Carol Shields Writer-in-Residence Program
Welcome Sharon Bala!
The English Department is thrilled to announce that Sharon Bala will be the 2025 Carol Shields Writer-in-Residence (online) from February 24 to March 21.
Sharon Bala's best-selling debut novel, The Boat People, won the 2020 Newfoundland & Labrador Book Award and the 2019 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction, was short listed for several awards, and is in translation in four languages. She won the Writers' Trust/McClelland & Stewart Journey Prize in 2017. Her short fiction has been published in: Best Canadian Stories 2024, The Journey Prize 29, Hazlitt, Grain, PRISM international, The New Quarterly, Maisonneuve, and elsewhere. Sharon is a member of The Port Authority, a St. John's writing group. Visit her at sharonbala.com.
Emerging writers, students, and community members are encouraged to reach out to Sharon at sh.bala@uwinnipeg.ca for a free consultation about their writing during her residency.
Upcoming online events:
Inaugural Reading: Wednesday, February 26 | 12:30-1:20 p.m.
– Hosted by Lindsay Wong
Please join us for a reading and Q&A with award-winnipeg author Sharon Bala. This event is free and open to the public
Register and submit your questions in advance for this event:
Masterclass with Sharon Bala: Wednesday, March 5 | 12:30-2:00 p.m.
– Hosted by Celiese Lypka (Maximum 20 participants)
This two-hour workshop is like biology lab. Together, we will dissect a non-fiction audio story, first by listening to the program, then by cutting it down the centre, and taking it apart piece by piece, searching for the structure that underpins the narrative. The ability to critically consume narratives is an important part of a writer's job and one goal of the workshop is to exercise this skill. The second goal is to delve into particular aspects of craft: the aristotelian arc, the three-act structure, the three types of stakes, foreshadowing, framing, and turning points. This event is free. UWinnipeg students, faculty, staff and alumni have priority registration, but this workshop is open to residents of Manitoba if there is space.
Register in advance for this event:
Carol Shields Memorial Lecture: Wednesday, March 19 | 12:30-1:20 p.m.
– Hosted by Jenny Heijun Wills
With an aim to enlighten and amuse, this light-hearted lecture will explore the cultural and geographical influences that have shaped the English language. This event is free and open to the public.
Register and submit your questions in advance for this event:
Manuscript Evaluations/Consultations: February 25-March 20, 2025
Please fill out the Google form to request a 50-minute online appointment with Sharon Bala
UWinnipeg students, staff, faculty and alumni have priority registration. Residents of Manitoba may also schedule an appointment if there is availability.
If you are not ready to submit a manuscript, Sharon is also available to meet about the broader aspects of writing and publishing. CW/English students are strongly encouraged to schedule an appointment.
Once you submit your form, please wait 48 hours before following up: sh.bala@uwinnipeg.ca