In search of
INSPIRATION

Markin-Flanagan
Distinguished Writers
Programme
welcomes new author

By Natalie St-Denis

fter 10 months of writing under the Markin-Flanagan Distinguished Writers Programme, emerging Canadian writer Robert Finley is heading back home to Nova Scotia and passing the torch to incoming writer Natalee Caple from Toronto.

Natalee Caple and her 13-year-old cat, Lesje, are traveling out west for their first time. “It will be great to experience a different environment and talk to new people.
I expect that it will open my brain and my heart and inspire new ideas,” says Caple.

This was in fact Finley’s experience. While he came to the U of C with two specific projects in hand, he admits that experiencing the prairies, the mountains and its people for the first time has planted the seed for other new works.

Finley’s present projects are a deep reflection of his home experience in Nova Scotia. Water is a collaborative project with Acadian photographer François Gaudet, a photo-narrative that traces lines of memory and exile. The Harbour explores ideas of home and place through genealogical, historical, personal and photographic narratives. Finley will read excerpts from both of these works at a free public reading on September 16.

Caple will also read from two of her works. She will read from her latest novel Mackerel Sky, a story about a mother and daughter counterfeiting team in the Upper Laurentians. The story is action-filled and reads like a movie. “I watched three to four French New Wave films a week and observed and analyzed how each scene unfolded,” says Caple. “Then I would continue writing the story while integrating the techniques used in these films.” She will also read from a work in progress, Imaginary Person, a book of poetry that re-invents playwright August Strindberg as a woman playwright living as a man.

The Markin-Flanagan program, made possible by an endowment from Allan Markin and Jackie Flanagan, allows writers to write, but is also provides the platform for meeting other writers from the Calgary community. The resident writer is expected to spend 50 percent of his or her time giving public readings and offering writing workshops, as well as reading local writers’ manuscripts and providing them with advice on writing.

Susan Cooper, a local writer, is one of many Calgary writers who came to Finley for guidance. “My exchanges with Robert proved he is rich in knowledge, insight, sensitivity, and each day now when I return to my desk I continue to write through the advice he so generously offered. I cannot say for certain that I am a stronger writer as a result of our discussions, though I suspect this might be somewhat true. I can, however, say that my confidence in and commitment to writing has deepened as a result of our conversations.”

Caple (left) is looking forward to meeting the writing community in Calgary and sharing her insights on the art of writing. Her background in theatre, film and visual arts gives her a refreshing take on writing, and her passion for words will certainly inspire many emerging writers in the region. “If I can connect with a new community and offer them anything it will be how to look closely at other art forms, to find new ways to use the techniques and tropes of film, visual art, theatre and other arts to innervate their own writing.”

Caple also hopes to help other writers cultivate a healthy, happy relationship with their writing. “I believe strongly that a writer’s primary relationship must always be to their writing, not to their editor or agent or even to their reader. They must cultivate a committed relationship to the ongoing development of the work itself because that is the only thing that will stay.”

Finley leaves Calgary with great memories and hopes to hold on to the writing momentum that he gained while in residence, when he returns to his faculty position at the Université St-Anne. “I needed a specific block of time to immerse in, to preoccupy myself with my writing. The program gave me more than I expected; more than a simple grant, this program gives you not just time, but a context for writing,” says Finley.

Join the authors at a free public reading on Thursday, Sept. 16 at 7:30 p.m. at the Cantos Music Foundation, 134 – 11 Avenue SE.