Storied: Poetry as a way to understand ourselves and our place in the world with Joseph Dandurand, Junie Désil and Joanna Lilley. Moderated by Shazia Hafiz Ramji
Join the BC and Yukon Book Prizes for Storied: Discussions on Books, Publishing, and the Creative Process.
On Wednesday, February 23rd, 2022, Joseph Dandurand, winner of the 2022 Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Literary Excellence, Junie Désil, finalist for the 2022 Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize, and Joanna Lilley, winner of the 2022 Borealis Prize: The Commissioner of Yukon Award for Literary Contribution, will discuss poetry as a way to understand ourselves and our place in the world with moderator Shazia Hafiz Ramji.
The event begins at 7 pm (PST).
This is a free event but registration is required. To register click here.
Funding for the Storied Series is thanks to Heritage Canada, Creative BC, the Government of BC and the Canada Council for the Arts.
About the panelists and moderator:
Joseph A. Dandurand is a member of Kwantlen First Nation located on the Fraser River about 20 minutes east of Vancouver. He resides there with his 3 children Danessa, Marlysse, and Jace. Joseph is the Director of the Kwantlen Cultural Center. Joseph received a Diploma in Performing Arts from Algonquin College and studied Theatre and Direction at the University of Ottawa. He recently published two books of poetry: I WANT by Leaf Press (2015) and HEAR AND FORETELL by BookLand Press (2015). His newest book of poems: The Rumour, will be published by BookLand Press (2018) SH:LAM (the doctor) will be published by Mawenzi Press (2019). His book The East Side of It All published by Nightwood Editions (2020) was a finalist for the 2021 Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize and the Griffin Poetry Prize. Joseph won the 2021 Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Literary Excellence.
Junie Désil is a Haitian Canadian poet. Born of immigrant parents on the traditional territories of the Kanien’kehá:ka in the island known as Tiotia:ke (Montréal), raised in Treaty 1 territories (Winnipeg). Junie has performed at various literary events and festivals. Her work has appeared in Room Magazine, PRISM International, The Capilano Review, and CV 2. A recovering academic, a UBC alum, and most recently an alumni of SFU’s The Writer’s Studio, Junie currently works in the Downtown Eastside, on the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm, Sḵwx̱wú7mesh, and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ (unceded and Ancestral Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Territories) and lives on Qayqayt Territory (New Westminster), juggling writing and life. Her book eat salt | gaze at the ocean published by Talonbooks was a finalist for the 2021 Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize.
Joanna Lilley’s fifth book and third poetry collection, Endlings, won the 2021 Fred Kerner Book Award. From the UK, Joanna now lives in Whitehorse, Yukon, with gratitude on the Kwanlin Dün First Nation and Ta’an Kwäch’än Council Traditional Territories. In 2021 she won the Borealis Prize: The Commissioner of Yukon Award for Literary Contribution.
Shazia Hafiz Ramji’s writing has recently appeared in Galleries West and Canadian Notes & Queries. Her fiction was shortlisted for the Malahat Review’s 2022 Open Season Awards. Her first book, Port of Being, was a finalist for the 2019 BC Book Prizes. She lives in Vancouver, Calgary, and Toronto, where she is at work on a novel.