Chandra Mayor (born in 1973), is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

poet and novelist whose writings explore

urban Urban means "related to a city". In that sense, the term may refer to: * Urban area, geographical area distinct from rural areas * Urban culture, the culture of towns and cities Urban may also refer to: General * Urban (name), a list of people ...

and

alternative Alternative or alternate may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * Alternative (''Kamen Rider''), a character in the Japanese TV series ''Kamen Rider Ryuki'' * ''The Alternative'' (film), a 1978 Australian television film * ''The Alternative ...

cultures, among others. She lives in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the province of Manitoba in Canada. It is centred on the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine rivers, near the longitudinal centre of North America. , Winnipeg had a city population of 749,6 ...

Manitoba Manitoba ( ) is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population o ...

Publishing career

Mayor's writing has appeared in several anthologies, including Interruptions: 30 Women Tell the Truth about Motherhood, Breathing Fire 2: Canada's New Poets, and Post-Prairie. Her first book, August Witch, a book of poetry, was short-listed for four

Manitoba Book Awards Manitoba Books Awards/Les Prix du livre du Manitoba is the premiere annual book awards for Manitoba, Canada. Originating in 1988, an award gala is usually held in April in Winnipeg, Manitoba, celebrating the best of Manitoba writing and publishing ...

and won the Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book. She received the 2004 John Hirsch Award for Most Promising Writer, and the following year she followed that up with her novel, Cherry, which won the Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award. Mayor, who is openly

lesbian A lesbian is a Homosexuality, homosexual woman.Zimmerman, p. 453. The word is also used for women in relation to their sexual identity or sexual behavior, regardless of sexual orientation, or as an adjective to characterize or associate n ...

, was shortlisted for a 2008 CBC Literary Award for the title story from her most recent book, All the Pretty Girls ( Conundrum Press), a collection of short stories. All the Pretty Girls won the 2009

Lambda Award Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ literature.The awards were instituted i ...

for Best Lesbian Fiction.

Awards

*Winner, Lambda Award for Best Lesbian Fiction, 2009 *Winner, Carol Shields Winnipeg Book Award, 2005 *Winner, John Hirsch Award for the Most Promising Manitoba Writer, 2004 *Winner, Eileen McTavish Sykes Award for Best First Book, 2003

Quotes

Chandra Mayor on writing:

''"Telling the truth is harder than telling lies. Which makes writing hard work. But it's also what makes it resonate, makes it mean something to the person who reads it. Writing is exhibitionism. Writing is dragging something out of you, kicking and screaming. Writing is also craft, which is only achieved through pure drudgery. At the end of it all, someone says, 'you spoke to me,' and it's all worth it."''

References

External links

Winnipeg International Writers Festival Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mayor, Chandra 21st-century Canadian poets Canadian women poets Canadian lesbian writers 1973 births Living people Lambda Literary Award for Lesbian Fiction winners Writers from Winnipeg Canadian LGBT poets 21st-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian LGBT people