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University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA @uguelphcwmfa.bsky.social · 12h

Join us in celebrating MFA alum #AnnaSwanson (@annapandamonium), who will be launching her new poetry collection #TheGarbagePoems this month with #BrickBooks!

[Alt text: Two event posters. The first poster, titled “Poetry @ Silence,” features photos of Charlie Petch, Anna Swanson, Lisa Baird, and Ziyash von Bieberstein over a teal underwater background. The second poster promotes a Brick Poetry Double Launch for Anna Swanson and Charlie Petch, showing the covers of The Garbage Poems and Infinite Audition, along with circular photos of the authors and guest readers, set against a black background.]

University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA @uguelphcwmfa.bsky.social · 6d

Meet some of the talented writers in our Creative Writing MFA program (part one)! ✨📚✨

#CreativeWriting #MFA #UofGuelph #Poetry #Fiction #nonfiction #HybridWriting #Playwriting #CanadianWriters #writingcommunity

KJ Aiello: A smiling person with glasses and shoulder-length hair, wearing a mustard-yellow top. Text introduces them as an award-winning writer whose debut book The Monster and the Mirror is shortlisted for the Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writers Prize (2025) and a CBC Best Nonfiction pick (2024). Their essay Who Gets to Be Mentally Ill? won Gold in the 2023 Digital Publishing Awards.

Tessa Fleming: A smiling person with brown hair wearing a dark button-up shirt. Text describes her as a writer, workshop facilitator, teacher, and filmmaker whose thesis is a hybrid project of essays, poetry, and prose. She collaborates with her partner, cinematographer Daniel Grant, to bring creative work to the screen.

torri blue: A person with short hair and round glasses, smiling while wearing a teal T-shirt. Text introduces them as an autistic writer and lyricist focused on autistic and poetic embodiment. Their work has been published in The Journal of Autistic Culture, and their poems have been set to music and used in short films.

Lawson Hannaford: A smiling person wearing a bucket hat and sleeveless top, outdoors with trees and buildings in the background. Text describes them as a multidisciplinary creator whose work explores queerness, transness, mental illness, and queer history. They are also an award-winning playwright.

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University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA @uguelphcwmfa.bsky.social · 9d

Faculty member #CatherineBush will take part in @junctionreads.bsky.social, a reading series at #TypeBooksJunction (2887 Dundas St. W, Toronto) on Sunday, October 5th at 3:00 PM. Catherine will be reading alongside #CaitlinGalway and #MichelleWinters. You won’t want to miss it! 📚✨

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University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA @uguelphcwmfa.bsky.social · 13d

Tomorrow night (Friday, September 26th)! Join Guelph MFA alum Jacquelyn Zong-Li Ross at Type Books (883 Queen St. W., Toronto) for the launch of her debut, THE LONGEST WAY TO EAT A MELON. With featured reader Cason Sharpe and a conversation with Lee Suksi.

[Alt text: Poster for the launch of Jacquelyn Zong-Li Ross’s book The Longest Way to Eat a Melon at Type Books, Toronto, on September 26 at 7PM. Includes event details, the book cover, and photos of Jacquelyn Zong-Li Ross, Lee Suksi, and Cason Sharpe.]

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University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA @uguelphcwmfa.bsky.social · 14d

Exciting news! Our own MFA student #EmDial will be participating in @pencanada.bsky.social’s “Drawn to the Page” webinar series this October!

Join Em and other talented writers as they explore craft, purpose, and how writers can respond to the social and political challenges of our time.

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Reposted by University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA

Paul Vermeersch @paulvermeersch.bsky.social · 14d

It is September 24. This is today. It is September 24. This is today. It is September 24. This is today. It is September 24. This is today. It is September 24. This is today.

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University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA @uguelphcwmfa.bsky.social · 18d

New publication by MFA alum @joellekidd.bsky.social! Her article “What Christian Pop Taught Me about Salvation and Shame” is now live on @thewalrus.ca.

Joelle is the author of #JESUSLAND: STORIES FROM THE UPSIDE DOWN WORLD OF CHRISTIAN POP CULTURE.

[Image description: A collage-style graphic featuring torn paper elements with colorful tape. Shows a laptop displaying The Walrus article “What Christian Pop Taught Me about Salvation and Shame” by Joelle Kidd, alongside promotional materials, including a photo of Joelle Kidd and the cover of JESUS LAND, which features a retro TV set design.]

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University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA @uguelphcwmfa.bsky.social · 20d

We were honoured to welcome award-winning author Zalika Reid-Benta to our Creative Writing MFA plenary class for a reading and Q&A this week. She spoke about craft, the writing process, and her publishing journey, and ended the visit with a book signing.

[Image description: A classroom scene where Zalika Reid-Benta sits at a table signing a book. Several students wait in line holding books.]

[Image description: A close-up of Zalika Reid-Benta signing a book at a table. Next to her is a copy of her short story collection FRYING PLANTAIN and a phone.]

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Reposted by University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA

Paul Vermeersch @paulvermeersch.bsky.social · 21d

Ladies and gentles, animals and machines, and everyone in-between . . . . we are ONE WEEK away from the launch of NMLCT! I'd love it if you could join me to celebrate!
Wed, Sept 24, 2025
at The Piston
937 Bloor Street West,
from 7 to 10pm
[festivities included]

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University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA @uguelphcwmfa.bsky.social · 25d

Exciting news! Our program coordinator and plenary class instructor #CanisiaLubrin is the Guest Curator for the 38th annual @writersfest.bc.ca, taking place October 20-26, 2025.

