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Priscila Uppal

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Priscila Uppal
Born(1974-10-30)October 30, 1974
DiedSeptember 5, 2018(2018-09-05) (aged 43)
Occupation(s)Poet, Novelist, Playwright, Professor
Academic background
Alma materYork University (BA. Hons; Ph.D)
University of Toronto (MA)
Academic work
DisciplineEnglish studies
InstitutionsYork University

Priscila Uppal FRSC (October 30, 1974 – September 5, 2018)[1] was a Canadian poet, novelist, fiction writer, and playwright.[1] Her poetry addressed various social issues regarding "women, violence, sexuality, culture, religion, illness and loss."[1]

Personal life and career

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Uppal was born in Ottawa, Ontario, she graduated from Hillcrest High School in 1993. She earned her Honours Bachelor of Arts from York University in 1997, a Master of Arts degree in English from the University of Toronto, and a Ph.D. from York University in 2004.[2] Following graduation, she was a professor in the Department of English at York University in Toronto and taught literature and creative writing.[3]

In 2007, her book of poetry Ontological Necessities was shortlisted for the Griffin Poetry Prize.[4] Uppal's poetry collection Pretending to Die (2001) was shortlisted for the ReLit Award,[1] and her memoir Projection: Encounters with My Runaway Mother was shortlisted for the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction in 2013.[5] She served as the first poet-in-residence for the Rogers Cup Tennis Tournament in 2011.[6] She was also the Olympic poet-in-residence at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games and the 2012 London Summer Olympics.[7] As a result of her role as the poet-in-residence for the London Summer Olympics, she was dubbed "Canada's coolest poet" by Time Out London magazine.[7] Uppal also became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2016.[8]

Uppal died of synovial sarcoma on September 5, 2018[9] after being diagnosed with the disease three years prior.[1]

Awards and honours

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Uppal became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2016.[8]

Awards for Uppal's writing
Year Title Award Result Ref.
2001 Pretending to Die ReLit Award Shortlist [1]
2007 Ontological Necessities Griffin Poetry Prize Shortlist [4]
2013 Projection Governor General's Award for English-language non-fiction Shortlist [10]
2013 Projection Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction Shortlist [5]

Bibliography

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Poetry

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  • How to Draw Blood From a Stone, Exile Editions, Ltd. 1998. ISBN 978-1-55096-230-7.
  • Confessions of a Fertility Expert, Exile Editions, Ltd. 1999. ISBN 978-1-55096-550-6.
  • Pretending to Die, Exile Editions, Ltd. 2001. ISBN 978-1-55096-519-3.
  • Live Coverage, Exile Editions, Ltd. 2003. ISBN 978-1-55096-571-1.
  • Cover Before Striking, Lyricalmyrical Press, 2004, ISBN 978-0-9736588-4-2
  • Holocaust Dream, MacLaren Arts Centre, 2005, ISBN 978-0-9693555-9-5 (photographs by Daniel Ehrenworth)
  • Ontological Necessities, Exile Editions, Ltd. 2003. ISBN 978-1-55096-045-7.
  • Traumatology, Exile Editions, 2010, ISBN 978-1-55096-139-3
  • Winter Sport: Poems, Mansfield Press, 2010, ISBN 978-1-894469-49-4
  • Successful Tragedies, Bloodaxe Books, 2010, ISBN 978-1-85224-860-4

Fiction

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Non-fiction

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Anthologies (as editor)

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Anthologies (as contributor)

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  • Alphabet City 11: Trash
  • Body Language: A Head to Toe Anthology
  • Certain Things About My Mother: Daughters Speak
  • In the Dark: Stories from the Supernatural
  • Larger Than Life
  • Mentor's Canon: poems about / for / after writers
  • New Canadian Poetry
  • Writer's Gym

Plays

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References

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  1. ^ a b c d e f Davis, Charlene; Mcintosh, Andrew (2018-09-07). "Priscila Uppal". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 2019-02-15. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  2. ^ "Priscila Uppal". Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. York University. 24 May 2018. Archived from the original on 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2019-03-08.
  3. ^ "Priscila Uppal | Canadian Writers in Person". Archived from the original on 2012-03-26. Retrieved 2011-07-27.
  4. ^ a b "Priscila Uppal". Griffin Poetry Prize. Archived from the original on 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  5. ^ a b Carter, Sue (October 15, 2014). "Naomi Klein wins Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize". Quill and Quire. Archived from the original on September 5, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  6. ^ "Priscila Uppal | Asian Heritage in Canada". Archived from the original on 2019-03-08. Retrieved 2019-03-07.
  7. ^ a b "Poet Priscila Uppal dies at 43 — 'a genuine spirit is gone' | The Star". thestar.com. 5 September 2018. Archived from the original on 2019-04-16. Retrieved 2019-03-07.
  8. ^ a b "Prof. Priscila Uppal elected as Fellow to Royal Society of Canada". York University. September 9, 2014. Archived from the original on September 15, 2015. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  9. ^ "Priscila Uppal, Canadian poet, dead at 43". CBC Books. September 5, 2018. Archived from the original on September 6, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  10. ^ "Past GGBooks winners and finalists". Governor General's Literary Awards. Archived from the original on 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
  11. ^ "What Linda Said". Summerworks Performance Festival. Archived from the original on 2018-11-12. Retrieved 2019-03-08.
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