Award-winning author Naben Ruthnum is UBC Okanagan’s next Writer in Residence.
Toronto-based author Naben Ruthnum is spending two weeks this spring at UBC Okanagan as the next Writer in Residence.
While here, Ruthnum will read and provide feedback on manuscripts from local writers, host a public lecture and judge the many entries for the Okanagan Short Story Contest.
The goal of UBCO’s Writer in Residence program is to promote Canadian authors and literature to Okanagan residents and also provide budding writers the opportunity to receive feedback on their creative work, explains Nancy Holmes, Creative Writing Professor with the Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies.
“This a great chance for emerging writers to connect with a highly successful professional writer,” says Holmes. “He knows about the current Canadian publishing and entertainment scene and will provide invaluable advice to people who want to get their work noticed out in the world. We are incredibly lucky to have him spend some time with us.”
Ruthnum is the author of Curry: Eating, Reading, and Race and the novel A Hero of Our Time. He has also penned two thrillers, Find You in the Dark and Your Life is Mine,under the name Nathan Ripley. His short fiction has won the Journey Prize and a National Magazine Award. He also writes for film and television and currently has projects in development with Oddfellows Entertainment.
Local writers of fiction, non-fiction or screenplays are invited to submit manuscripts for Ruthnum’s review and feedback. In his role as the 2022 Writer in Residence, he will meet with a select number of UBCO student and community writers who submit their work for critiquing.
Manuscripts must be submitted by Monday, March 7. Information about the specific requirements and how to submit an entry online can be found at: fccs.ok.ubc.ca/about/events-workshops/authors
Ruthnum will also host a public reading on March 28, from 7 to 9 pm in the Creative and Critical Studies Building’s FINA Gallery at UBC Okanagan. And as the judge of the Okanagan Short Story Contest, Ruthnum will announce the winners on March 31 at 7 pm at the downtown branch of the Okanagan Regional Library. Both events are free and open to the public.
