Megan Gail Coles is a Canadian writer in

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 province comprises the island of Newfoundland and the continental region ...

. She was born in Savage Cove and grew up there. Coles was educated at

Memorial University of Newfoundland 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 ...

and at the

National Theatre School of Canada The National Theatre School of Canada (NTS, french: École nationale de théâtre du Canada) is a private institution of professional theatre studies in Montreal, Quebec. Established in 1960, the NTS receives its principal funding from grants aw ...

. She was co-founder and artistic director of Poverty Cove Theatre Company. She is executive director for ''Riddle Fence'' and has been writer-in-residence at the

Arts and Culture Centre The Arts and Culture Centres are a system of six arts centres in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, operated by the provincial government's Department of Tourism, Culture, Arts and Recreation (TCAR). Each has a least one stage for the per ...

in St. John's. Her short story collection ''Eating Habits of the Chronically Lonesome'' received a

ReLit Award The ReLit Awards are Canadian literary prizes awarded annually to book-length works in the novel, short-story and poetry categories."Three indie writers honoured by ReLit Awards". ''The Globe and Mail'', July 19, 2007. Founded in 2000 by Newfoundla ...

, a

Winterset Award The Winterset Award is a Canadian literary award, presented annually by the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council to a work judged to be the best book, regardless of genre, published by a writer from Newfoundland and Labrador.

and the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award. She has written several plays, including ''Our Eliza'', ''The Battery'', ''Bound'', ''Falling Trees'', ''Grace'' and ''Squawk''. In 2013, she received the Rhonda Payne Theatre Award. Her debut novel, ''Small Game Hunting at the Local Coward Gun Club'', was published in 2019. It won the 2019 Winterset Award, and was shortlisted for the 2019

Giller Prize The Giller Prize (sponsored as the Scotiabank Giller Prize), is a literary award given to a Canadian author of a novel or short story collection published in English (including translation) the previous year, after an annual juried competition be ...

. The novel was subsequently selected for the 2020 edition of ''

Canada Reads ''Canada Reads'' is an annual "battle of the books" competition organized and broadcast by Canada's public broadcaster, the CBC. The program has aired in two distinct editions, the English-language ''Canada Reads'' on CBC Radio One, and the Frenc ...

'', in which it was defended by Alayna Fender. At the

2022 Governor General's Awards The shortlisted nominees for the 2022 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were announced on October 12, 2022,Adina Bresge"Sheila Heti, Anne Carson among finalists for the Governor General’s Literary Awards" ''Toronto Star'', October 12, ...

, Mélissa Verreault won the

Governor General's Award for English to French translation This is a list of recipients of the Governor General's Award for English-to-French translation awarded by the Governor-General of Canada. Winners and nominees 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s References {{Governor General's Literar ...

for the novel's French-language edition, ''Partie de chasse au petit gibier entre lâches au club de tir du coin''.Laila Maalouf
"Alain Farah remporte le Prix du Gouverneur général"
'' La Presse'', November 16, 2022.

References

1981 births Living people Canadian women dramatists and playwrights Canadian women short story writers 21st-century Canadian short story writers 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights Writers from Newfoundland and Labrador Memorial University of Newfoundland alumni National Theatre School of Canada alumni 21st-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian novelists Canadian women novelists {{Canada-playwright-stub