Each year the University of Toronto appoints a Canadian writer to work with students, faculty and staff interested in creative writing. The appointment process is internal; no external applications are considered or acknowledged. From January to April, the Writer-in-Residence offers a seminar on creative writing and holds office hours for consultations on writing. The Jack McClelland Writer-in-Residence Program is housed at Massey College and is jointly sponsored by Massey and the Department of English.
One of the most prolific playwrights and screenwriters in Canada, George F. Walker is known for his fast-paced and gritty satires about the selfishness, greed, and aggressions of contemporary life. Over his fifty-year career, he has written over thirty plays and several award-winning Canadian television series. Born and raised in Toronto, he has been awarded The Order of Canada, two Governor General’s Awards, five Dora Mavor Moore Awards, nine Chalmers Canadian Play Awards, a National Theatre School Gascon-Thomas Award, and the Governor General Lifetime Achievement Award.
One of the most widely produced playwrights in Canada and internationally, his plays have been presented in over 700 productions around the world and translated into a dozen languages, including French, German, Turkish, and Japanese. They include Criminals in Love (1984), Nothing Sacred (1988), Heaven (2000), And So It Goes... (2010), Dead Metaphor (2013), The Damage Done (2016), Orphans for the Czar (2017), and Girls Unwanted (2018). His television series include This is Wonderland, The Line, and Living in Your Car.
Jack McClelland Writers-in-Residence
| Year | Name |
|---|---|
| 2023-24 | Shyam Selvadurai |
| 2022-23 | David Chariandy |
| 2021-22 | Souvankham Thammavongsa |
| 2020-21 | Karen Solie |
| 2019-20 | Susan Swan |
| 2018-19 | André Alexis |
| 2017-18 | Garry Thomas Morse |
| 2016-17 | Sachiko Murakami |
| 2015-16 | Rawi Hage |
| 2014-15 | Shani Mootoo |
| 2013-14 | David Bezmozgis |
| 2012-13 | Joy Kogawa |
| 2011-12 | Michael Winter |
| 2010-11 | Barbara Gowdy |
| 2009-10 | Michael Redhill |
| 2008-09 | Christopher Dewdney |
| 2007-08 | David Gilmour |
| 2006-07 | Don McKay |
| 2005-06 | Camilla Gibb |
| 2004-05 | George Fetherling |
| 2003-04 | Steven Heighton |
| 2002-03 | Albert F. Moritz |
| 2001-02 | Kildare Dobbs |
| 2000-01 | Austin Clarke |
| 1999-00 | Erin Mouré |
| 1998-99 | Sarah Ellis |
| 1997-98 | Roo Borson |
| 1996-97 | Jane Urquhart |
| 1995-96 | Tom Wayman |
| 1994-95 | Susan Musgrave |
| 1993-94 | Tomson Highway |
| Spring 1993 | Audrey Thomas |
| 1991-92 | Judith Merril |
| 1990-91 | Patrick Lane |
| 1989-90 | Lorna Crozier |
| 1988-89 | Erika Ritter |
| 1987-88 | Al Purdy |
| 1986-87 | Gwendolyn MacEwen |
| 1985-86 | Mary di Michele |
| 1984-85 | Leon Rooke |
| 1983-84 | Mavis Gallant |
| Spring 1983 | Dorothy Livesay |
| Fall 1982 | Brian Moore |
| 1981-82 | Irving Layton |
| 1980-81 | Marian Engel |
| 1979-80 | Timothy Findley |
| 1978-79 | Dennis Lee |
| 1977-78 | Carol Bolt |
| 1976-77 | John Newlove |
| 1975-76 | Adele Wiseman |
| 1974-75 | Fletcher Markle |
| 1973-74 | W.O. Mitchell |
| 1972-73 | Margaret Atwood |
| Spring 1971 | Josef Škvorecký |
| Fall 1970 | R.D.C. Finch |
| 1969-70 | Margaret Laurence |
| 1968-69 | Jack Ludwig |
| 1965-68 | Earle Birney |
Application Instructions
George Walker will offer a non-credit workshop about writing for both theatre and television. In his own words: “Responding to the specific interests of the participants, we will discuss the approaches and difficulties of writing for both mediums.”
The workshop, which will accommodate no more than 15 participants, will take place in the 2025 "S" term at 4-6 pm on Wednesdays at Massey College. It is open to everyone who is currently a member of the University of Toronto St. George community—faculty, students, and staff.
If you're interested in taking this workshop, please submit directly to Smaro Kamboureli a single document that includes 1) a writing sample (not to exceed 20 double-spaced pages), e.g., scenes from a play or a television script, a chapter from a novel, some poetry, or an outline of a project you wish to work on; and 2) a brief note that includes a few words about yourself, especially regarding your writing interests and expectations from the workshop.
Submissions should be in in MS Word or PDF format and sent via your @utoronto.ca email address. (Submissions via a different email address will not be accepted or acknowledged.)
NB: The attachments should be saved under the applicant's and the program's names (e.g., Sparrow_JackMcClelland_Sample_2025) and the submission email should include the following subject heading: "Jack McClelland Writer in Residence 2025 Workshop.”
The deadline for submissions is midnight, Friday, November 1st.
The screening will be done by the writer-in-residence, and results will be announced before the end of the fall term.