Â鶹AV

Past Writers-in-Residence

2023-2024: Heather O'Neill


2023-2024 Richler Writer-in-Residence Heather O'NeillSituated in both the and the DĂ©partement des littĂ©ratures de langue française, de traduction et de crĂ©ationĚý(DLTC) within the Faculty of Arts, the Mordecai Richler Writer-in-Residence Program is designed to host one accomplished writer per academic year. Writers selected for the prestigious writer-in-residence position are expected to give public lectures and readings, meet with and help to develop students’ writing; organize workshops, and generally participate in the creative and intellectual life of the departments and the Faculty.

This year’s Mordecai Richler Writer-in-Residence is acclaimed Montreal-based author Heather O’Neill. Heather O’Neill is the author of six books, including Lullabies for Little Criminals, The Lonely Hearts Hotel, and When We Lost Our Heads. She has been awarded the Canada Reads Prize, the Danuta Gleed Award, The Writer's Trust Fellowship, and the Hugh Mclennan Prize for Fiction. Her fiction has been nominated for the Giller Prize twice and the Women's Prize for Fiction three times. She is also an award-winning essayist who has written for The Guardian, The New York Times Magazine, The Globe and Mail, and The Walrus.

For more about Heather O'Neill, read a .Ěý

While in residence in the Department of English, Heather O’Neill held a Creative Writing Workshop with students and participated in a conference devoted to Life Writing.

Events

  • Creative Writing Workshop
    Friday, February 16, 11:30-14:30
    Tuesday, February 27, 15:00-17:00
    3475 Peel, Rm. 204

    A two-part creative writing workshop run by Heather O’Neill for interested undergraduates and graduate students. Students engaged in writing exercises, workshoped one another’s submitted writing, and consulted one-on-one with the Writer about their submitted work.
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  • Life Writing Conference
    February 28, 17:45-20:00
    Faculty Club
    3450 McTavish Street

    Heather O'Neill in conversation with Professors Alexander Manshel, Ara Osterweil, and lecturer Kasia Van Schaik. Each speaker read from autobiographical works in progress followed by a discussion and a Q&A.

2022-2023: Metonymy Press and Liz Howard


Ěýco-foundersĚýAshley FortierĚýandĚýOliver FuglerĚýwill be in residence January through March, 2023. Metonymy Press is based inĚýTio’tia:ke (Montreal), unceded Kanien’kehá:ka (Mohawk) territory. They publish literary fiction and nonfiction by emerging writers in the hope of reducing barriers to publishing for authors whose perspectives are underrepresented. They produce quality materials relevant to queer, feminist, and social justice communities.ĚýThroughout the season, Metonymy authors and editors will be holding events on small press publishing, the Canadian literary scene and more, and they will showcase their own work through readings and events. They will also hold office hours to engage in conversations on publishing, writing and more.Ěý

Events:

  • January 18 - RoundtableĚýon small press publishing in Canada featuringĚýOliver FuglerĚýandĚýAshley FortierĚýof Metonymy Press,ĚýDavid BradfordĚýof House House Press,ĚýEloisa AquinoĚýof B&D Press, andĚýAshleyĚýOpheimĚýof Metatron Press. Moderated by English PhD studentĚýJay Ritchie. The event will be live streamed and live captioned. Arts 160, 12-1:30 pm.Ěý
  • January 24 -ĚýIn conversationĚýbetweenĚýFelix Chau BradleyĚýand Metonymy authorĚýMarkus Harwood-JonesĚýabout editorial relationships. Felix is currently editing Markus's forthcoming YA novel,ĚýThe Haunting of Adrian Yates. The event will be live streamed and live captioned. Arts 160, 5-6 pm.
  • February 6 - Metonymy author showcase and cabaret, hosted by Erin Hurley (English). This event features readings fromĚýwriter-in-residenceĚýH. Felix Chau Bradley,ĚýKama La Mackerel, andĚýEli Tareq El Bechelany-Lynch, and participation of Metonymy authorsĚýAddie Tsai,ĚýShanice Nicole, and more. The readings will be followed by a wine and cheese reception. The event will be live streamed and live captioned. Leacock 232, 5-7 pm
  • February 20 - A translation conversationĚýbetweenĚýValĂ©rie Bah,ĚýKama La Mackerel, andĚýStĂ©phane Martelly,Ěýmoderated byĚýAlanna ThainĚý(English) andĚýCatherine LeclercĚý(DĂ©partement des littĂ©ratures de langue française, de traduction et de creation) about translation in the context of Bah’s novelĚýLesĚýEnrag.Ă©.esĚý/ĚýThe Rage Letters. The conversation will focus on translating within and across queer, trans, Black, multilingual and diaspora communities. Co-sponsored by DĂ©partement des littĂ©ratures de langue française, de traduction et de creation and Centre de recherches interdisciplinaires en Ă©tudes montrĂ©alaises. The event will be live streamed and live captioned. Leacock 232, 6-8 pm.
  • March 29 - A discussionĚýfeaturing co-editors of the upcomingĚýqueer and trans Arab anthologyĚýEl GhourabaaĚý—ĚýEli TareqĚýandĚýSamia MarshyĚý— andĚýEl GhourabaaĚýcontributor Leila Marshy. El Bechelany-Lynch and S. Marshy will discuss the process of choosing pieces for the anthology, working with so many authors at once, and their vision for this anthology. L. Marshy will join them to discuss the collaborative editorial experience. The discussion will be moderated by Sabrina Attar. Arts Building, Room 160, 4-5 pm


