Readers rejoice! The annual Writers Reading Series is back at Trent University and its 28^th season is shaping up to be the place to be for readers and writers alike this fall.

The series kicked off this year on September 20 and for the next few weeks will be featuring literary superstars from across the country. This year Trent University will welcome, among others, the current Canadian parliamentary poet laureate, George Elliot Clarke, as well as Trent alumnus, Joshua Trotter ’00.

“It's been great fun to see students and members of the community interact with the writers, talking and laughing,” says series host and professor of English Literature at Trent, Dr. Lewis MacLeod. “The series has seen tremendous growth in the past few years; writers with worldwide reputations are now very keen to come here. We are also always happy to bring up-and-coming writers to the Peterborough area.”

Hosted each year by the English Literature department, the Writers Reading Series provides members of the Trent and Peterborough communities with the opportunity to meet and converse with the minds behind the country’s favourite poems, essays, short stories, and novels.

“Best-selling authors who have done hundreds of these things and have been published around the world routinely express their appreciation for our series and affection for our audiences. We are glad to have so many original and interesting voices visiting the University,” adds Professor MacLeod.

Readings are held each week at 7:00 p.m. in the Scott House Junior Common Room at Catharine Parr Traill College, located at 310 London Street. Following each reading, the festivities continue as authors and audience members are invited to an informal reception at The Trend.

As an additional benefit for English Literature students, those who attend all of the readings will be gifted a personalized limerick by one of the a-list authors who have participated in the series over the years.

The Writers Reading events are part of the Barbara Rooke Lecture Series, and are made possible with additional support from School for the Study of Canada and Indigenous Studies, the departments of Canadian Studies, English Literature and Cultural Studies, the Public Texts M.A. program, and the Nind Fund.

» More information about the Writers Reading series

After hosting Ray Robertson, and Alissa York the last few weeks, the following is a listing of upcoming Writers Reading events:

Thursday, October 6, 2016

Kate Cayley’s first collection of short fiction, How You Were Born, won the 2015 Trillium Book Award, was a finalist for the Governor General’s Award, and was long-listed for the Frank O’Connor International Short Story Award. Her first collection of poetry, When This World Comes to an End, was shortlisted for the ReLit Award. She is currently a playwright-in-residence at Tarragon Theatre, and has written two plays for Tarragon, After Akhmatova and The Bakelite Masterpiece. Her second collection of poetry, Other Houses, is forthcoming from Brick Books.

Thursday, October 13, 2016

Linda Besner’s first book of poetry, The Id Kid, was published in 2011 by Véhicule Press and named as one of the National Post’s Best Poetry Books of the Year. In 2015 she was selected as one of the Writers’ Trust of Canada’s 5x5 Emerging Artists. Her poetry and journalism have appeared in magazines across Canada, including The Walrus, Maisonneuve, Hazlitt, and The National Post, and been anthologized in Best Canadian Poetry 2012. Her second collection, Feel Happier in Nine Seconds, is forthcoming in 2017 from Coach House Books. She lives in Montreal.

Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Trent alumnus Joshua Trotter's first book, All This Could Be Yours (Biblioasis) was selected by the National Post as one of the top 10 poetry books of 2010. His second book, Mission Creep, was published in 2015 by Coach House Press. Joshua's work has been anthologized in Jailbreaks: 99 Canadian Sonnets and The Best Canadian Poetry in English. He lives in Montréal.

Tuesday, November 22, 2016

Kris Bertin’s stories have appeared in The Walrus, The Malahat Review, The New Quarterly, PRISM International, and other magazines. He is a two-time winner of the Jack Hodgins’ Founders’ Award for Fiction and has had his work anthologized in The Journey Prize Anthology, Oberon’s Coming Attractions and EXILE’s CVC Anthology. Bertin’s debut collection of stories, Bad Things Happen, was published with Biblioasis in 2016. He lives in Halifax, Nova Scotia.

Wednesday, November 30, 2016

George Elliott Clarke has published 14 poetry texts, four verse-plays, three opera libretti, two novels, two scholarly essay collections, and two edited anthologies. His honours include The Governor-General’s Literary Award for Poetry (2001), The National Magazine Gold Award for Poetry (2001), The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Achievement Award (2004), The Pierre Elliott Trudeau Fellowship Prize (2005), The Eric Hoffer Book Award for Poetry (2009). Appointed to the Order of Nova Scotia (2006) and the Order of Canada (2008), Clarke has also received eight honorary doctorates. His newest books include The Motorcyclist, Extra Illicit Sonnets (Exile), and Gold (Gaspereau), a miscellaneous collection.