School of Continuing Studies

Anuja Varghese wins Governor General’s Literary Award

rahul.kalvapalle — Fri, 15 Dec 2023 15:15:44 +0000

Anuja Varghese wins Governor General’s Literary Award

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rahul.kalvapalle Fri, 12/15/2023 - 10:15

Students

St. George

School of Continuing Studies

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Anuja Varghese (supplied image)

Anuja Varghese, a learner in the creative writing program of the ��Ƶ’s School of Continuing Studies (SCS), has won the Governor General’s Literary Award for Fiction for her short story collection, Chrysalis.

The Governor General’s Literary Awards are presented by the Canada Council for the Arts and recognize the best Canadian books of the year.

“It’s such an honour to be recognized with this award, and in the company of such incredible authors,” said Varghese. “I’m so grateful for the ways U of T supported my writing journey and I hope to use this prize to open doors for other queer and racialized writers, as doors have been opened for me.”

Varghese completed her certificate in creative writing in September 2023, having developed several of the stories featured in Chrysalis in her SCS classes.

“We are thrilled that Anuja has joined the growing number of award-winning writers emerging from our creative writing program,” said Catherine Chandler-Crichlow, dean of SCS. “I know that our instructors are inspired by our learners’ talent, dedication and creativity from their first days in the classroom, and it’s so wonderful to see that talent recognized when they take the brave step of sharing their work with the world.”

Learn more about Varghese’s experience in SCS

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Canisia Lubrin and Dionne Brand recognized with Windham-Campbell prizes

lanthierj — Fri, 26 Mar 2021 19:27:30 +0000

Canisia Lubrin and Dionne Brand recognized with Windham-Campbell prizes

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lanthierj Fri, 03/26/2021 - 15:27

Staff

Alumni

St. George

The Windham-Campbell Prize

School of Continuing Studies

Honorary Degree

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(Photos courtesy of Penguin Random House Canada)

Renowned authors Canisia Lubrin and Dionne Brand have each received one of the world’s most sought-after literary awards: The Windham-Campbell prize.

Awarded by Yale University to eight writers annually, the prize gives US$165,000 (more than C$206,000) to each author in recognition of their extraordinary literary achievements. While both Brand and Lubrin write in many forms, Brand was recognized for fiction and Lubrin for poetry.

The author of the critically acclaimed Voodoo Hypothesis and The Dyzgraphxst, Lubrin is an instructor at the ��Ƶ’s School of Continuing Studies and was also recently named poetry editor at McClelland & Stewart, succeeding Brand in the role. Describing her work, the judges said: “Bursting beyond the confines of legibility and the individual, Canisia Lubrin summons up oceans, languages, and the self, the other, and the first-person plural, into a generous baroque project of anti-colonial plenitude.”

“It is impossible to express what this extraordinary encouragement means, what being in such company during such a catastrophic time, will make possible,” Lubrin said in a statement.

Alumna and honorary degree recipient Brand is a novelist, essayist and Toronto’s former poet laureate, whose most recent book is called Theory.

“Funny, wild, and completely lacking in pretension, Theory takes huge formal risks, reimagining the novel of ideas for our own moment, challenging and enchanting the reader at the same time,” the judges said.

“This is an astonishing surprise,” Brand said in a statement. “It will take me weeks, maybe months to find the best words to describe my amazement. For now let me say, wondrous.”

Read the CBC story

Read the Guardian story

Read The Globe and Mail story

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Don Gillmor, instructor at School of Continuing Studies, wins Governor General's literary award

geoff.vendeville — Tue, 29 Oct 2019 10:26:06 +0000

Don Gillmor, instructor at School of Continuing Studies, wins Governor General's literary award

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geoff.vendeville Tue, 10/29/2019 - 06:26

Staff

St. George

School of Continuing Studies

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Don Gillmor, who teaches novel-writing at the ��Ƶ’s School for Continuing Studies, won a Governor General’s literary award in the nonfiction category for To the River: Losing My Brother.

The book describes Gillmor’s trip to Whitehorse, Yukon to understand why his brother David took his own life more than 10 years ago.

“In clear, crisp prose, Gillmor has written a book that is searingly honest and heartbreakingly sad,” the jury said, according to the CBC.

“From the story of his brother’s life and death to a larger exploration of white, middle-aged masculinity, Gillmor impresses us with his quiet insights.”

Read the U of T News story

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