Edited by derek beaulieu and rob mclennan, and designed by Chaudiere co-publisher Christine McNair, The Calgary Renaissance highlights some of the diverse and astonishing experimental poetry and fiction that has emerged out of the past two decades of Calgary writing. An essential portrait of some of the most engaged and radical of Canadian writing and writers from one of the country’s most important literary centres. You can order a copy directly, here.
For further (ongoing) interviews with contributors to The Calgary Renaissance, checkout the link here.
Sharanpal Rupraiis an Assistant Professor at the University of Winnipeg in the Women’s and Gender StudiesDepartment. Her debut poetry collection, Seva, was shortlisted for the Stephen G. Stephansson Award for Poetry by the Alberta Literary Awards in 2015.
Q: How long were you in Calgary, and what first took you there?
A: I was in Calgary for about four years and then for a few years after I finished my PhD at York University.
Q: How did you first get involved in writing, and subsequently, the writing community in Calgary?
A: When I first moved to Calgary, I got a job at a downtown bookstore and I asked to be “in charge” of the poetry collection. I got to know the names of the local poets and make sure their books were ordered and on our shelves. I applied to be the events coordinator for the bookstore and I got the job. That position gave me a “bird’s eye” view of the whole writing community. I met a lot people in the arts community of Calgary many of whom I still keep in contact with.
Q: How did being in such a community of writers shift your thinking about writing, if at all? What did Calgary provide, or allow?
A: The community of writers is very active and pushing the experimental poetry scene. I am not an experiment poet but I saw how this focus on the experimental shaped the identity of writers from Calgary.
Q: What do you see happening in Calgary that you don’t see anywhere else?
A: The writing community is active and entrepreneurial; here I am thinking about Loft 112 and the poet Calgary Poet laureate position. The city and the writing community supports these actives and it seems that when someone has a good idea it catches on and people are willing to support these initiatives.
Q: What prompted your move away, and what kind of effect has the shift made in your work?
A: Well, a job! I am an academic and I knew that I would have to relocate for a position. As an Assistance Professor in the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies at the University of Winnipeg I am able to focus on my creative writing as well as my academic work.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I am the poetry editor with Jennifer Still for Contemporary Verse 2: The Canadian Journal of Poetry and Critical Writing (CV2). I am also working on a second collection of work.