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Liz Howard, Mordecai Richler Writer-in-ResidencePoet Liz Howard’s debut collection of work, Infinite Citizen of the Shaking Tent (McClelland & Stewart, 2015), was shortlisted for the 2015 Governor General’s Award for Poetry and won the 2016 Griffin Poetry Prize. Her most recent collection, Letters in a Bruised Cosmos (McClelland & Stewart, 2021), has garnered critical acclaim and is shortlisted for the 2022 Griffin Poetry Prize. Her poetry has appeared in Canadian Art, The Fiddlehead, Poetry Magazine, and Best Canadian Poetry 2018. She is one of the jurors for Â鶹AV’s 2022 Montreal International Poetry Prize. Howard received an Honours Bachelor of Science with High Distinction from the University of Toronto, and an MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Guelph. She is of mixed settler and Anishinaabe heritage.

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2019-2020: Alison McAlpine


Photo of Alison McAlpine Experimental nonfiction filmmaker, screenwriter, playwright, and poetĚýAlison McAlpineĚýis the author of 2018 poetic nonfiction filmĚýCielo, about star gazing in Chile's Atacama Desert. Her first movie,ĚýSecond SightĚý(2008), an award-winning mid-length film which screened at more than 35 international film festival and broadcast of BBC.

Cielo, Alison’s first feature, premiered at the 55th New York Film Festival 2017, and has been presented at over 150 international film festivals and cinemas across the world, including Karlovy Vary IFF, Hot Docs; Film Forum, New York City, TIFF Bell Lightbox Toronto, and Filmhouse Edinburgh. Named as “One of the best documentaries of 2018” by Esquire and The Guardian, Cielo has won several awards and four 2019 Gala Québec nominations.

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2018-2019: Yvette Nolan


Yvette Nolan - Writer-in-ResidenceYvette Nolan’s plays includeĚýBLADE,ĚýAnnie Mae’s Movement,ĚýThe Birds (a modern adaptation of Aristophanes’ comedy),ĚýThe UnpluggingĚý(Jessie Richardson Award, Outstanding Original Script), andĚýGabriel Dumont’s Wild West ShowĚý(co-writer).ĚýShanawdithit, for which she wrote the libretto, will be produced by Tapestry New Opera in Toronto in May. Her bookĚýMedicine ShowsĚýabout Indigenous theatre in Canada was published by Playwrights Canada Press in 2015, andĚýPerforming Indigeneity, which she co-edited with Ric Knowles, in 2016. From 2003-2011, she served as Artistic Director of Native Earth Performing Arts. Born in Prince Albert, Saskatchewan to an Algonquin mother and an Irish immigrant father, she has lived in Winnipeg, Whitehorse, Guysborough, Toronto, and currently, Saskatoon.

Yvette Nolan talks about her work and background in an interview with Marilyn Santucci.

Nolan's adaptation of Aristophanes’ comedy The Birds was performed at Moyse Hall on November 21-23 and November 28-30, 2018.

2017-2018: Nyla Matuk and Perrine Leblanc


Nyla Matuk is the author of two books of poetry:ĚýSumptuary LawsĚýandĚýStranger, both with VĂ©hicule Press. She is also a contributor to Carcanet’sĚýNew Poetries VIĚýanthology andĚýBest Canadian Poetry in English, and a finalist forĚýThe WalrusĚýPoetry Prize and the Gerald Lampert Award. Her poems have appeared recently inĚýThe New Yorker, PN Review, The Walrus, Poetry, and other magazines in Canada, the U.S., and the U.K. Born in Winnipeg, she has lived in Ottawa, Montreal, Vancouver, London, Ont., and Toronto.



