Discover exceptional Canadian writers and writing for your to-read pile

Writers & Books

Each of these authors has benefitted from Writers' Trust awards or programs.

Programs

Berton House Writers’ Residency

2025

Residents

Cody Caetano

Cody Caetano

Krista Foss

Krista Foss

Jesse Keith Butler

Jesse Keith Butler

Helen Knott

Helen Knott

Angela Long

Angela Long

Rebecca Thomas

Rebecca Thomas

Selectors

Eliza Robertson

Eliza Robertson

Paul Seesequasis

Paul Seesequasis

Darcy Tara McDiarmid

Darcy Tara McDiarmid

2024

Residents

Francine Cunningham

Francine Cunningham

2023

Residents

Gord Grisenthwaite

Gord Grisenthwaite

Charlie Petch

Charlie Petch

Eliza Robertson

Eliza Robertson

Maria Saba

Maria Saba

Selectors

Carleigh Baker

Carleigh Baker

Greg Bechtel

Greg Bechtel

Lulu Keating

Lulu Keating

2022

Residents

Paul Seesequasis

Paul Seesequasis

Selectors

Marilyn Dumont

Marilyn Dumont

Jackie Olson

Jackie Olson

David A. Robertson

David A. Robertson

2020

Residents

Greg Bechtel

Greg Bechtel

2019

Residents

Carleigh Baker

Carleigh Baker

Ailsa Ross

Ailsa Ross

Elizabeth Ruth

Elizabeth Ruth

Trish Salah

Trish Salah

2018

Residents

Lawrence Hill

Lawrence Hill

Sarah Mian

Sarah Mian

Sandy Pool

Sandy Pool

Anakana Schofield

Anakana Schofield

2017

Residents

Stacey Matson

Stacey Matson

Wendi Stewart

Wendi Stewart

Drew Hayden Taylor

Drew Hayden Taylor

2016

Residents

Claire Caldwell

Claire Caldwell

Shauntay Grant

Shauntay Grant

Debra Komar

Debra Komar

Shelagh Plunkett

Shelagh Plunkett

2015

Residents

Nicole Dixon

Nicole Dixon

Kim Fu

Kim Fu

Emily Pohl-Weary

Emily Pohl-Weary

Jacob Scheier

Jacob Scheier

2014

Residents

Tara Beagan

Tara Beagan

Alan Cumyn

Alan Cumyn

Clem Martini

Clem Martini

Anik See

Anik See

2013

Residents

James FitzGerald

James FitzGerald

Colleen Murphy

Colleen Murphy

Melanie Siebert

Melanie Siebert

Chris Turner

Chris Turner

2012

Residents

Dan Dowhal

Dan Dowhal

Tim Falconer

Tim Falconer

Sherry MacDonald

Sherry MacDonald

Joan Thomas

Joan Thomas

2011

Residents

Jacob McArthur Mooney

Jacob McArthur Mooney

Jeanne Randolph

Jeanne Randolph

Manjushree Thapa

Manjushree Thapa

Sara Tilley

Sara Tilley

2010

Residents

Jeramy Dodds

Jeramy Dodds

Mylene Gilbert-Dumas

Mylene Gilbert-Dumas

Danielle Metcalfe-Chenail

Billeh Nickerson

Billeh Nickerson

2009

Residents

Jalal Barzanji

Jalal Barzanji

Linda Goyette

Linda Goyette

Pasha Malla

Robert Turner

Robert Turner

2008

Residents

Frances Backhouse

Frances Backhouse

Monica Graham

Monica Graham

Charlotte Gray

Charlotte Gray

Elin Kelsey

Elin Kelsey

Rising Stars

2025

Rising Stars

Allison Graves

Allison Graves

Zilla Jones

Zilla Jones

Dilan Qadir

Dilan Qadir

Liz Stewart

Liz Stewart

Isabella Wang

Isabella Wang

Selectors

Michael Crummey

Michael Crummey

