WRITERS-IN-RESIDENCE IN CANADA, 1965-2000: PATRONS, AUTHORS, AND CANADIAN LITERATURE Nancy E.L. Earle M.A., University of Toronto, 1998 B.A. (Hons), Memorial University of Newfoundland, 1996 THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Department of English O Nancy E.L. Earle 2006 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY Fall 2006 All rights reserved. This work may not be reproduced in whole or in part, by photocopy or other means, without permission of the author. APPROVAL Name: Nancy E.L. Earle Degree: Doctor of Philosophy Title of Dissertation: Writers-in-Residence in Canada, 1965-2000: Patrons, Authors, and Canadian Literature Examining Committee: Chair: Betty Schellenberg Professor, Department of English Carole Gerson Senior Supervisor Professor, Department of English Sandra Djwa Supervisor Professor Emeritus, Department of English Mary Ann Gillies Supervisor Associate Professor, Department of English Allyson Clay InternaVExternal Examiner Professor, School for the Contemporary Arts Heather Murray External Examiner Professor, Department of English University of Toronto Date DefendedfApproved: N 0 ve wb17, 2 00 6 SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITYlibrary DECLARATION OF PARTIAL COPYRIGHT LICENCE The author, whose copyright is declared on the title page of this work, has granted to Simon Fraser University the right to lend this thesis, project or extended essay to users of the Simon Fraser University Library, and to make partial or single copies only for such users or in response to a request from the library of any other university, or other educational institution, on its own behalf or for one of its users. 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Simon Fraser University Library Burnaby, BC, Canada ABSTRACT This dissertation examines the practicalities and policies surrounding the development of writer-in-residence programs in Canada from 1965 to 2000. Defined as appointments that are part direct funding for literary authors and part payment-for-service for writers' public duties (mentoring, delivering public readings, visiting university classrooms, etc.), author residencies were introduced by the Canada Council for the Arts in 1965 with the aim of assisting authors and heightening the profile of Canadian literature. Canada Council residencies have involved a significant number and range of authors and institutions across the country, primarily in English-speaking regions. Most appointments have been hosted by university literature departments, though, since the 1970s, they have also taken place in public libraries and community colleges. Such appointments have not only been materially significant in supporting writers, but have also inflected contemporary notions of authorship, and both constructed and contested Canadian literary canons. Based largely on Canada Council and university archives and personal interviews with writers, professors, and program administrators, this study examines these programs from three perspectives. Chapters One and Two address patrons: Chapter One focuses on the development of the national Canada Council writer-in-residence program, and Chapter Two explores the emergence of publicly and privately funded residency programs in Saskatchewan and Alberta. Chapter Three examines the social and economic impact of residency programs on writers, discussing their contributions to the development of the profession of authorship, as well as their intersections with larger writing communities through resident authors' mentoring and other public activities. Chapter Four turns to the literary impact of residency programs and investigates how they have reflected and influenced the study of Canadian literature at three regionally dispersed universities: the University of Toronto, Simon Fraser University, and Memorial University of Newfoundland. The dissertation concludes with a brief analysis of the depiction of writers-in-residence in Canadian fiction. Keywords: writers-in-residence; authorship; Canadian literature; Canada Council; universities; public libraries ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to thank my supervisor, Carole Gerson, for her support of this project, for her scholarly rigour, and for her unfailing generosity as a mentor over these past few years. I would also like to thank the other members of my supervisory committee, Sandra Djwa and Mary Ann Gillies, as well as Janet Friskney, for giving me the benefit of their knowledge and insights. My examiners, Heather Murray and Allyson Clay, also provided me with interested and incisive responses to this work, which have left me feeling energized about the topic of writers-in-residence even as I wrap up this dissertation. I am grateful for financial support received from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, Simon Fraser University (SFU), and the donors of the Ann & William Messenger Fellowship in English at SFU. I was fortunate in having had the opportunity to work on the History of the Book in Canada project during my doctoral studies. This project supported me in every way and introduced me to a large, cross- disciplinary group of researchers, whose scholarly interests complemented and encouraged my own. Thanks again to Carole for opening the door to this wonderful and rewarding experience. Many people participated in interviews or corresponded with me over the course of my research: Bert Almon, Laurel Archer, Douglas Barbour, Katharine Benzekn, George Bowering, Russell Brown, Peter Buitenhuis, Anne Campbell, Gail Corbett, Mary Dalton, Paul Delany, Sharon Drurnrnond, John Glenday, Betty Gustafson, Greg Hollingshead, Wayne Johnston, Gordon Jones, Ruth Latta, Alison Lohans, Ndim Kattan, Myrna Kostash, Anna-Marie Mackenzie, Dave Margoshes, Shirlee Matheson, Daphne Marlatt, Lawrence Mathews, Susan Mayse, Stuart Ian McKay, Helen Fogwill Porter, Susan Rudy, Allan Safarik, Shirley Serviss, Sam Solecki, Rosemary Sullivan, Leona Theis, Aritha van Herk, Seh Virgo, Paul Wilson, Fred Wah, and Tom Wayman. My research was also greatly aided by librarians and archivists at Library and Archives Canada; the Saskatchewan Archives Board; Queen's University Archives; Simon Fraser University Archives; University of Calgary Library, Archives and Special Collections; University of Toronto Archives; and York University Archives and Special Collections. I would especially like to thank Debbie Stenson and the staff in the Reference and Documentation Centre of the Canada Council for the Arts for their assistance. Thanks to my friends and colleagues, especially Catherine Deck, Alessandra Capperdoni, Stefania Forlini, Fiona MacDonald, Andrea White, and the faculty and staff at SFU. An extra-special thank you to friends who opened their homes to me during my cross-country travels: Jennifer Covert, Kristina Fagan, Alicia White and Christopher Wylie, and Duleepa @ups) Wijayawardhana. I could not have done this research without you. Finally, for their love and support, I thank my family: Daphne and Austin Earle, Susan Earle and Douglas Wharrarn, and Rebecca Wharrarn. CONTENTS Approval 1 ii Abstract 1iii Acknowledgements l v Contents I vi List of Tables I vii Introduction: Is There a Writer in the House? 1 1 Writers-in-Residence in Other English-speaking Countries / 7 Patronage for Writers in Canada since the End of the Second World War