Madhur Anand

2020 Governor General’s Literary Award

Dr. Madhur Anand, a professor in the School of Environmental Sciences, has won this year’s Governor General’s Literary Award for Non-fiction.
She won for This Red Line Goes Straight to Your Heart: A Memoir of Halves. The experimental memoir focuses on immigration and storytelling through generations and is rooted in the themes of partition and divide.

Dr. Thomas King, College of Arts professor emeritus, was nominated for a Governor General’s fiction award for Indians on Vacation.

Jael Richardson

Gutter Child

Jael Richardson, a 2010 graduate of U of G’s MFA in creative writing program and a 2003 BA alumna, released her first novel, Gutter Child, early this year. The book was shortlisted for the 2021 Amazon Canada First Novel Award. Richardson is the founder and director of the popular Festival of Literary Diversity, held online this year in early May.

SALLY FRATER

Oakville Galleries

U of G alumna Sally Frater was named executive director of Oakville Galleries in Oakville, Ont., in March. She earned a BA in studio art in 1999 from U of G and an MA in contemporary art from the University of Manchester. Before joining Oakville Galleries, she was curator of contemporary art at the Art Gallery of Guelph and artistic director of Centre[3] for Artistic and Social Practice in Hamilton.

CANISIA LUBRIN /
DIONNE BRAND

Windham-Campbell Prize

University of Guelph alumna Canisia Lubrin and her mentor, U of G professor Dionne Brand, were among eight winners worldwide of the 2021 Windham-Campbell Prize for outstanding international writers of fiction, non-fiction, drama and poetry.

A professor in the School of English and Theatre Studies, Brand was recognized in the fiction category for her novel Theory, which won the 2019 Toronto Book Award.

Lubrin, a 2015 graduate of U of G’s MFA creative writing program, was honoured for her poetry collections, Voodoo Hypothesis and The Dyzgraphxst.

SOUVANKHAM THAMMAVONGSA /
SHANI MOOTOO

2020 Giller Prize

Two writers and thesis advisers in the creative writing program in the College of Arts had outstanding showings in the 2020 ScotiaBank Giller Prize, one of Canada’s most prestigious literary awards.

Souvankham Thammavongsa won the $100,000 literary price for her short-story collection How to Pronounce Knife, her first work of fiction. Shani Mootoo, a 2011 MA grad in English and drama from U of G, was one of four other finalists for her novel Polar Vortex.

BARDIA SINAEE

Intruder

Bardia Sinaee enrolled in U of G’s MFA in creative writing program in 2015, right around the time he was diagnosed with cancer. His studies helped him write through his treatment. His inaugural poetry collection, Intruder, published in 2020 by House of Anansi Press, explores the theme of encroachment, whether from cancer, COVID-19 or the internet. He completed the book during the pandemic.

AZADEH ELMIZADEH

Painting Award

Painter Azadeh Elmizadeh, a U of G grad, garnered the 2020 Joseph Plaskett Foundation award in post-graduate painting, valued at $30,000. The Tehran-born artist and graduate of the master of fine art program at U of G in 2020 will use the award to further develop her art practice in Europe when international travel allows.

DR. BARRY HEATH

Odyssey and Shammy Go to School

Odyssey and Shammy Go to School, a children’s book by Saskatchewan veterinarian Dr. Barry Heath, DVM ’72, portrays the roles, training and needs of service dogs.

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BRITTANY LUBY

ENCOUNTER

History professor Brittany Luby’s Encounter, a children’s storybook, was shortlisted for the first annual Sheila Barry Best Picturebook of the Year Award, worth $2,500.

GUELPH CLASSICS SOCIETY

CANTA

The Guelph Classics Society, consisting of U of G undergraduate students enthusiastic about ancient literature, art, history and languages, launched the student-led, peer-reviewed journal Canta/ἄειδε: A Journal of Classical Studies. The first edition appeared in early 2020.

KATHLEEN HEPBURNE

THE BODY REMEMBERS WHEN THE WORLD BROKE OPEN Kathleen Hepburne, MFA ’12, co-wrote and co-directed the critically acclaimed and multiple award-winning film The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open with Elle-Maija Tailfeathers. The Toronto Film Critics Association gave the Indigenous story the 2019 Rogers Best Canadian Film Award, worth $100,000. Praised by critics across North America, the film was named one of the top 10 Canadian movies of 2019 and was named best Canadian film by the Vancouver Film Critics Circle.

EUGENE BENSON

THE SYMMETRY OF THE TYGER Eugene BensonIn his memoir The Symmetry of the Tyger, professor emeritus Eugene Benson, School of English and Theatre Studies, surveys 90 years of travel, adventure and engagement in Canadian culture. The book charts the author’s own adventures while working and travelling around the globe and recollections of his time at U of G.

