Join us for a conversation with author, editor and teacher, Canisia Lubrin!

Lubrin’s work blends poetry, history, archival materials, cartography, fiction, and non-fiction, along with influences from other genres such as dance and music. As a poet, editor, academic, teacher and short-fiction author, Lubrin’s voice is pressing in this moment, and her message is as timely as it is necessary in the midst of a global pandemic, intensified capitalist fascism, and racial reckonings sweeping the country. Lubrin’s work “is committed to looking at the conditions that create, sustain and perpetuate different forms of oppression and other kinds of modernist nightmares,” and she envisions a future where “everybody can live their humanity fully and completely” (The Next Chapter, Sept 25, 2020). In her pursuit of this work, she does not view her creative life as separate from her academic life; rather, she sees these “selves” and this work as deeply entwined.

In this talk, she will share insight about her creative practice and discuss a typical writing day, addressing practical, creative, and aesthetic matters of revising and editing her current manuscript, before reading from her forthcoming debut work of fiction, Code Noir.

When: Friday, March 11th, 2022, from 1:00-2:30 pm

Where: Register for the zoom link here.

Lubrin will open her writing space to learners, sharing insight about her creative practice and reading from her work. Lubrin will speak with learners about a typical writing day, addressing practical, creative, and aesthetic matters of revising and editing her current manuscript, before reading from her forthcoming debut work of fiction, Code Noir. The piece addresses Henry the XIV’s 1865 edict, the 59 articles meant to determine the conditions of life for “Free Blacks” in the French colonies. This document established rules for policing slavery, among other historically pernicious systemic injustices. Lubrin’s contemporary response is a collection of short stories, each giving voice to the human experience of the Code. Following the reading, Canisia will do a brief question-and-answer period about her work, her writing practice, and overcoming the challenges in balancing creative and academic writing. 

The virtual format of the talk means maximum accessibility for all learners at this time. 

ABOUT THE SPEAKER

Lubrin’s other books include The Dyzgraphxst (M&S, 2020), a Quill and Quire “Book of the Year” and winner of the Griffin and the Derek Walcott Poetry Prizes; and Voodoo Hypothesis (Wolsak & Wynn, 2017), a CBC Best Book that was also listed for the Gerald Lampert award, the Pat Lowther award, and the Raymond Souster award. She is a poetry editor for McClelland & Stewart and a faculty member in the School of English and Theatre Studies at the University of Guelph. 

Sponsored by:

Transitional Year Program Writing and Academic Skills Centre

New College Writing Centre

New College Initiatives Fund

Women and Gender Studies Institute

Department of English