Anne Simpson (born 1956)
is a Canadian poet, novelist, artist and essayist. She was a recipient of the
Griffin Poetry Prize.
Biography
Simpson received her
Bachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
and
Master of Arts
A Master of Arts ( or ''Artium Magister''; abbreviated MA or AM) is the holder of a master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is usually contrasted with that of Master of Science. Those admitted to the degree have ...
degrees from
Queen's University, and graduated in Fine Arts from
OCAD University
Ontario College of Art & Design University, commonly known as OCAD University or OCAD U, is a public university, public art school, art university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Its main campus is located within Toronto's Grange Park (neighbourh ...
(formerly the Ontario College of Art).
Subsequently, she worked as a
CUSO volunteer English teacher for two years in
Nigeria
Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...
.
Simpson has been the writer-in-residence at a number of institutions, including the
University of New Brunswick
The University of New Brunswick (UNB) is a public university with two primary campuses in Fredericton and Saint John, New Brunswick. It is the oldest English language, English-language university in Canada, and among the oldest public universiti ...
, the Medical Humanities Program at
Dalhousie University
Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus ...
(2004), the
Saskatoon Public Library, the
University of Prince Edward Island, Dalhousie University (2011), and
Memorial University
Memorial University of Newfoundland, or MUN (), is a Public university, public research university in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, based in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, with satellite campuses in Corner Brook ...
.
She has been a faculty member at Sage Hill Writing Experience and the
Banff Centre
Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity (formerly Banff Centre) is an arts and culture educational institution in Banff, Alberta, Banff, Alberta.
It offers arts programs in the Performing arts, performing and fine arts, as well as leadership trai ...
.
She is an adjunct professor at
St. Francis Xavier University, where she established the Writing Centre.
Simpson lives in
Antigonish, Nova Scotia.
Books
Simpson was the co-winner of the 1997
Journey Prize,
["Journey Prize ends in a tie". '']Edmonton Journal
The ''Edmonton Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It is part of the Postmedia Network.
History
The ''Journal'' was founded in 1903 by three local businessmen — John Macpherson, Arthur Moore and J.W. Cunn ...
'', October 24, 1997. awarded for her short story ''Dreaming Snow''. Her second collection of poetry, ''Loop'' (McClelland & Stewart, 2003), was the winner of the 2004 Canadian
Griffin Poetry Prize. ''Loop'' contains many poems composed in sequences, including, notably, a poetic demonstration of a Möbius strip.
Her other poetry collections include ''Light Falls Through You'' (McClelland & Stewart, 2000), winner of the
Gerald Lampert Award and the
Atlantic Poetry Prize, ''Quick'' (McClelland & Stewart, 2007), winner of the
Pat Lowther Award, and ''Is'' (McClelland & Stewart, 2011) in which Simpson 'negotiates an ever-changing path between language and structure'.
[Review of 'Is'- Vancouver Sun, 2011]
Simpson has written three novels: ''Speechless'' (Freehand, 2020), ''Canterbury Beach'' (Penguin, 2001) and ''Falling'' (McClelland & Stewart, 2008), which was a Canadian bestseller and winner of the Dartmouth Fiction Award. It was long-listed for the
International Dublin Literary Award.
She has also written a book of essays on poetics, ''The Marram Grass: Poetry and Otherness'' (Gaspereau, 2009).
Publications
;Poetry
*''Light Falls Through You'' –
2000
2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year.
Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...
(winner of the
Gerald Lampert Award and the
Atlantic Poetry Prize)
*''Loop'' –
2003
2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater.
In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War.
Demographic ...
(shortlisted for the 2003
Governor General's Award
The Governor General's Awards are a collection of annual awards presented by the governor general of Canada, recognizing distinction in numerous academic, artistic, and social fields.
The first award was conceived and inaugurated in 1937 by the ...
, winner of the 2004 Canadian
Griffin Poetry Prize)
*''Quick'' – 2007 (winner of the 2008
Pat Lowther Award)
*''Is'' – 2011
;Novels
*''Canterbury Beach'' – 2001 (shortlisted for the
Thomas Head Raddall Award)
*''Falling'' – 2008
*''Speechless'' – 2020
;Essays
*
A Ragged Pen: Essays on Poetry & Memory' – 2006 Gaspereau Press
*
The Marram Grass: Poetry & Otherness' – 2009 Gaspereau Press
*''Experiments in Distant Influence'' – 2020 Gaspereau Press
References
External links
Griffin Poetry Prize biography, poetry reading extract and citationExample of Simpson's poetry- 'Orpheus afterwards'Examples of Simpson's ArtSimpson writing websiteWriter's Federation of Nova Scotia Biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Anne
1956 births
Living people
20th-century Canadian poets
21st-century Canadian novelists
21st-century Canadian poets
Queen's University at Kingston alumni
Canadian women novelists
Canadian women poets
Canadian women essayists
20th-century Canadian women writers
21st-century Canadian women writers
20th-century Canadian essayists
21st-century Canadian essayists