Justin Neal’s LNG
Alumnus Justin Neal (MFA in Creative Writing and Stage Playwriting) has written an commissioned eight episode television series titled LNG, as part of the Testify project, which pairs indigenous artists with lawyers in the creation of new work. Focusing on an embattled liquified natural gas facility built on First Nations land in British Columbia, this […]
2016 Governor General’s Awards
Congratulations to UBC MFA Alumni on this year’s shortlist for the Governor-General’s Literary Awards. Anosh Irani’s The Parcel, Katherena Vermette’s The Break and Rachel Rose’s Marry and Burn are among the finalists announced today. More details at the GGbooks website.
Wendy Bone’s Sanctuary at Last
Creative Writing MFA candidate Wendy Bone has published Sanctuary at Last, about Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingya refugees who were rescued by fishermen off the coast of Aceh, Indonesia in 2015. She worked on this story in her UBC Creative Non-fiction class and it was presented recently during the United Nations Summit on Refugees and Migrants.
Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize Finalists
Congratulations to alumni Anosh Irani and Katherena Vermette, who are both finalists for the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize. This $25,000 award for the best work of fiction published in the previous year will be awarded in November. Anosh Irani is nominated for his novel The Parcel. Katherena Vermette is nominated for her novel The Break.
Alumni Successes
Our MFA program alumni have been making remarkable strides in the publishing world! A quick roundup of congratulations to: Michelle Barker, whose novel “A Year of Borrowed Men” has been short-listed for the 2016 TD Canadian Children’s Literature award. Brooke Carter. Her YA novel “Another Miserable Love Song” has just been released by Orca Books. Anosh […]
The Devourers, by Indra Das
Congratulations to MFA alumnus Indra Das, whose novel “The Devourers” received a great review in the New York Times this month. N.K. Jemisin called it a “chilling, gorgeous saga that spans several centuries and many lands, though the bulk of the tale is set in India of the Mughal Empire and today… readers will savor every […]
Alumnus Book Publication
Congratulations to Creative Writing Alumnus Wayne Fipke on the publication of his novel The Way In. A first century history from the point of view of Jesus, The Way In, explores his life from early childhood in Alexandria, as a student at the famous library under the tutelage of a rabbi scholar, through to his crucifixion […]
Celebrating Alumni Successes
Our wonderful alumni continue to excel in the world. It’s hard to keep up! Forthwith, a compendium of some recent successes: Winner, Fiddlehead 2016 Best Short Fiction Prize ($2000 plus publication): Brent van Staalduinen for his story “Skinks”. Novel accepted for publication: Brooke Carter for her YA novel Learning Seventeen with Orca Book Publishers. The novel should […]
Sierra Skye Gemma wins National Newspaper Award
Congratulations to Sierra Skye Gemma, MFA Alumna and current UBC Creative Writing Staff member, for winning the 2015 National Newspaper Award in Long Feature. Writing in the Globe and Mail, Sierra Skye Gemma investigates her own attraction to pornography and considers what role her knowledge of porn might play in her son’s sexual education. With courage […]
Prairie Fire Creative Nonfiction Contest
Congratulations to MFAs Jane Wood and Shannon Rayne, who received 3rd and 2nd place in Prairie Fire’s Creative Nonfiction contest. Their stories will be in the July edition of Prairie Fire.