Canisia Lubrin

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Canisia Lubrin
Born1984
St. Lucia
OccupationPoet
Notable worksVoodoo Hypothesis (2017)

Canisia Lubrin (born 1984) is a writer, critic, professor, poet and editor. Originally from St. Lucia, Lubrin now lives in Whitby, Ontario, Canada.[1]

Life and career[]

Lubrin was born in St. Lucia and studied in Canada, completing a bachelor's degree at York University and a graduate degree in creative writing at the University of Guelph.[2][3]

Her first collection of poems, Voodoo Hypothesis, was published in 2017 by Wolsak & Wynn. Voodoo Hypothesis, in the author's words, intends to subvert the construct of 'blackness' and reject the contemporary and historical systems that paint black people as inferior.[4][5] The book also addresses the legacy of slavery in Lubrin's native Caribbean.[6] Voodoo Hypothesis was nominated for the Gerald Lampert award, the Pat Lowther award and was a finalist for the Raymond Souster award. In addition Voodoo Hypothesis was named one of 2017's best books in Canadian poetry by CBC Books and one of the ten 'must-read' books of 2017 by the League of Canadian Poets.[7][8] CBC Books also named Lubrin a Black Canadian writer to watch in 2018.[9]

Lubrin's short story Into Timmins is anthologized in The Unpublished City: Vol. I, edited by Dionne Brand, finalist for the 2018 Toronto Book Awards.

In addition to her career as a poet, Lubrin teaches at OCAD University and the University of Toronto and worked as an editor with Buckrider Books, an imprint of Canadian independent press Wolsak & Wynn from 2018 to 2021.[2][10] She was also a director of the Pivot Reading Series, a biweekly poetry reading series in Toronto.[11] For 2017–2018, Lubrin was a Writer-in-Residence with Poetry In Voice.[12] In 2021, publisher McClelland & Stewart announced Lubrin as their new poetry editor.[13]

Lubrin's second collection of poetry, The Dyzgraphxst, was published by McClelland & Stewart in 2020.

In 2021, Lubrin was named one of two winners, alongside , of the Windham-Campbell Literature Prize in poetry.[14] Dionne Brand was also named a winner of the Windham-Campbell prize in the fiction category, the first time in the history of that award that two Canadians were named as laureates in the same year.[14]

The Dyzgraphxst was shortlisted for the Governor General's Award for English-language poetry at the 2020 Governor General's Awards,[15] was a finalist for the 2020 Trillium Book Award for Poetry[16] and won the 2021 Griffin Poetry Prize.[17]

References[]

  1. ^ "Canisia Lubrin on remembering her grandmother's stories — even when her grandmother couldn't". CBC Radio. 2017-06-26. Retrieved 2018-03-14.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b "Voodoo Hypothesis". www.wolsakandwynn.ca. Retrieved 2018-03-14.
  3. ^ "Creative Writing Reading Series presents Canisia Lubrin". www.yorku.ca. Archived from the original on 2018-03-15. Retrieved 2018-03-14.
  4. ^ Nailah King. "20 Black Writers to Read All Year Round". Room. Retrieved 2020-07-25.
  5. ^ Rose, Jessica (2017-12-22). "REVIEW: Canisia Lubrin's first poetry collection tackles pop culture, science, and news on race". THIS Magazine. Retrieved 2018-03-14.
  6. ^ Carey, Barb (2017-10-27). "Debut poets mark the latest collections for poetry lovers". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2018-03-14.
  7. ^ "The best Canadian poetry of 2017". CBC Books. Retrieved 2018-03-14.
  8. ^ "10 MUST-READ BOOKS OF 2017". www.poets.ca. Retrieved 2018-03-14.
  9. ^ "6 Black Canadian writers to watch in 2018". CBC Books. Retrieved 2018-03-14.
  10. ^ Beattie, Steven W. (2017-09-11). "Jordan Abel, Jen Sookfong Lee, and Canisia Lubrin join Buckrider Books' newly formed editorial board". Quill & Quire. Retrieved 2018-03-14.
  11. ^ Doherty, Mike (2017-10-14). "CanLit at a crossroads: Four writers on the state of our country's literature". Toronto Star. Retrieved 2018-03-14.
  12. ^ "Canisia Lubrin". www.poetryinvoice.com. Retrieved 2018-03-14.
  13. ^ "McClelland & Stewart Announces Canisia Lubrin as Poetry Editor". www.penguinrandomhouse.ca. Retrieved 2021-03-07.
  14. ^ Jump up to: a b Marsha Lederman, "Two Canadian writers win Windham-Campbell Prize, a week before one takes over for the other at McClelland & Stewart". The Globe and Mail, March 24, 2021.
  15. ^ "Francesca Ekwuyasi, Billy-Ray Belcourt & Anne Carson among 2020 Governor General's Literary Awards finalists". CBC Books May 4, 2021.
  16. ^ "Finalists – 2021 Trillium Book Award". May 11, 2021.
  17. ^ Adina Bresge, "Canisia Lubrin named Canadian winner of $65K Griffin Poetry Prize". CP24, June 23, 2021.

External links[]

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