Canisia Lubrin (born 1984) is a writer, critic, professor, poet and editor. Originally from
St. Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Saint Vincent ...
, Lubrin now lives in
Whitby, Ontario
Whitby is a town in Regional Municipality of Durham, Durham Region in Ontario, Canada. Whitby is located in Southern Ontario east of Ajax, Ontario, Ajax and west of Oshawa, on the north shore of Lake Ontario and is home to the headquarters of D ...
, Canada.
Life
Lubrin was born in
St. Lucia
Saint Lucia is an island country of the West Indies in the eastern Caribbean. Part of the Windward Islands of the Lesser Antilles, it is located north/northeast of the island of Saint Vincent (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines), Saint Vincent ...
and studied in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
, completing a bachelor's degree at
York University
York University (), also known as YorkU or simply YU), is a public university, public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, and it has approximately 53,500 students, 7,000 faculty and staff, ...
and a graduate degree in creative writing at the
University of Guelph
The University of Guelph (abbreviated U of G) is a comprehensive Public university, public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College (1874), the MacDonald I ...
.
Career
Her first collection of poems, ''Voodoo Hypothesis'', was published in 2017 by Wolsak & Wynn. ''Voodoo Hypothesis'' rejects the contemporary and historical systems that paint black people as inferior. The book also addresses the legacy of slavery in Lubrin's native Caribbean. ''Voodoo Hypothesis'' was nominated for the Gerald Lampert Award, the Pat Lowther Award and was a finalist for the Raymond Souster Award. In addition ''Voodoo Hypothesis'' was named one of 2017's best books in Canadian poetry by
CBC Books
CBC Arts () is the division of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that creates and curates written articles, short documentaries, non-fiction series and interactive projects that represent the excellence of Canada's diverse artistic communitie ...
and one of the 10 "must-read" books of 2017 by the
League of Canadian Poets
The League of Canadian Poets (LCP), founded in 1966, is a national non-profit arts service organization based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The organization acts as the national association of professional and aspiring poets in Canada. The League co ...
. CBC Books also named Lubrin a Black Canadian writer to watch in 2018.
Lubrin's short story "Into Timmins" is anthologized in ''The Unpublished City: Vol. I'', edited by
Dionne Brand
Dionne Brand (born 7 January 1953) is a Canadian poet, novelist, essayist and documentarian. She was Toronto's third Poet Laureate from September 2009 to November 2012 and first Black Poet Laureate. She was admitted to the Order of Canada in ...
, finalist for the 2018
Toronto Book Awards
The Toronto Book Awards are Canadian literary awards, presented annually by the City of Toronto government
The municipal government of Toronto ( incorporated as the City of Toronto) is the local government responsible for administering the cit ...
.
In addition to her career as a poet, Lubrin is Assistant Professor in the School of English and Theatre Studies at the
University of Guelph
The University of Guelph (abbreviated U of G) is a comprehensive Public university, public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College (1874), the MacDonald I ...
. She was appointed the Inaugural Shaftesbury Writer in Residence of Victoria College at the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...
and worked as an editor with Buckrider Books, an imprint of Canadian independent press Wolsak & Wynn from 2018 to 2021. She was also a director of the Pivot Reading Series, a biweekly poetry reading series in Toronto. For 2017–2018, Lubrin was a Writer-in-Residence with Poetry In Voice. In 2019, Lubrin was a Writer-in-Residence in the Department of English at Queen's University. In 2021, publisher McClelland & Stewart announced Lubrin as their new poetry editor.
Lubrin's second collection of poetry, ''The Dyzgraphxst'', was published by
McClelland & Stewart
McClelland & Stewart Limited is a Canadian publishing company. It is owned by Random House of Canada, Penguin Random House of Canada, a branch of Penguin Random House, the international book publishing division of German media giant Bertelsmann.
...
in 2020.
In 2021, Lubrin was named one of two winners, alongside
Natalie Scenters-Zapico
Natalie may refer to:
Places
* Natalie, Michigan, an unincorporated community
People
* Natalie (given name)
* Natalie (singer) (born 1979), Mexican-American R&B singer/songwriter
* (born 1999), better known as Natalie Zenn, Indonesian actr ...
, of the Windham–Campbell Literature Prize in poetry. Dionne Brand was also named a winner of the Windham–Campbell Literature Prize in the fiction category, the first time in the history of that award that two Canadians were named as laureates in the same year.
''The Dyzgraphxst'' was shortlisted for four book prizes, including the
Governor General's Award for English-language poetry
This is a list of recipients and nominees of the Governor General's Awards award for English-language poetry. The award was created in 1981 when the Governor General's Award for English language poetry or drama was divided.2020 Governor General's Awards
The shortlisted nominees for the 2020 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were announced on May 4, 2021, and the winners were announced on June 1.Trillium Book Award
The Trillium Book Award ( or ''Prix Trillium'') is an annual literary award presented to writers in Ontario, Canada. It is administered by Ontario Creates, a Crown agency (Ontario), Crown agency of the Government of Ontario, which is overseen by ...
for Poetry. The book also won four awards, including the overall
OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature
OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature, inaugurated in 2011 by the NGC Bocas Lit Fest, is an annual literary award for books by Caribbean writers published in the previous year.Derek Walcott Prize and the 2021
Griffin Poetry Prize
The Griffin Poetry Prize is a Canadian poetry award. It was founded in 2000 by businessman and philanthropist Scott Griffin.
Before 2022, two separate awards went to one Canadian and one international poet who writes in the English language. I ...
.
In 2024, Lubrin published her first book of fiction, ''Code Noir'', published by Alfred A. Knopf Canada. The book was the winner of the 2025
Carol Shields Prize for Fiction
The Carol Shields Prize for Fiction is a North American literary award, created in 2020 to honour literature by women.Scottie Andrew"A new literary prize will award more than $100,000 to a North American writer. The only criteria? No men". CNN, ...
, and was shortlisted for the
Writers' Trust of Canada
The Writers' Trust of Canada () is a registered charity which provides financial support to Canadian writers.
Founded by Margaret Atwood, Pierre Berton, Graeme Gibson, Margaret Laurence, and David Young (Canadian playwright), David Young; the W ...
's
Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize
The Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, formerly known as the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize, is a Canadian literary award presented by the Writers' Trust of Canada after an annual juried competition of works submitted by publishers. ...
, the
Governor General's Award for English-language fiction
The Governor General's Award for English-language fiction is a Canadian literary award that annually recognizes one Canadian writer for a fiction book written in English.2024 Governor General's Awards
The shortlisted nominees for the 2024 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were announced on October 8, 2024, and the winners were announced on November 13.Cassandra Drudi"Jordan Abel, Niigaan Sinclair among 2024 Governor General’s award ...
, and the 2025
Danuta Gleed Literary Award
The Danuta Gleed Literary Award is a Canadian national literary prize, awarded since 1998. It recognizes the best debut short fiction collection by a Canadian author in English language. The annual prize was founded by John Gleed in honour of his ...
Quill & Quire
''Quill & Quire'' is a Canadian magazine about the book and publishing industry. The magazine was launched in 1935 and has an average circulation of 5,000 copies per issue, with a publisher-claimed readership of 25,000. ''Quill & Quire'' reviews ...