Joseph Dandurand

Joseph Dandurand 

Charlotte Gill

Charlotte Gill

Rabindranath Maharaj

Rabindranath Maharaj

Casey Plett

Casey Plett

2024

Rising Stars

EC Dorgan

EC Dorgan

Paola Ferrante

Paola Ferrante

Daysha Loppie

Daysha Loppie

Aubrianna Snow

Aubrianna Snow

Karianne Trudeau Beaunoyer

Karianne Trudeau Beaunoyer

Selectors

Hiromi Goto

Hiromi Goto

Monique Gray Smith

Monique Gray Smith

John Lorinc

John Lorinc

Élise Turcotte

Élise Turcotte

Richard Van Camp

Richard Van Camp

2023

Rising Stars

Manahil Bandukwala

Manahil Bandukwala

Katia Belkhodja

Katia Belkhodja

Erica Violet Lee

Erica Violet Lee

Julie Mannell

Julie Mannell

Terese Mason Pierre

Terese Mason Pierre

Selectors

Wayde Compton

Wayde Compton

Catherine Leroux

Catherine Leroux

Shani Mootoo

Shani Mootoo

Candace Savage

Candace Savage

Richard Van Camp

Richard Van Camp

2022

Rising Stars

Vanessa Bell

Vanessa Bell

Wendy Bone

Wendy Bone

Xaiver Michael Campbell

Xaiver Michael Campbell

Joseph Kakwinokanasum

Téa Mutonji

Téa Mutonji

Selectors

André Alexis

André Alexis

Nicole Brossard

Nicole Brossard

J.B. MacKinnon

J.B. MacKinnon

Darrel J. McLeod

Darrel J. McLeod

Lisa Moore

Lisa Moore

2021

Rising Stars

Eddy Boudel Tan

Eddy Boudel Tan

Djamila Ibrahim

Djamila Ibrahim

Keriann McGoogan

Keriann McGoogan

Amanda Peters

Amanda Peters

Rebecca Thomas

Rebecca Thomas

Selectors

Deborah Campbell

Deborah Campbell

Brian Francis

Brian Francis

Sue Goyette

Sue Goyette

Lawrence Hill

Lawrence Hill

Katherena Vermette

Katherena Vermette

2020

Rising Stars

Carleigh Baker

Carleigh Baker

Lorax B. Horne

Lorax B. Horne

Canisia Lubrin

Canisia Lubrin

Troy Sebastian / Nupqu ʔa·kǂ am̓

Troy Sebastian / Nupqu ʔa·kǂ am̓

Laura Trethewey

Laura Trethewey

Selectors

Lynn Coady

Lynn Coady

Rachel Giese

Rachel Giese

Anosh Irani

Anosh Irani

Thomas King

Thomas King

Rosemary Sullivan

Rosemary Sullivan

2019

Rising Stars

Melissa J. Gismondi

Melissa J. Gismondi

El Jones

El Jones

Chelene Knight

Chelene Knight

Dana Mills

Dana Mills

Deborah Ostrovsky

Deborah Ostrovsky

Selectors

David Chariandy

David Chariandy

Charlotte Gray

Charlotte Gray

Taras Grescoe

Taras Grescoe

David Adams Richards

David Adams Richards

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

Leanne Betasamosake Simpson

WT Amplified Voices

2021

Finalists

Selina Boan

Selina Boan

Tenille K. Campbell

Tenille K. Campbell

Marty Chan

Marty Chan

Sam Cheuk

Sam Cheuk

Aimée Craft

Aimée Craft

Norma Dunning

Norma Dunning

francesca ekwuyasi

francesca ekwuyasi

Eli Tareq El Bechelany-Lynch

Eli Tareq El Bechelany-Lynch

shalan joudry

shalan joudry

Nyanza Julian

Nyanza Julian

Sheung - King

Sheung - King

Rahela Nayebzadah

Rahela Nayebzadah

Shanice Nicole

Shanice Nicole

Leah Ranada

Leah Ranada

Anuradha Rao

Anuradha Rao

Jael Richardson

