Poet and writer Cornelia Hoogland named 2019 Whistler Writer in Residence
Two scholarships available through new equity initiative program
June 24, 2019: Whistler, B.C. – The Whistler Writers Society is excited to announce that Cornelia Hoogland has been named the 2019 Whistler Writer in Residence and will move into the Alta Lake Artists Cabin, next to The Point Artist-Run Centre, this fall to work with emerging and established writers.
Spots are going quickly for the popular program that sells out every year.
A prominent poet, fiction and non-fiction writer based on Hornby Island, Hoogland is the author of seven books including Trailer Park Elegy (shortlisted for the League of Canadian Poets’ 2018 Raymond Souster Award) and Woods Wolf Girl (finalist for the ReLit Award for Poetry). She has been shortlisted for several CBC literary awards, including nominations for her story “Sea Level” in 2012 and “Tourists Stroll a Victoria Waterway” in 2017. Hoogland is a former professor at the University of Western Ontario and serves on several national and international literary boards, as well as being the founder and co-artistic director of Poetry London.
In addition to being the Writer in Residence, Hoogland will appear at the Whistler Writers Festival, taking place October 17-20, 2019.
“Hoogland brings an abundance of expertise across many genres within the literary arts and will make an excellent mentor to participants in this year’s Writer in Residence program who are working in fiction, non-fiction and poetry,” said Stella Harvey, Artistic Director of the Whistler Writing Society. “This will be a unique opportunity for participants to learn from Cornelia’s distinct perspective, creativity and experience.”
Taking place from September through to the end of October, each year the Writer in Residence brings a published Canadian author together with a group of writers from the Sea to Sky Corridor who are seeking to bring their craft to the next level, while working on a specific writing project. The program is now in it’s twelfth year.
Over a two-month period, participants partake in four one-on-one sessions as well as group lectures focused on different elements of the written craft, writing life or publishing industry. The program is designed for writers of all levels.
New equity scholarship program
To foster our ongoing commitment to equity, the Whistler Writing Society is offering for the first time, two scholarships for the program.
Scholarships are specifically for writers who are Indigenous, racialized, LGBTQI2S, or living with a disability from the Sea to Sky Corridor. (Writers who publicly self-identify as using a term from the LGBTQI2S lexicon, and/or are living with a disability).
The deadline for scholarship applications is Thursday, August 1, 2019.
Scholarship applicants should submit a paragraph outlining why they would like to participate in the program and a short description of the writing they are working on to Writers@WhistlerWritersFest.com.
Openings still available for residency
Those interested in participating in this year’s Writer in Residence should secure their spot soon. The Whistler Writer in Residence Program sells out every year, and applicants are enrolled on a first-come, first-served basis.
Only 12 writers are accepted each year. Participants submit their manuscripts in advance by August 16 of up to a maximum of 20 double-spaced pages. The cost per participant is $350.
To apply, please email Writers@WhistlerWritersFest.com.
The Writer in Residence program is made possible through funding assistance from the Resort Municipality of Whistler’s Community Enrichment Program and the Canada Council for the Arts.
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ABOUT THE WHISTLER WRITING SOCIETY
The Whistler Writing Society runs the Whistler Writers Festival taking place October 17 to 20, 2019, the Whistler Writer in Residence, and the Authors in the Schools program. For full details, visit www.whistlerwritersfest.com.