Centering Ourselves – Writing In A Racialized Canada is a unique writing residency that is being hosted by the internationally acclaimed arts centre – Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity. This Residency was conceived by local South Asian Punjabi poet and author Phinder Dulai and co-designed with Banff Director for Literary Arts Devyani Saltzman. The Residency will support 20 writers and all 20 accepted residents will be fully supported through 100% scholarship.

During a time of pointed conversations taking place in the national Literary communities about cultural appropriation and the exclusion of people of colour participating in Canadian literary cultural conversations, Centering Ourselves is a necessary, vital and important conversation for the future development of writing.

The Residency runs from September 5 to 16. The Faculty are as follows:

Vancouver Poet and Author – Lead Faculty and Residency Co-Designer – Phinder Dulai

Novelist and Scholar – David Chariandy

Poet and Scholar – Sonnet L’Abbe

Metis Poet, Writer and Filmmaker – Katherina Vermette

Anishinaabe Poet and Cognitive Sciences Researcher Liz Howard