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Ian Williams reaches the Stars with his Poems and Books By Stephen Weir One day earlier this month Trinidadian Canadian writer Ian Williams passed over from being a rising talent to that of an honest to goodness literary star.  In September the award winning poet and author was made a spokesman for Canada’s richest fiction prize, was featured in an exclusive magazine for the country’s well-heeled and oversaw the publishing of his new book of poems. Williams was born in Trinidad in 1979 and moved to Brampton with his family when he was 9.   He earned his PHD at the University of Toronto and is currently a professor of poetry at the University of British Columbia. Last year his first novel, Reproduction won the $100,000 Giller Prize and was shortlisted for two other significant Canadian book prizes. Williams’s poetry books have been shortlisted and won many Canadian Literary Prizes!  W ord Problems , his latest book is a mash-up of poetry and prose and is currently being printed ...

                         Salad Days of Literature Brings Lots Of Cabbage to Ian Williams These are salad days for Caribbean Canadian authors. Earlier this week another Trinidadian-born author won big, really big, and the country has sat up and taken notice. On Tuesday evening  Ian Williams  won the 2019 Scotiabank Giller Prize for his very first novel “ Reproduction ”, published by Random House Canada, taking home $100,000. Earlier this month Trinidadian Canadian author  André Alexis  won big as well capturing the $50,000 Writers’ Trust fiction prize for his English language novel “ Days by Moonlight ”. He is only the second author in the country to capture the award twice. Days by Moonlight  is his seventh novel. The book is about Alfred Homer who takes a Southern Ontario road trip to investigate the story of John Skennen, a poet whose ghost haunts a few souls around the provin...

Three of Twelve books picked for the Giller Longlist are by Caribbean Canadian authors.  by Stephen WEIR Ian Williams A dozen Canadian authors were just named to the 2019 Scotiabank Giller Prize longlist and three of them are Caribbean-Canadian!  The Scotiabank Giller Prize, one of the richest book awards in the country gives $100,000 annually to the author of the best Canadian novel or short story collection published in English. Giller finalists will receive $10,000 each. The Scotiabank Giller Prize's annual celebration of Canadian literary talent began on Tuesday morning with the announcement of this year's longlist. Last year’s winner, Esi Edugyan (Washington Black) hosted the event and unveiled the nominees. Esi - 2018 The three Caribbean Canadian authors who made this list are  André Alexis  for his novel  Days by Moonlight ;  Ian Williams  for his novel   Reproduction  and  Zalika Reid-Bent...

Ian Williams Up For Big Book Prize By Stephen Weir Trinidadian born Ian Williams is considered to be one of the country’s top poets.   However, he is in the news these days for Reproduction, his first novel.   The 38-year old’s book tells the story of three generations of a Caribbean Canadian family living Toronto. Reproduction is one of five novels that have made the $60,000 First Novel Award.   Given out annually by Amazon Canada and The Walrus Magazine, the prize honours the achievements of Canadian authors and their debut novels. Williams left T&T in 1988 and moved to Brampton with his older brother and parents.   He turned out to be a brilliant student earning his doctorate in English from the University of Toronto at just 25 years of age. He is currently an assistant professor of poetry in the Creative Writing program at the University of British Columbia.  His first book, You Know Who You Are, was a finalist for the ReLit...