Priscila Uppal (October 30, 1974 – September 5, 2018) was a

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poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems ( oral or wri ...

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, fiction writer, and playwright.

Personal life and career

Uppal was born in Ottawa,

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, she graduated from Hillcrest High School in 1993. She earned her Honours Bachelor of Arts (BA Hons.) in 1997 and her Ph.D in 2004 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 ...

as well as a Master's degree (MA) in English from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 ...

. Uppal was a professor in the Department of English at

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and taught literature and creative writing. In 2007, her book of poetry ''Ontological Necessities'' was shortlisted for 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. ...

. Uppal's poetry collection ''Pretending to Die'' (2001) was shortlisted for the

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 ...

, and her memoir ''Projection: Encounters with My Runaway Mother'' was shortlisted for the

Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction The Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction is a Canadian literary award, presented annually by the Writers' Trust of Canada to the best work of non-fiction by a Canadian writer. Canada's most lucrative non-fiction prize, the winner re ...

in 2013. She served as the first poet-in-residence for the Rogers Cup Tennis Tournament in 2011. She was also the Olympic poet-in-residence at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games and the 2012 London Summer Olympics. As a result of her role as the poet-in-residence for the London Summer Olympics, she was dubbed "Canada's coolest poet" by Time Out London magazine. Uppal also became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2016. Uppal died of

synovial sarcoma A synovial sarcoma (also known as malignant synovioma) is a rare form of cancer which occurs primarily in the extremities of the arms or legs, often in proximity to joint capsules and tendon sheaths. It is a type of soft-tissue sarcoma. The name ...

on September 5, 2018.

Bibliography

Poetry * * * * *''Cover Before Striking'', Lyricalmyrical Press, 2004, * ''Holocaust Dream'', MacLaren Arts Centre, 2005, (photographs by Daniel Ehrenworth) * (shortlisted for the 2007 Canadian

) * ''Traumatology'', Exile Editions, 2010, * ''Winter Sport: Poems'', Mansfield Press, 2010, *''Successful Tragedies'', Bloodaxe Books, 2010, Fiction * '' The Divine Economy of Salvation'', Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2002, ; Doubleday Canada, 2003, * ''To Whom It May Concern'', Doubleday Canada, 2009, * ''Cover Before Striking'',

Dundurn Press Dundurn Press is one of the largest Canadian-owned book publishing companies of adult and children's fiction and non-fiction. The company publishes Canadian literature, history, biography, politics and arts. Dundurn has about 2500 books in print, ...

, 2015, Non-fiction * * ''Projection'',

, 2013, Anthologies – as editor * ''The Exile Book of Canadian Sports Stories'', Exile Editions, 2010, * ''The Exile Book of Poetry in Translation: Twenty Canadian Poets Take on the World'', Exile Editions, 2009, * ''Barry Callaghan: Essays on his Works'', Guernica, 2007, * ''Uncommon Ground: A Celebration of Matt Cohen'' – 2002 (edited with

Graeme Gibson Thomas Graeme Cameron Gibson (9 August 1934 – 18 September 2019) was a Canadian novelist.Wayne Grady Wayne Desmond Grady (born 26 July 1957) is an Australian professional golfer. Early life Born in Brisbane, Grady turned professional in 1978. Professional career Grady began his career on the PGA Tour of Australia. He had much early suc ...

, and Dennis Lee) * ''Red Silk: An Anthology of South Asian Canadian Women Poets'', Mansfield Press, 2004, (edited with Rishma Dunlop) Anthologies – as contributor * ''Alphabet City 11: Trash'' * ''Body Language: A Head to Toe Anthology'' * ''Certain Things About My Mother: Daughters Speak'' * ''In the Dark: Stories from the Supernatural'' * ''Larger Than Life'' * ''Mentor's Canon: poems about / for / after writers'' * ''New Canadian Poetry'' * ''Writer's Gym'' Plays *''What Linda Said''

References

External links

Priscila Uppal archives
are held at the

Clara Thomas Archives and Special Collections Clara Thomas (née McCandless; May 22, 1919 – September 26, 2013) was a Canadian academic. A longtime professor of English at York University, she was one of the first academics to devote her work specifically to the study of Canadian literatur ...

York University Libraries York University Libraries (YUL) is the library system of York University in Toronto, Ontario. The four main libraries and one archives contain more than 2,500,000 volumes. History The first York library opened in 1961 at Glendon College and ...

Toronto, Ontario Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the ancho ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Uppal, Priscila Canadian women novelists Canadian women poets Canadian people of Indian descent Writers from Ottawa 1974 births 2018 deaths Canadian writers of Asian descent 20th-century Canadian poets 21st-century Canadian poets 21st-century Canadian novelists Canadian memoirists Canadian women dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 21st-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights Canadian women memoirists 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian women writers Deaths from synovial sarcoma Deaths from cancer in Ontario Neurological disease deaths in Ontario Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada University of Toronto alumni York University alumni York University faculty