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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