English

Writer in Residence

The 2012 Carol Shields Writer-in-Residence

Photo of Debbie Patterson by Robert Barrow

The English department is proud to announce that Debbie Patterson will be our seventh Carol Shields Writer-in-Residence, from January to April, 2012. Debbie is a dynamic member of Winnipeg's arts and theatre community, an innovative writer, director, and actor. Trained at the National Theatre School of Canada, she is a founding member of Shakespeare in the Ruins (SIR) and recently served as Theatre Ambassador for Winnipeg’s Cultural Capital year. Currently she serves as Artistic Associate at Prairie Theatre Exchange and is a member of the PTE Playwrights Unit. Her playwriting credits include the musical Head, Candy from a Baby, and Molotov Circus, which was nominated for the Harry Rintoul Award and the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize. She has written several adaptations of Robert Munsch stories for Prairie Theatre Exchange, which have gone on to be produced at theatres across the country. Her directing credits include Macbeth and Taming of the Shrew for SIR and Saint Joan for Theatre by the River. Some of her favourite roles as a performer include Zoya in Molotov Circus, the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet, and Jenny in Threepenny Opera. She lives in Winnipeg with her family: Arne MacPherson, Gislina Patterson and Solmund (Salty) MacPherson.

Debbie Patterson's residency is made possible by the Canada Council for the Arts, the Carol Shields family, and the University of Winnipeg. Debbie will appear at public events on campus and will have an office in the UW English Department to meet with members of the community for private consultations. Her inaugural reading is scheduled for Wednesday, January 18, at 12:30 p.m., in Eckhardt-Gramatté and her Carol Shields Writer-in-Residence Distinguished Lecture, scheduled for Thursday, March 1, at 7:30 p.m., also in Eckhardt-Gramatté Hall. Both events are free and open to the public. Everyone welcome.  

The Carol Shields Writer-in-Residence Program
The Carol Shields Writer-in-Residence Program at the University of Winnipeg was made possible by a generous donation from the Shields family. The program’s name honours the memory of Carol Shields, Pulitzer-prize winning novelist and Chancellor of the University of Winnipeg from 1996 to 2000. At Convocations, our students and their families were privileged to hear her wise and beautifully-crafted addresses to the graduands. Carol was also a generous mentor to emerging writers, so this program is a fitting tribute to her. As UW President Dr. Lloyd Axworthy has said, "Carol was enormously committed to cultivating young writers. Through the thoughtfulness and generosity that the Shields family has shown to the University, opportunities have been created for many more people and emerging writers to discover their creative voices."

Thanks to this program, the University of Winnipeg is able to host a creative writer for four months of each year (January through April). While the writer spends most of this time working on a new creative project, he or she also gives public readings or lectures and holds regular office hours on campus for members of the public who want to consult them about their manuscripts or about the writing life.

Past writers in this program include Margaret Sweatman, Sandra Birdsell, John Weier, Maria Campbell, David Bergen, and Ivan Coyote.