See the full schedule and get your tickets here: writersfest.bc.ca/2025-festiva...

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Reposted by University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA

Paul Vermeersch @paulvermeersch.bsky.social · 25d

Greatl day at the Mississauga Literary Festival! I did a talk on reading poetry and helped with the launch of Issue No. 8 of the @theampersandreview.bsky.social. Great people, great venue, great sense of community, all sorely needed in these brutish times. Thank you, @mississaugalib.bsky.social !!!

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University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA @uguelphcwmfa.bsky.social · 26d

Congratulations to #UniversityofGuelph CWMFA alum #JedidiahMugarura on winning the 2025 #SillermanFirstBookPrizeforAfricanPoets for their collection #NYAMUTEZA! The prize includes $1000 USD and publication through University of Nebraska Press. 📚✨

Photo from @africanpoetrybookfund.

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University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA @uguelphcwmfa.bsky.social · 28d

Mark your calendars because our beloved monthly #SpeakeasyReadingSeries will return this October!

You can follow the series on Instagram and Facebook for more updates. We can’t wait to see you there! 🎤✨

[Image description: A vibrant promotional graphic featuring a microphone against a cream background with decorative paper elements. Bold red text announces “SPEAKEASY READING SERIES RETURNING IN OCTOBER” with social media handles listed at the bottom.]

University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA @uguelphcwmfa.bsky.social · Sep 8

Our MFA students had a lovely time reading at the Eden Mills Writers’ Festival yesterday alongside the Read at the Fringe winners!

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University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA @uguelphcwmfa.bsky.social · Sep 6

Check out this list of new and upcoming releases! We’re proud to celebrate the creative work of our talented community. ✨📚

#guelphcwmfa #mfa #authorcommunity #writingcommunity #readingrecommendations #amreadi̇ng #bookworm #poetry #fiction #nonfiction

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University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA @uguelphcwmfa.bsky.social · Sep 5

Hi everyone! We’re back to celebrate the start of the new school year and hope you’ll continue to follow along as we bring you the latest updates.

University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA @uguelphcwmfa.bsky.social · May 2

BIG NEWS! @uguelphcwmfa Program Coordinator and professor @canisia.lubrin has won the $208,000 CAD @carolshieldsprize, the largest English-language literary prize in the world for women and non-binary authors, for her extraordinary debut fiction CODE NOIR! Huge congratulations, Canisia!!!

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University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA @uguelphcwmfa.bsky.social · Apr 30

That's a wrap for another school year! We are officially on hiatus until September. Also, this is my last official day as @uguelphcwmfa.bsky.social's Social Media Coordinator, as the end of my MFA draws near. Till our paths cross again! With gratitude, Lisa Richter @lisarichter.bsky.social

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University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA @uguelphcwmfa.bsky.social · Apr 23

We are thrilled to see @uguelphcwmfa.bsky.social candidate Phillip Dwight Morgan shortlisted for @writerstrust.bsky.social RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers in Creative Nonfiction! Congratulations, Phill!

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University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA @uguelphcwmfa.bsky.social · Apr 22

Congratulations @uguelphcwmfa.bsky.social alum Leanne Toshiko Simpson, shortlisted for the Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writers Prize in the Romance category!

University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA @uguelphcwmfa.bsky.social · Apr 22

We are thrilled to see @uguelphcwmfa.bsky.social student @kjaiello.bsky.social's debut memoir, The Monster and the Mirror @ecwpress shortlisted for the Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writers Prize for nonfiction. Congratulations, KJ! www.kobo.com/media-hub/ra...

11th Annual Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize

Founded in 2015, the Rakuten Kobo Emerging Writer Prize endeavours to raise the profile of debut Canadian authors in three categories with an annual award.

www.kobo.com

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University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA @uguelphcwmfa.bsky.social · Apr 22

@uguelphcwmfa.bsky.social alum @paulvermeersch.bsky.social 's latest poetry collection is now available for pre-order with @ecwpress.bsky.social. We are so looking forward to this book!

Paul Vermeersch @paulvermeersch.bsky.social · Apr 21

If you're the type of person who preorders books, NMLCT is now available for preorder (link below). I know it helps my publisher, and I suppose it helps me, too. Book launch plans will be announced later in the summer. You'll all be invited!

ecwpress.com/products/nmlct

NMLCT: Poems

Vermeersch responds to the growing difficulty of distinguishing what’s real in a “post-truth” society filled with simulations, misinformation, and AI. These poems explore the tension between the synth...

ecwpress.com

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University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA @uguelphcwmfa.bsky.social · Apr 21

We are excited to see that Guelph MFA alum Alexis Von Konigslow has a new novel, THE EXCLUSION ZONE, due out this spring with @wolsakandwynn.bsky.social! The Exclusion Zone was selected for @49thshelf.bsky.social's Most Anticipated Spring Fiction! Congratulations, Alexis!

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University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA @uguelphcwmfa.bsky.social · Apr 15

Introducing the next reader at tomorrow night's Speakeasy Reading Series, organized, curated and hosted by @uofguelph.bsky.social Creative Writing MFA students: writer, journalist, and editor Phillip Dwight Morgan.

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University of Guelph Creative Writing MFA @uguelphcwmfa.bsky.social · Apr 13

Introducing the first of the four incredible readers at the upcoming Speakeasy Reading Series event on Wed. April 16th, Speakeasy's own co-organizer, second-year MFA student and acclaimed writer Chi Leung Lee. See link in comments to attend online.

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