American
Education	University of Alberta , University of Toronto
Occupation(s)	writer, journalist, cultural critic, poet, and war correspondent

Forster is known for his immersive literary style — and for being one of few modern writers to have significant profiles in mainstream political journalism, war reporting, and alternative literature.

Early life and education

Forster has a Bachelor's of Arts from the University of Alberta and a master's degree from the University of Toronto.^[3]

While in Toronto, Forster was a graduate associate at the centre for ethics where he researched the application of neuroscientific evidence in criminal court proceedings.^[4]

Early career

Forster has contributed to various print and digital publications, including Canada's National Observer^[5] and City & State, primarily writing about culture and economic affairs.^[6]

In 2022, Forster worked for The Buenos Aires Times, an English-language newspaper owned by Perfil.^[7] During his time in Argentina, Forster focused on politics and foreign affairs, frequently interviewing diplomats such as Indonesian ambassador Niniek Kun Naryatie.^[8]

During the spring of 2023, Forster travelled throughout Ukraine, covering the Russo-Ukrainian War as a correspondent for The National Post^[9] and Unherd.^[10]

In the aftermath of the 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel, while reporting on pro-Palestine demonstrations in Montreal, Forster published video footage that became the centre of controversy in the Canadian media.^[11] Responding to the footage, Canadian Minister of Immigration Marc Miller released a public statement expressing serious concern: "Disgusted and ashamed to see these scenes glorifying death and terror, in Montreal, the city I love and the city I represent. Hamas is a terrorist organization and nobody should glorify their bloody cowardly violence."^[12] Alberta member of parliament Mike Lake also responded to the footage, condemning the protestors.^[13]

In the winter of 2024, Forster travelled to Lebanon and Israel to report on the ongoing Arab-Israeli conflict for The Spectator.^[14][15]

Americosis

In January 2024 Forster released his first book, Americosis, which received the first Sutherland House non-fiction prize.^[16]

The American Conservative celebrated Forster's debut book:

"Despite his romantic description of the park outside of his Montreal apartment and his prescription, one of the few in the book, for universal basic income as a cure for what he calls 'the great economic absurdity of America: the fetishization of employment and the demonization of unemployment,' Forster offers a clear picture of a dim reality. Americosis should not be read as a blueprint for revived urban policy or a formula for enjoying public transit as it was meant to be, but as good journalism from a dejected transit system."^[17]

The American Spectator praised Americosis for its creative ambition, noting that "like the documentarian Frederick Wiseman, Forster possesses a kind of cinema verité style for his subject."^[18]

Seven Shoulders

Forster's second book, Seven Shoulders: Taxonomizing Racism in Modern America, generated significant international controversy upon its announcement due to Forster's immersive journalistic approach.^[19][20][21] The work chronicles Forster going undercover as a black man while traveling across the United States in order to document modern forms of racism. Forster cited the work of prominent civil rights leader and Martin Luther King Jr. ally John Howard Griffin, who wrote a similar book titled Black Like Me, as literary inspiration.^[22] Black Like Me is widely regarded as one of the most important literary contributions of the Civil Rights movement, with Griffin receiving overwhelming praise for his journalistic efforts to expose the realities of the Jim Crow South to American whites.^[23]

In a public statement issued after the book's release, Forster emphasized the importance of engaging with black writers and leaders on the issue of race relations, pointing out that Seven Shoulders features interviews with multiple black subjects. He also clarified that the work was meant to be understood as a piece of gonzo journalism rather than as a conventionally structured non-fiction book.^[24]

Canadian Affairs

In August 2024, Canadian Affairs announced that Forster had joined the outlet as a staff reporter. In a public statement posted to X, the outlet's publisher Lauren Heuser said, "We're incredibly excited to welcome @ForsterSam to our team. Sam has the intrepid nature we look for in our reporters."^[25][26]

In December 2024, Forster gained membership to Canada's Parliamentary Press Gallery, the foremost journalistic organization in the country.^[27]

In January of 2025, Forster travelled to Latvia to report on Operation Reassurance, Canada's military mission to enhance NATO's troop presence on the Russian border.^[28][29]

In June of 2025, Forster temporarily returned to his home province of Alberta in order to report from the 51st G7 Summit in Kananaskis.^[30]

Artistic work

In addition to his journalistic output, Forster has released numerous pieces of creative writing.

In October of 2024, Forster performed at the Confessions reading series in Manhattan, New York City. This event was hosted at Sovereign House, a popular venue amongst indie artists in New York City's Dimes Square microneighborhood. Forster is one of few journalists associated with the Dimes Square artistic scene — with most notable figures linked to the neighborhood being podcasters, actors, or musicians, such as Red Scare hosts Anna Khachiyan and Dasha Nekrasova, actress Ivy Wolk, and indie sleaze DJ The Dare.^[31]

Forster returned to New York in January of 2025 to perform another Confessions reading alongside indie film director Peter Vack.^[32]

Forster has also released poetry through Spectra, a digital literary magazine that has published numerous alt-lit writers, such as prominent American poet and novelist Tao Lin.^[33]

Personal life

Little is known about Forster's personal life, including his personal relationships, though the variety of locations in his bylines suggests an itinerant lifestyle.