MARK MCCUTCHEON

SHAPE YOUR EYES BY SHUTTING THEM shape your eyes by shutting them bookMark McCutcheon, BA ’95, PhD ’06, a professor of literary studies at Athabasca University, has published his The latest books, arts and exhibitions by U of G faculty and alumni first book of poetry. Shape Your Eyes by Shutting Them was published by Athabasca University Press in 2019. Literary critic Di Brandt called the inventive collection a “romp through the surreal landscape of our times.”

RODERICK HODGSON

BARNS – CLASSIC STRUCTURES FROM ACROSS THE LAND Barns bookRoderick Hodgson, BA ’78, has written his 14th book. Barns – Classic Structures From Across the Land details the evolution, style and construction of the grand rural structures. Barns have been his passion for more than 40 years.

KAREN HOULE

THE GRAND RIVER WATERSHED: A FOLK ECOLOGY Karen HouleProf. Karen Houle, Department of Philosophy, was a Governor General Literary Awards finalist in the English poetry category for her latest poetry collection, The Grand River Watershed: A Folk Ecology. Publisher Gaspereau Press said the book presents southern Ontario’s Grand River as “a living system that is full of interconnection and meaning.”

LAUREN SATOK

UNSETTLED: THE ART OF REMAPPING A HISTORY OF ERASURE Lauren SatokVisual artist Lauren Satok, BFA ’02, creates landscapes that explore the effect of colonization on the environment. Her exhibition Unsettled: The Art of Remapping a History of Erasure began in early 2020 at the Debajehmujig Creation Centre in Manitowaning, Ont. Originally from Toronto, Satok now lives on Manitoulin Island. “From a white or settler viewpoint, there is a need to deal with complicity and to share knowledge that can open more doors to equality,” she says.

SIMONE DALTON

RBC TAYLOR PRIZE Simone DaltonSimone Dalton, MFA ’18, was selected as one of five writers for the RBC Taylor Prize for emerging writers mentorship program. She’s currently writing a memoir.

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KATHLEEN HEPBURNE

THE BODY REMEMBERS WHEN THE WORLD BROKE OPEN

Kathleen Hepburne, MFA ’12, co-wrote and co-directed the critically acclaimed and multiple award-winning film The Body Remembers When the World Broke Open with Elle-Maija Tailfeathers. The Toronto Film Critics Association gave the Indigenous story the 2019 Rogers Best Canadian Film Award, worth $100,000. Praised by critics across North America, the film was named one of the top 10 Canadian movies of 2019 and was named best Canadian film by the Vancouver Film Critics Circle.

EUGENE BENSON

THE SYMMETRY OF THE TYGER

Eugene BensonIn his memoir The Symmetry of the Tyger, professor emeritus Eugene Benson, School of English and Theatre Studies, surveys 90 years of travel, adventure and engagement in Canadian culture. The book charts the author’s own adventures while working and travelling around the globe and recollections of his time at U of G.

MARK MCCUTCHEON

SHAPE YOUR EYES BY SHUTTING THEM

shape your eyes by shutting them bookMark McCutcheon, BA ’95, PhD ’06, a professor of literary studies at Athabasca University, has published his The latest books, arts and exhibitions by U of G faculty and alumni first book of poetry. Shape Your Eyes by Shutting Them was published by Athabasca University Press in 2019. Literary critic Di Brandt called the inventive collection a “romp through the surreal landscape of our times.”

RODERICK HODGSON

BARNS – CLASSIC STRUCTURES FROM ACROSS THE LAND

Barns bookRoderick Hodgson, BA ’78, has written his 14th book. Barns – Classic Structures From Across the Land details the evolution, style and construction of the grand rural structures. Barns have been his passion for more than 40 years.

KAREN HOULE

THE GRAND RIVER WATERSHED: A FOLK ECOLOGY

Karen HouleProf. Karen Houle, Department of Philosophy, was a Governor General Literary Awards finalist in the English poetry category for her latest poetry collection, The Grand River Watershed: A Folk Ecology. Publisher Gaspereau Press said the book presents southern Ontario’s Grand River as “a living system that is full of interconnection and meaning.”

LAUREN SATOK

UNSETTLED: THE ART OF REMAPPING A HISTORY OF ERASURE

Lauren SatokVisual artist Lauren Satok, BFA ’02, creates landscapes that explore the effect of colonization on the environment. Her exhibition Unsettled: The Art of Remapping a History of Erasure began in early 2020 at the Debajehmujig Creation Centre in Manitowaning, Ont. Originally from Toronto, Satok now lives on Manitoulin Island. “From a white or settler viewpoint, there is a need to deal with complicity and to share knowledge that can open more doors to equality,” she says.

SIMONE DALTON

RBC TAYLOR PRIZE

Simone DaltonSimone Dalton, MFA ’18, was selected as one of five writers for the RBC Taylor Prize for emerging writers mentorship program. She’s currently writing a memoir.

