Ali Bryan will be Laurier’s remote Writer-in-Residence for the winter term

Photo by Darien Funk

Wilfrid Laurier University has announced author Ali Bryan will be the Edna Stabler Writer-in-Residence for the winter term. 

The Writer-in-Residence program is run by the Faculty of Art and allows students to talk directly with an experienced author. 

This winter will be the first time the position is held virtually. It was left absent last year due to the shift to remote learning.  

Ali Bryan has written in a variety of styles, including contemporary adult fiction, creative non-fiction and recently a dystopian young adult novel. Her work often includes elements of humor and themes of humanity.

While working on the follow-up to her young adult novel, she will be available to talk to any student interested in creative writing.

“The best part of residency is reading different styles,” Bryan said.

“I look forward to the diversity in style and genre, and in the writers themselves.”

The fact that the position will be remote next term will allow Bryan, who writes from Calgary, Alberta, to share her experiences from across Canada.

“I’m in Western Canada, so outside of the hub of traditional Canadian publishing […] I’m very excited to engage and share ideas about what it’s like to be a writer published in Western Canada,” she said.

Any student at Laurier, or member of the Waterloo community at large, will have the opportunity to talk with Bryan this winter term.

“It’s supposed to be a resource for all to partake in,” explained Tanis MacDonald, professor in the Department of English and Film Studies.

Bryan’s first public talk as Writer-in-Residence will be in late January, titled “Only Dead Fish Swim Upstream.” It will focus on risk-taking and advocating for oneself in the publishing industry.

“If people have been wanting to write but [have] not [been] writing, or writing a little bit but feeling frustrated … the Writer-in-Residence is a good person to talk to and say, ‘how did you start’ and ‘what was it like for you when you started’?’,” MacDonald said.

Leave a Reply