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Canisia Lubrin

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Canisia Lubrin
Born1984 (age 39–40)
St. Lucia
OccupationPoet, critic, editor, professor
EducationYork University
University of Guelph
Notable worksVoodoo Hypothesis (2017); The Dyzgraphxst (2020); Code Noir (2024)

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

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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]

Career

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Her first collection of poems, Voodoo Hypothesis, was published in 2017 by Wolsak & Wynn. Voodoo Hypothesis rejects 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 10 "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Lubrin's short story "Into Timmins" is anthologized in The Unpublished City: Vol.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 is Assistant Professor in the School of English and Theatre Studies at the University of Guelph. She was appointed the Inaugural Shaftesbury Writer in Residence of Victoria College at 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 2019, Lubrin was a Writer-in-Residence in the Department of English at Queen's University.[13] In 2021, publisher McClelland & Stewart announced Lubrin as their new poetry editor.[14]

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 Natalie Scenters-Zapico, of the Windham–Campbell Literature Prize in poetry.[15] Dionne Brand was also named a winner of the Windham–Campbell Literature 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.[15]

The Dyzgraphxst was shortlisted for four book prizes, including the Governor General's Award for English-language poetry at the 2020 Governor General's Awards,[16] and for the 2020 Trillium Book Award for Poetry.[17] The book also won four awards, including the overall OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature,[18] the Derek Walcott Prize[19] and the 2021 Griffin Poetry Prize.[20]

In 2024, Lubrin published her first book of fiction, Code Noir, published by Alfred A. Knopf Canada. The book was shortlisted for the Writers' Trust of Canada's Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize,[21] and for the Governor General's Award for English-language fiction at the 2024 Governor General's Awards.[22]

Works

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Poetry

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  • Augur. Gap Riot Press, 2017. ISBN 9781775056119
  • Voodoo Hypothesis. Buckrider Books, 2017. ISBN 9781928088424
  • The Dyzgraphxst. McClelland & Stewart, 2020. ISBN 9780771048692

Fiction

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References

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  1. ^ "Canisia Lubrin on remembering her grandmother's stories — even when her grandmother couldn't". CBC Radio. June 26, 2017. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  2. ^ a b "Voodoo Hypothesis". www.wolsakandwynn.ca. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  3. ^ "Creative Writing Reading Series presents Canisia Lubrin". www.yorku.ca. Archived from the original on March 15, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  4. ^ King, Nailah. "20 Black Writers to Read All Year Round". Room. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  5. ^ Rose, Jessica (December 22, 2017). "REVIEW: Canisia Lubrin's first poetry collection tackles pop culture, science, and news on race". THIS Magazine. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  6. ^ Carey, Barb (October 27, 2017). "Debut poets mark the latest collections for poetry lovers". Toronto Star. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  7. ^ "The best Canadian poetry of 2017". CBC Books. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  8. ^ "10 MUST-READ BOOKS OF 2017". League of Canadian Poets. Retrieved September 14, 2022.
  9. ^ Patrick, Ryan B. (February 2, 2018). "6 Black Canadian writers to watch in 2018". CBC Books. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  10. ^ Beattie, Steven W. (September 11, 2017). "Jordan Abel, Jen Sookfong Lee, and Canisia Lubrin join Buckrider Books' newly formed editorial board". Quill & Quire. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  11. ^ Doherty, Mike (October 14, 2017). "CanLit at a crossroads: Four writers on the state of our country's literature". Toronto Star. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  12. ^ "Canisia Lubrin". www.poetryinvoice.com. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  13. ^ "Writer in Residence". Queen's University. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  14. ^ "McClelland & Stewart Announces Canisia Lubrin as Poetry Editor". www.penguinrandomhouse.ca. February 23, 2021. Retrieved March 7, 2021.
  15. ^ a b Lederman, Marsha (March 24, 2021). "Two Canadian writers win Windham-Campbell Prize, a week before one takes over for the other at McClelland & Stewart". The Globe and Mail.
  16. ^ "Francesca Ekwuyasi, Billy-Ray Belcourt & Anne Carson among 2020 Governor General's Literary Awards finalists". CBC Books, May 4, 2021.
  17. ^ "Finalists – 2021 Trillium Book Award". Ontario Creates, May 11, 2021.
  18. ^ "St Lucian-born poet wins OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature". Loop News. April 25, 2021. Retrieved December 28, 2023.
  19. ^ "The Derek Walcott Prize For Poetry THIS YEAR'S WINNERS". The Voice. July 10, 2021. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  20. ^ Bresge, Adina (June 23, 2021). "Canisia Lubrin named Canadian winner of $65K Griffin Poetry Prize". CP24.
  21. ^ "Three debut novels among finalists for 2023 Atwood Gibson Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize". CBC Books, September 25, 2024.
  22. ^ Cassandra Drudi, "Canisia Lubrin, Danny Ramadan among 2024 Governor General’s Literary Award finalists". Quill & Quire, October 8, 2024.
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