Canisia Lubrin (born 1984) is a writer, critic, professor, poet and editor. Originally from
St. Lucia
Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerin ...
, Lubrin now lives in
Whitby, Ontario
Whitby is a town in Durham Region. Whitby is located in Southern Ontario east of Ajax and west of Oshawa, on the north shore of Lake Ontario and is home to the headquarters of Durham Region. It had a population of 138,501 at the 2021 census. It ...
, Canada.
Life and career
Lubrin was born in
St. Lucia
Saint Lucia ( acf, Sent Lisi, french: Sainte-Lucie) is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. The island was previously called Iouanalao and later Hewanorra, names given by the native Arawaks and Caribs, two Amerin ...
and studied in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
, completing a bachelor's degree at
York University
York University (french: Université York), also known as YorkU or simply YU, is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's fourth-largest university, and it has approximately 55,700 students, 7,0 ...
and a graduate degree in creative writing at the
University of Guelph
, mottoeng = "to learn the reasons of realities"
, established = May 8, 1964 ()As constituents: OAC: (1874) Macdonald Institute: (1903) OVC: (1922)
, type = Public university
, chancellor ...
.
Her first collection of poems, ''Voodoo Hypothesis'', was published in 2017 by Wolsak & Wynn. ''Voodoo Hypothesis'' rejects the contemporary and historical systems that paint black people as inferior. The book also addresses the legacy of slavery in Lubrin's native Caribbean. ''Voodoo Hypothesis'' was nominated for the Gerald Lampert award, the Pat Lowther award and was a finalist for the Raymond Souster award. In addition ''Voodoo Hypothesis'' was named one of 2017's best books in Canadian poetry by
CBC Books
CBC Arts (french: Radio-Canada Arts) is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that creates and curates written articles, short documentaries, non-fiction series and interactive projects that represent the excellence of Canada's div ...
and one of the 10 "must-read" books of 2017 by the
League of Canadian Poets
The League of Canadian Poets (LCP), founded in 1966, is a national non-profit arts service organization based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The organization acts as the national association of professional and aspiring poets in Canada. The League co ...
. CBC Books also named Lubrin a Black Canadian writer to watch in 2018.
Lubrin's short story ''Into Timmins'' is anthologized in ''The Unpublished City: Vol. I'', edited by Dionne Brand, finalist for the 2018 Toronto Book Awards.
In addition to her career as a poet, Lubrin is Assistant Professor in The School of English and Theatre Studies at
The University of Guelph
, mottoeng = "to learn the reasons of realities"
, established = May 8, 1964 ()As constituents: OAC: (1874) Macdonald Institute: (1903) OVC: (1922)
, type = Public university
, chancellor ...
. She was appointed the Inaugural Shaftesbury Writer in Residence of Victoria College at the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
and worked as an editor with Buckrider Books, an imprint of Canadian independent press Wolsak & Wynn from 2018 to 2021. She was also a director of the Pivot Reading Series, a biweekly poetry reading series in Toronto. For 2017–2018, Lubrin was a Writer-in-Residence with Poetry In Voice. In 2021, publisher McClelland & Stewart announced Lubrin as their new poetry editor.
Lubrin's second collection of poetry, ''The Dyzgraphxst'', was published by McClelland & Stewart in 2020.
In 2021, Lubrin was named one of two winners, alongside Natalie Scenters-Zapico, of the Windham-Campbell Literature Prize in poetry.
Dionne Brand
Dionne Brand (born 7 January 1953) is a Canadian poet, novelist, essayist and documentarian. She was Toronto's third Poet Laureate from September 2009 to November 2012. She was admitted to the Order of Canada in 2017
was also named a winner of the Windham-Campbell prize in the fiction category, the first time in the history of that award that two Canadians were named as laureates in the same year.
''The Dyzgraphxst'' was shortlisted for four book prizes, including the
Trillium Book Award
The Trillium Book Award (french: Prix littéraire Trillium or ''Prix Trillium'') is an annual literary award presented to writers in Ontario, Canada. It is administered by Ontario Creates, a Crown agency of the Government of Ontario, which is ov ...
OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature
OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, inaugurated in 2011 by the NGC Bocas Lit Fest, is an annual literary award for books by Caribbean writers published in the previous year.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. ...