Perrine Leblanc est nĂ©e Ă  MontrĂ©al. Elle est diplĂ´mĂ©e en lettres deĚýl'UniversitĂ© Laval et de l'UniversitĂ© de MontrĂ©al. Elle a exercĂ© les mĂ©tiers de correctrice et d'Ă©ditrice, notamment chez LemĂ©ac et VLB Ă©diteur, avant de faire paraĂ®tre en 2010 son premier roman,ĚýL'homme blancĚý(Le Quartanier),ĚýpubliĂ© l'annĂ©e suivante dans la collection Blanche des Ă©ditions Gallimard sous le titreĚýKolia,ĚýpuisĚýen traduction anglaiseĚýen 2013. Elle a reçu le Grand prix du livre de MontrĂ©al et le prix littĂ©raire du Gouverneur gĂ©nĂ©ral du Canada. Son deuxième roman,ĚýMalabourg, finaliste du prix Françoise-Sagan, a paru chez Gallimard au printemps 2014. La traduction anglaise deĚýMalabourg,ĚýThe Lake,ĚýpubliĂ©e parĚýHouse of Anansi Press en 2015, a Ă©tĂ© finaliste du prix du Gouverneur gĂ©nĂ©ral du Canada dans la catĂ©gorie Traductions.

2016-2017: Alix Ohlin and Alexis Martin


Alix Ohlin's most recent novel,ĚýInside, was a finalist for both the Scotiabank Giller Prize and the Rogers Writer's Trust Fiction Prize. ĚýHer other books areĚýSigns and Wonders,ĚýBabylon and OtherĚýStories, andĚýThe Missing Person. ĚýHer writing appears inĚýBest American Short Stories,ĚýBest American Nonrequired Reading,ĚýThe Walrus,ĚýThe New York Times,Ěýand many other places. ĚýBorn and raised in Montreal, she lives in Easton, Pennsylvania and teaches at Lafayette College and in the Warren Wilson MFA Program for Writers.Ěý

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Actor, stage director, writer and screenwriter, Alexis Martin has been an integral part of the Quebec artistic realm for the past twenty-five years.ĚýOver the years, he has accumulated close to forty roles on the theatre stage in the Montreal scene. Since 1999 he has been the co-artistic director of the Nouveau Théâtre ExpĂ©rimental where he has experimented in writing, acting and staging.

Alexis Martin has also been a part of the Quebec television landscape; participating in many roles on such series as Les Parent, Tout la vĂ©ritĂ©, Vice cachĂ©, Les Boys, Apparences and Les beaux malaises. He won the Gemini award for Best Lead Actor in a Dramatic Series in 2012 for his role of GaĂ©tan in Apparences. He will appear in the upcoming Louis BĂ©langer series SĂ©quelles.ĚýOn the silver screen, he’s been cast in many Quebec films such as Le party by Pierre Falardeau, ±·Ă” by Robert Lepage, Un 32 aoĂ»t sur terre by Denis Villeneuve, Un dimanche Ă  Kigali by Robert Favreau, Les Boys de Louis SaĂŻa, ł˘â€™ałÜ»ĺľ±łŮľ±´Ç˛Ô by Luc Picard, Le collectionneur by Jean Beaudin, Route 132 by Louis BĂ©langer and Le baiser du barbu by Yves P. Pelletier. Recently he was also in Louis Belanger’s latest film, Les mauvaises herbes as well as Philippe Falardeau’s Guibord s’en va en guerre. Alexis won a Jutra award for his interpretation of Philippe in Un 32 aoĂ»t sur terre.

2015-2016: Sean Michaels and Nicole Brossard


Sean MichaelsĚýwas born in Stirling, Scotland, in 1982. He founded the pioneering mp3blog Said the Gramophone in 2003, while completing his B.A. at Â鶹AV, and has gone on to write for publications including The Guardian, McSweeney's, Pitchfork, Rolling Stone, The WalrusĚýand The Believer. Sean's debut novel, Us Conductors, received the 2014 Giller Prize and was recognized by the CBC and NPR as one of the books of the year.ĚýHe currently maintains a weekly music column for theĚýGlobe & Mail. Follow him on Twitter at @stgramophone.