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HELEN MARSHALL, The Migration

Described as a dark and topical fable with a timeless quality, Helen Marshall’s first novel, The Migration, was released in March by Random House Canada.

Born in Sarnia, Ont., to parents who immigrated to Canada from South Africa, Marshall was inspired to become a writer in high school. She studied English at U of G and medieval studies at the University of Toronto and the University of Oxford. She has published two collections of short stories.

LORRAINE ROY, Woven Woods

Artist Lorraine Roy’s exhibition Woven Woods continues its coast-to-coast tour this year. The exhibition consists of 12 circular quilted wall hangings about the science of tree root communication. The intricate, finely crafted pieces are inspired by the research of University of British Columbia forest biology expert Suzanne Simard.

The exhibition began in early 2018 in Waterford, Ont., and will end in 2021.
Roy studied ornamental horticulture at U of G. As an artist, she has worked in textiles for more than 30 years.

CHRIS BANKS, Midlife Action Figure

Chris Banks’s next full-length poetry volume, Midlife Action Figure, is due out this year from ECW Press. Banks has a BA from U of G and a master of arts in creative writing from Concordia University. His first full-length book of poetry, Bonfires, won the Jack Chalmers Award for poetry in 2004.

Midlife Action Figure follows the 2017 release of his full-length volume The Cloud Versus Grand Unification Theory.

Banks’s poems have been described as heartfelt meditations on the contemporary world, written with conversational ease.

DAVID URBAN, Lonely Boy

New paintings by well-known Canadian artist David Urban were featured this spring at Toronto’s Corkin Gallery.

The new works in the solo exhibition Lonely Boy embrace vibrant colours inspired by Italian design and architecture, while maintaining an affinity with Canadian legends Group of Seven and Painters Eleven. The human body and the landscape merge as one in the paintings.

Urban completed a master of fine art at U of G. He has held more than 40 solo exhibitions and has been included in group shows around the world.

MARINA REED, Primrose Street

Marina Reed’s novel Primrose Street has gained many fans since its 2018 publication.

Residents of Primrose Street go about their relatively mundane lives, remaining virtually invisible to their neighbours. But an unusual invitation placed in their mailboxes forces them out of their shells, exposing their secrets.

Reed has a BA from U of G and a creative writing master’s degree from the University of Windsor.

LAURA BERTRAM, Unspeakable

Laura Bertram appears in the television mini-series Unspeakable this year.

Toronto-born Bertram, who studied history at U of G, had film roles in 50/50 and Gunless. She has worked steadily in television since the early 90s. She appeared in last year’s TV film A Winter’s Dream.

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Linda Mahood

Thumbing a Ride: Hitchhikers, Hostels and Counterculture in Canada

Prof. Linda Mahood in U of G’s Department of History knows hitchhiking – not just from her research but also from her own teenaged experience.

This past summer, her book Thumbing a Ride: Hitchhikers, Hostels and Counterculture in Canada was published by UBC Press and explores the rise and fall of hitchhiking in Canada.

Robert Cram

The Hand-Off

A Robert Cram sculpture titled The Hand-Off has been installed on Lang Way in front of Alumni Stadium and the new Pavilion on the U of G campus.

The metal sculpture depicting a quarterback handing off a football was commissioned by Stu Lang, a former Edmonton Eskimo in the CFL who coached the Guelph Gryphons football team for six years.

Lang and his wife, Kim, funded the new Pavilion at Alumni Stadium through their Angel Gabriel Foundation.

Kim Anderson

Keetsahnak: Our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Sisters

Métis writer Kim Anderson is one of three editors of Keetsahnak: Our Missing and Murdered Indigenous Sisters. The book’s 36 contributors examine the root causes of violence against women in an effort to create a new model of anti-violence.

James Carl

oof

Giant egg cartons covering a 24-metre-long wall are not such an unusual undertaking for visual artist James Carl. He’s the same artist who created a 635-kilogram replica of a rubber band.

Carl’s grand-scale installation oof occupies a grandiose space in Hamilton, New Jersey’s Grounds for Sculpture until the end of 2018.

A professor of studio art in U of G’s School of Fine Art and Music, Carl is known internationally for replicating mundane objects using materials like cardboard or marble.

Emma Hogg

Winona Rising

Author Emma L.R. Hogg was nominated for the Whistler Independent Book Awards for her new book, Winona Rising. The awards recognize excellence in Canadian independent publishing.

Her volume follows the challenges of a 15-year-old girl after the accidental death of her father. Hogg, who lives in Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., graduated with a BA in 2003.

Jennifer Carvalho

Night Thoughts

Jennifer Carvalho’s summer exhibition Night Thoughts at Toronto’s Georgia Scherman Projects received international press coverage. Moody and evocative depictions of forest interiors, Night Thoughts was written about in BLOUIN ARTINFO International, an art magazine and website based in New York City. Carvalho received her MFA in studio art at U of G in 2013.

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