Anne Simpson is a Canadian poet, novelist, artist and essayist. She was a recipient of the
Griffin Poetry Prize
The Griffin Poetry Prize is Canada's most generous poetry award. It was founded in 2000 by businessman and philanthropist Scott Griffin.
Before 2022, the awards went to one Canadian and one international poet who writes in the English language. ...
.
Biography
Simpson received her
B.A.
Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...
and
M.A.
A Master of Arts ( la, Magister Artium or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA, M.A., AM, or A.M.) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Tho ...
degrees from
Queen's University Queen's or Queens University may refer to:
*Queen's University at Kingston, Ontario, Canada
*Queen's University Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
**Queen's University of Belfast (UK Parliament constituency) (1918–1950)
**Queen's University of Belfast ...
, and graduated in Fine Arts from
OCAD University
Ontario College of Art & Design University, commonly known as OCAD University or OCAD, is a public art university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's main campus is spread throughout several buildings and facilities within do ...
(formerly the Ontario College of Art). Subsequently, she worked as a
CUSO
Cuso International (formerly CUSO, Canadian University Service Overseas) is a Canadian international development organization that connects communities around the world with skilled Canadians to help end poverty and inequality. Established in 1961 ...
volunteer English teacher for two years in
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
. She is an adjunct professor at
St. Francis Xavier University
St. Francis Xavier University is a public undergraduate liberal arts university located in Antigonish, Nova Scotia, Canada. It is a member of the Maple League, a group of primarily undergraduate universities in Eastern Canada.
History
St. Franc ...
, where she established the Writing Centre.
Simpson was the co-winner of the 1997
Journey Prize The Journey Prize (officially called The Writers' Trust of Canada McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize) is a Canadian literary award, presented annually by McClelland and Stewart and the Writers' Trust of Canada for the best short story published by a ...
, awarded for her short story ''Dreaming Snow''. Her second collection of poetry, ''Loop'' (McClelland & Stewart, 2003), was the winner of the 2004 Canadian
Griffin Poetry Prize
The Griffin Poetry Prize is Canada's most generous poetry award. It was founded in 2000 by businessman and philanthropist Scott Griffin.
Before 2022, the awards went to one Canadian and one international poet who writes in the English language. ...
. ''Loop'' contains many poems composed in sequences, including, notably, a poetic demonstration of a Möbius strip.
Her other poetry collections include ''Light Falls Through You'' (McClelland & Stewart, 2000), winner of the
Gerald Lampert Award The Gerald Lampert Memorial Award is made annually by the League of Canadian Poets to the best volume of poetry published by a first-time poet. It is presented in honour of poetry promoter Gerald Lampert
Gerald Lampert (c. 1924 - April 29, 1978) w ...
and the
Atlantic Poetry Prize The J.M. Abraham Poetry Award, formerly known as the Atlantic Poetry Prize, is a Canadian literary award, presented annually by the Atlantic Book Awards & Festival, to the best work of poetry published by a writer from the Atlantic provinces.
Winne ...
, ''Quick'' (McClelland & Stewart, 2007), winner of the Pat Lowther Award, and ''Is'' (McClelland & Stewart, 2011) in which Simpson 'negotiates an ever-changing path between language and structure'.
Simpson has written three novels: ''Speechless'' (Freehand, 2020), ''Canterbury Beach'' (Penguin, 2001) and ''Falling'' (McClelland & Stewart, 2008), which was a Canadian bestseller and winner of the Dartmouth Fiction Award. It was long-listed for the
International Dublin Literary Award
The International Dublin Literary Award ( ga, Duais Liteartha Idirnáisiúnta Bhaile Átha Chliath), established as the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award in 1996, is presented each year for a novel written or translated into English. ...
.
She has also written a book of essays on poetics, ''The Marram Grass: Poetry and Otherness'' (Gaspereau, 2009).
Simpson has been the writer-in-residence at a number of institutions, including the
University of New Brunswick
The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universities in North Americ ...
, the Medical Humanities Program at
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the fou ...
, the
Saskatoon Public Library The Saskatoon Public Library is a publicly funded library system in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. It is available for use by any member of the public; library cards are free for all Saskatonians. Saskatoon Public Library was established in 1913 ...
, the
University of Prince Edward Island
The University of Prince Edward Island (UPEI) is a public university in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada, and the only university in the province. Founded in 1969, the enabling legislation is the ''University Act, R.S.P.E.I 2000.''
H ...
, Dalhousie University, and
Memorial University
Memorial University of Newfoundland, also known as Memorial University or MUN (), is a public university in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, based in St. John's, with satellite campuses in Corner Brook, elsewhere in Newfoundland and ...
.
[http://today.mun.ca/news.php?news_id=6569] She has been a faculty member at Sage Hill Writing Experience and the Banff Centre.
Bibliography
;Poetry
*''Light Falls Through You'' –
2000
File:2000 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Protests against Bush v. Gore after the 2000 United States presidential election; Heads of state meet for the Millennium Summit; The International Space Station in its infant form as seen from ...
(winner of the
Gerald Lampert Award The Gerald Lampert Memorial Award is made annually by the League of Canadian Poets to the best volume of poetry published by a first-time poet. It is presented in honour of poetry promoter Gerald Lampert
Gerald Lampert (c. 1924 - April 29, 1978) w ...
and the
Atlantic Poetry Prize The J.M. Abraham Poetry Award, formerly known as the Atlantic Poetry Prize, is a Canadian literary award, presented annually by the Atlantic Book Awards & Festival, to the best work of poetry published by a writer from the Atlantic provinces.
Winne ...
)
*''Loop'' –
2003
File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during reentry into Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an epidemic in China, and was a precursor to SARS-CoV-2; A des ...
(shortlisted for the 2003
Governor General's Award
The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the Governor General of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields.
The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by the ...
, winner of the 2004 Canadian
Griffin Poetry Prize
The Griffin Poetry Prize is Canada's most generous poetry award. It was founded in 2000 by businessman and philanthropist Scott Griffin.
Before 2022, the awards went to one Canadian and one international poet who writes in the English language. ...
)
*''Quick'' – 2007 (winner of the 2008
Pat Lowther Award
The Pat Lowther Memorial Award is an annual award presented by the League of Canadian Poets to the year's best book of poetry by a Canadian woman.[Thomas Head Raddall Award
The Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award is a Canadian literary award administered by the Atlantic Book Awards & Festival for the best work of adult fiction published in the previous year by a writer from the Atlantic provinces.] )
*''Falling'' – 2008
*''Speechless'' – 2020
;Essays
*
A Ragged Pen: Essays on Poetry & Memory' – 2006 Gaspereau Press
*
The Marram Grass: Poetry & Otherness' – 2009 Gaspereau Press
*''Experiments in Distant Influence'' – 2020 Gaspereau Press
References
External links
Griffin Poetry Prize biography, poetry reading extract and citationExample of Simpson's poetry- 'Orpheus afterwards'Examples of Simpson's ArtSimpson writing websiteWriter's Federation of Nova Scotia Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Anne
1956 births
Living people
20th-century Canadian poets
21st-century Canadian novelists
21st-century Canadian poets
Queen's University at Kingston alumni
Canadian women novelists
Canadian women poets
Canadian women essayists
20th-century Canadian women writers
21st-century Canadian women writers
20th-century Canadian essayists
21st-century Canadian essayists