Nancy Jo Cullen is a Canadian poet and short story writer, who won the 2010 Dayne Ogilvie Prize from the Writers' Trust of Canada for an emerging lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender writer.[1] The jury, consisting of writers Brian Francis, Don Hannah and Suzette Mayr, described Cullen in the award citation as a writer "who feels like a friend", and who "tackles dark corners without false dramatics or pretensions. There is a genuine realness in her language."[2]

Originally from British Columbia and a longtime resident of Calgary, Alberta,[2] she currently divides her time between Toronto, where she is completing an MFA in creative writing at the University of Guelph-Humber, and Kingston, where she lives with her partner and two children.[2]

As of the time of her Dayne Ogilvie win, she had published three volumes of poetry.[3] Her short story "Ashes" was a finalist for the Journey Prize in 2012,[3] and she has since published a full volume of short stories and a novel.[4]

She served on the jury for the 2015 Dayne Ogilvie Prize, selecting Alex Leslie as that year's winner.[5]

In 2020 her novel The Western Alienation Merit Badge was a shortlisted finalist for the Amazon.ca First Novel Award,[6] and in 2021 it was shortlisted for the 2020 ReLit Award for fiction.[7]

Works

• Science Fiction Saint (2002, poetry)
• Pearl (2006, poetry)
• Untitled Child (2009, poetry)
• Canary (2013, short stories)
• The Western Alienation Merit Badge (2019, novel)

References

External links

• Nancy Jo Cullen