Canisia
Lubrin
Canisia Lubrin is a writer, editor, critic, and teacher published and anthologized internationally, with translations of her work adapted into Spanish, Italian, and forthcoming in French and German. Her poetry debut Voodoo Hypothesis was named a CBC Best Book. Lubrin’s fiction has been shortlisted for the Toronto Book Award and longlisted for the Journey Prize. She has also served as the 2019 Writer-in-Residence at Queen’s University and poetry faculty for the Banff Centre’s Emerging Writers Intensive. In 2020, she was named a Writers’ Trust Rising Star. The Dyzgraphxst is her second poetry book. Lubrin holds an MFA from the University of Guelph and lives in Whitby.
Juror History
Program History
Citation
“Encountering Canisia Lubrin’s work is like suddenly being thrown into terrain that is both sombre and uplifting, unearthly and grounded at the same time. Her landscapes — physical, linguistic, and psychological — displace you in ways that are disturbing yet delightful. An accomplished and recognized poet — Lubrin is already a star in that sense — it will be extremely rewarding for us as she turns her devastating gifts to prose. She will push us and break us in ways that will continue to let the light in. As she writes in Voodoo Hypothesis: ‘They are never rigid, those who watch from the treetops.’ Whatever genre Canisia Lubrin chooses, she will shine.” —2020 Writers' Trust Rising Stars selector Anosh Irani