Berni Stapleton is a Canadian writer residing in

Newfoundland Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

. Along with writing, Stapleton is also a performer and playwright. Her debut book, ''They Let Down Baskets'', won the 1999 Newfoundland Book Award for Best Non-Fiction.

Life

Stapleton was born in

North West River North West River is a small town located in central Labrador. Established in 1743 as a trading post by French Fur Trader Louis Fornel, the community later went on to become a hub for the Hudson's Bay Company and home to a hospital and school se ...

and raised in

Marystown Marystown is a town in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador Newfoundland and Labrador (; french: Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador; frequently abbreviated as NL) is the easternmost province of Canada, in the country's Atlantic region. The provi ...

. She was a playwright-in-residence with the Playwright's Workshop Montreal,

Stratford Shakespeare Festival The Stratford Festival is a theatre festival which runs from April to October in the city of Stratford, Ontario, Stratford, Ontario, Canada. Founded by local journalist Tom Patterson (theatre producer), Tom Patterson in 1952, the festival was fo ...

, PARC, as well as other national companies. She was also the Artistic Director of the Grand Bank Regional Theatre for eleven years. She has a production company called ''In Conjunction.'' In 2019, Stapleton was named

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 ...

's writer-in-residence. She has also received a grant from the

Canada Council The Canada Council for the Arts (french: Conseil des arts du Canada), commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown corporation established in 1957 as an arts council of the Government of Canada. It acts as the federal government's principal i ...

for the Arts to write ''Girly Muckle and the Queer Hands.''

Works

Books

* ''They Let Down Baskets'' (1998) * ''This is the Cat'' (2015) * ''Rants, Riffs, and Roars'' (2009) * ''Girly Muckle and the Queer Hands'' (to be released)

Plays and Musicals

* ''No Change in the Weather'' * ''The Pope and Princess Di'' * ''Woman in a Monkey Cage'' * ''Offensive to Some'' * ''Our Frances'' * ''Dolly'' * ''Late Lesbians and Other Bloomers'' * ''Mill Girls''

Awards

* 1999 Newfoundland Book Award for ''They Let Down the Baskets'' * 2018 Arts and Letters Award for Best Dramatic Script for ''Dolly'' * Rhonda Payne Award from Arts NL * Ambassador of Tourism Award from Hospitality NL

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stapleton, Berni 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian women writers Writers from Newfoundland and Labrador Living people Year of birth missing (living people)