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Nicole Brossard est l’écrivaine en résidence au DLLF en 2015-2016. Elle est née à Montréal. Poète, romancière et essayiste elle a publié plus de quarante livre depuis 1965. Ses livres ont été traduits en plusieurs langues. Mentionnons: Installations, Musée de l’os et de l’eau, Le Désert mauve, La lettre aérienne, Hier, Piano blanc et le plus récent Lumière fragment d’envers. Dès le début des années 1970, son œuvre s’est vite imposée comme une source d’inspiration formelle pour toute une génération. Notons aussi que, outre son œuvre qui comprend plus de quarante titres, Nicole Brossard a cofondé la revue littéraire La Barre du Jour (1965-1975), coréalisé un documentaire Some American Feminists (1975) et elle a publié quatre anthologies de poésie permettant de mieux faire connaître et découvrir la poésie des femmes au Québec, la poésie québécoise dans la francophonie et dans le monde ainsi que les écritures gaies et lesbiennes au Québec.

Son œuvre a été à plusieurs reprises consacrée par de nombreux prix littéraires dont le prix du Gouverneur général en 1974 et en 1984, le Prix International de Poésie de Trois-Rivières en 1989 et en 1999, le Prix Athanase-David, en 1991 et, en 2006, le Prix Molson du Conseil des Arts du Canada. En 2013, elle recevait le Prix international de littérature francophone Benjamin Fondane.

2015 marque cinquante ans d’écriture et de publication et cette année, la Galerie Arnaud Lefebvre (Paris), lui a consacré, du 4 juin au 27 juin, une exposition intitulée: Portrait de Nicole Brossard ou L’horizon du fragment. Cet automne, trois nouveaux livres paraîtront: un recueil de poèmes Temps qui installe les miroirs, un essai sur la traduction intitulé Et me voici soudain en train de refaire le monde ainsi que traduction anglaise de son recueil Ardeur.

2014-2015: Anita Rau Badami and Suzanne Jacob


The Department of English is pleased to announce thatĚýAnita Rau BadamiĚýis the new Richler Writer-In-Residence for the 2014-2015 year. ĚýAnita is the author of four novels:ĚýTamarind Mem,ĚýThe Hero’s Walk,ĚýCan You Hear the Nightbird Call?ĚýandĚýTell it to the Trees. Her short stories and articles have appeared in national and international periodicals. Anita’s books are critically acclaimed and have been published in more than a dozen languages across the world. She is the recipient of awards including the Marian Engel Prize, the Regional Commonwealth Award and the Premio Berto Prize for International Literature. Her books have also been nominated for other awards such as the Hugh MacLellan Prize for fiction, the Orange Prize for Literature, the IMPAC Dublin Prize, and the Kiriyama Prize for Fiction. She is currently working on her fifth book.

For more information on Badami's work, please visit:Ěý

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Suzanne Jacob est l’écrivain en rĂ©sidence au DLLF en 2014-2015.Ěý Elle est nĂ©e Ă  Amos en Abitibi. Elle a fait ses Ă©tudes classiques au Collège de Nicolet (baccalaurĂ©at ès arts de l’universitĂ© Laval).ĚýAprès un bref passage Ă  la facultĂ© des Lettres de l’universitĂ© de MontrĂ©al, Suzanne Jacob entreprend une vie qui la conduit Ă  l’écriture, comme elle l’a racontĂ©e dans ses essaisĚýÉcrire, comment, pourquoi, La bulle d’encreĚýetĚýHistoires de s’entendre. PoĂ©sie, nouvelles, chroniques, scĂ©narios, romans, Suzanne Jacob a pratiquĂ© presque tous les genres. Son romanĚýLaura LaurĚýs’est mĂ©ritĂ© le prix du Gouverneur gĂ©nĂ©ral et le prix Paris-QuĂ©bec.ĚýDu dernier paru de ses romans, Gilles Marcotte a Ă©crit, dansĚý´ˇł¦łŮłÜ˛ą±ôľ±łŮĂ©: "FugueusesĚýest un roman violemment original, d’une Ă©criture superbement intelligente, fertile en dĂ©rapages contrĂ´lĂ©s, qui agrippe son lecteur dès la première page et ne le lâchera plus, mĂŞme après la fin de sa lecture".

2013-2014: Anosh Irani and Marc Zaffran


The Department of English is pleased to announce thatĚýĚýis the new Writer-in-Residence for the 2013-2014 year. Mr. Irani was born and brought up in Bombay, India, and moved to Vancouver in 1998.Ěý He is the author of the novelsThe Cripple and His TalismansĚýandĚýThe Song of Kahunsha, the latter of which was a finalist for CBC Radio's Canada Reads and the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, and which has been published in thirteen countries, achieving best seller status in Canada, China, and Italy. His playĚýBombay BlackĚýwon 4 Dora Mavor Moore Awards, including Outstanding New Play. Irani was also nominated for the Governor General’s Award for Drama for his anthologyĚýThe Bombay Plays: The Matka King & Bombay Black.ĚýĚýHis latest novelĚýDahanu RoadĚýwas longlisted for the 2010 Man Asian Literary Prize.ĚýĚý