Jael Richardson

Lindsay Ruck

Lindsay Ruck

Rebecca Salazar

Rebecca Salazar

Hana Shafi

Hana Shafi

Sarah Suk

Sarah Suk

Cheryl Thompson

Cheryl Thompson

Rinaldo Walcott

Rinaldo Walcott

Terry Watada

Terry Watada

Jesse Wente

Jesse Wente

Sennah Yee

Sennah Yee

Writers’ Trust Mentorship

2024

Mentees

Odette Auger

Odette Auger

Debra Mattson

Debra Mattson

Dora Prieto

Dora Prieto

Mentors

Joseph Kakwinokanasum

Sonnet L’Abbé

Sonnet L’Abbé

Amanda Leduc

Amanda Leduc

2023

Mentees

Shams Erfan

Shams Erfan

Min Jia

Min Jia

Kris Kaila

Kris Kaila

Mentors

Antonio Michael Downing

Antonio Michael Downing

Jónína Kirton

Jónína Kirton

Thea Lim

Thea Lim

2022

Mentees

Megan Elizabeth Morrison

Megan Elizabeth Morrison

Raksha Vasudevan

Raksha Vasudevan

Shō Yamagushiku

Shō Yamagushiku

Mentors

Kaie Kellough

Kaie Kellough

Monia Mazigh

Monia Mazigh

Harley Rustad

Harley Rustad

2021

Mentees

Simone Dalton

Simone Dalton

Emily Pegg

Emily Pegg

Emily Riddle

Emily Riddle

Mentors

Pasha Malla

Joshua Whitehead

Joshua Whitehead

Jenny Heijun Wills

Jenny Heijun Wills

2020

Mentees

Jamaluddin Aram

Jamaluddin Aram

Rhiannon Ng

Rhiannon Ng

Lishai Peel

Lishai Peel

Mentors

Michael Christie

Michael Christie

Liz Howard

Liz Howard

Ayelet Tsabari

Ayelet Tsabari

Margaret Laurence Lecture Series

2019

Lecturer

Olive Senior

Olive Senior

2018

Lecturer

Tomson Highway

Tomson Highway

2017

Lecturer

John Metcalf

John Metcalf

2016

Lecturer

Jean Little

Jean Little

2015

Lecturer

Guy Gavriel Kay

Guy Gavriel Kay

2014

Lecturer

Guy Vanderhaeghe

Guy Vanderhaeghe

2013

Lecturer

Lorna Crozier

Lorna Crozier

2012

Lecturer

Dionne Brand

2011

Lecturer

Graeme Gibson

Graeme Gibson

2010

Lecturer

Marie-Claire Blais

Marie-Claire Blais

2009

Lecturer

Elspeth Cameron

Elspeth Cameron

2008

Lecturer

Josef Skvorecky

Josef Skvorecky

2007

Lecturer

Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood

2006

Lecturer

Antonine Maillet

Antonine Maillet

2005

Lecturer

Rudy Wiebe

Rudy Wiebe

2004

Lecturer

Audrey Thomas

Audrey Thomas

2003

Lecturer

Alistair MacLeod

Alistair MacLeod

2002

Lecturer

Janet Lunn

Janet Lunn

2001

Lecturer

William Deverell

William Deverell

2000

Lecturer

Peter C. Newman

Peter C. Newman

1999

Lecturer

P.K. Page

P.K. Page

1998

Lecturer

Al Purdy

Al Purdy

1997

Lecturer

Edna Staebler

Edna Staebler

1996

Lecturer

W.O. Mitchell

W.O. Mitchell

1995

Lecturer

Farley Mowat

Farley Mowat

1994

Lecturer

Pierre Berton

Pierre Berton

1993

Lecturer

June Callwood

June Callwood

1992

Lecturer

Timothy Findley

Timothy Findley

1991

Lecturer

Maria Campbell

Maria Campbell

1990

Lecturer

Roch Carrier

Roch Carrier

1989

Lecturer

Dorothy Livesey

Dorothy Livesey

1988

Lecturer

Mavis Gallant

Mavis Gallant

1987

Lecturer

Hugh MacLennan

Hugh MacLennan