Q: How long were you in Ottawa, and what first brought you here? What took you away?
My family moved to Ottawa in 1983, when I was seven; before that, we lived in London, England, where my mother grew up, and then the Washington, DC area, where my father grew up. I went to elementary school, high school, and university in Ottawa – formative years – and then left for Toronto when I was 23, basically on a whim. Since then, I’ve lived in Fredericton, New Brunswick, and then Edmonton, and then landed in Calgary thirteen years ago. My parents still live in Ottawa, so I visit a couple of times a year; at least, I do when there’s no pandemic stopping me.
Q: How did you first get involved in writing, and subsequently, the writing community here?
I left Ottawa the moment I graduated from my undergrad at Carleton, and I had barely started writing yet, then. Or, I should say, I hadn’t started showing my writing to anyone, or trying to engage with ‘real’ writers. Looking back, I wish I had been able to connect more with other writers in Ottawa, when I was young, in the late 90s, but I was afraid of writers and considered them magical creatures from another realm. Also, I remember that at the time I’d only ever heard specifically of one Ottawa writer, some guy called Rob McLennan.
Q: How did being in such a community of writers shift your thinking about writing, if at all? Have there been subsequent shifts due to where you have lived since?
In Toronto, I worked for an academic book distributor for two years, and had some exposure to writers and the publishing industry for the first time, and I started taking creative writing classes at U of T, so that was the first time I met other people interested in writing and publishing books. My instructors told me about grad programs for creative writing, which I’d never heard of before. I applied to several, and almost moved to Alaska to do an MFA, but I ended up going to New Brunswick to do an MA in creative writing. That was the first time I immersed myself in a community of writers. It made all the difference in the world to be able to talk about the highs and lows of the writing life, and well as the nitty gritty of writing itself, and since then, I’ve always sought out the writing community wherever I live, especially here in Calgary, where I’ve found that community especially welcoming and enthusiastic (when there isn’t a pandemic). I love the support and intellectual stimulation that a writing community provides. On the other hand, it’s possible to get caught up in socializing and talking about writing, instead of actually writing. At least it was, before the pandemic.
Q: What did you see happening here that you don’t see anywhere else? What did Ottawa provide, or allow?
Ottawa is where I became myself in a lot of ways, so the city is part of me in a profound way.
I wish I could answer this question better, but I haven’t lived in Ottawa for 22 years. The International Writers Festival is certainly wonderful.
Q: Have any of your projects responded directly to your engagements here? How had the city and its community, if at all, changed the way you approached your work?
Yes, my first novel, Cricket in a Fist, is set in Ottawa and Toronto, and I also set some of the stories in my collection I Know Who You Remind Me Of in Ottawa. I also write a memoir, Tiny Lights for Travellers, so of course Ottawa’s in there, too. When I think of adolescence, there’s always an Ottawa backdrop. I’m writing a novel now that’s partly set in Ottawa as well.
Q: What are you working on now?
I’m working on a novel, but I can’t jinx it by saying anything more!
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