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Marc Zaffran (dont le nom de plume est Martin Winckler) est l’écrivain en rĂ©sidence au DLLF en 2013-2014. Il succède Ă  Élise Turcotte dans le cadre du programme d’écrivain en rĂ©sidence Mordecai-Richler. Il donne un atelier d’écriture narrative Ă  l’automne 2013 et un atelier de crĂ©ation littĂ©raire Ă  l’hiver 2014. Auteur d’une quinzaine de romans ainsi que de nouvelles, de contes, de rĂ©cits autographiques, d’essais, de chroniques radiophoniques et de traductions littĂ©raires, scientifiques et mĂ©dicales, Marc Zaffran s’est Ă©galement intĂ©ressĂ© Ă  la crĂ©ation audio-visuelle. Il a prĂ©sentĂ© de nombreuses communications et confĂ©rences et a donnĂ© des ateliers de crĂ©ation Ă  l’UniversitĂ© de MontrĂ©al, Ă  l’UniversitĂ© d’Ottawa et aux Ă©tudiants en mĂ©dicine de l’UniversitĂ© Â鶹AV.

2012-2013: Steven Heighton and Élise Turcotte


TheĚýĚýand theĚýĚýareĚýthrilled to announce this year’s selected Mordecai Richler Writers-in-Residence are celebrated authors Steven Heighton and Élise Turcotte. Last year’s writers, Kathleen Winter and Louis Hamelin were a tremendous success and generated incredible feedback from the Â鶹AV community and beyond. To ensure the longevity of this inspiring Program, private financial support is essential. Our aim is to secure endowed funding from individuals who share a passion for literature in all forms. With your visionary support, together we can nurture new talent by providing valuable insight into the creative process. To learn more, visitĚý

Steven Heighton’s recent books are The Dead Are More Visible and Workbook: Memos & Dispatches on Writing. His novel, Afterlands, appeared in six countries, was a New York Times Book Review editors’ choice, a best of year choice in ten publications in Canada, the USA, and the UK; and has been optioned for film. His fiction and poetry have been translated into ten languages and appeared in such publications as London Review of Books, Poetry, Tin House, The Walrus, Best American Poetry (2012), and Best English Stories. He has received four gold National Magazine Awards, been nominated for the Governor General’s Award, the Trillium Award, and Britain’s W.H. Smith Award. Steven is also an occasional fiction reviewer for the New York Times Book Review.

Élise Turcotte a publié plusieurs recueils de poésie dont La Voix de Carla (prix Émile-Nelligan 1987), La Terre est ici (Prix Émile-Nelligan 1989), Sombre Ménagerie (Grand Prix du festival international de la poésie 2002, prix de poésie Terrasses Saint-Sulpice de la revue Estuaire 2002). Elle a écrit trois romans, Le Bruit des choses vivantes (prix Louis Hémon), L’Île de la merci et La Maison étrangère, qui remporte le Prix du Gouverneur général en 2003. En 2007, elle publie une série de récits intitulée Pourquoi faire une maison avec ses morts. Ses livres sont traduits en anglais, en catalan et en espagnol. Élise est aussi nouvelliste et l’auteur de plusieurs livres pour enfants. Elle vit à Montréal et enseigne la littérature au cégep depuis 1986.

2011-2012: Kathleen Winter and Louis Hamelin


TheĚýĚýand theĚýĚýareĚýthrilled to announce the two novelists selected as the inaugural Mordecai Richler Writers-in-Residence.

Kathleen Winter's story collection, boYs, won the Metcalf-Rooke award and the 2008 Winterset Award. Her 2010 Canadian best-selling novel Annabel was a finalist for the Scotiabank Giller Prize, the Governor General's Award for Fiction, the Rogers Writers' Trust Award, and the Orange Prize. The book has been translated into several languages. Ms. Winter will begin her residency at Â鶹AV for the 2012 winter term.

Novelist and journalist Louis Hamelin carved a unique and important voice in Quebec and Canadian literature in 1989 with his Governor General’s award-winning first novel, La Rage. He has since written eight books, including La Constellation du Lynx, the 2011 winner of the Prix des libraires du QuĂ©bec. Mr. Hamelin is also a regular writer for Le Devoir and collaborator on numerous literary journals and reviews. Mr. Hamelin earned his undergraduate degree from Â鶹AV in science and agriculture and a Masters degree in Literature from UQAM. Mr. Hamelin will begin his residency at Â鶹AV in September.

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