Priscila Uppal

Priscila Uppal FRSC (October 30, 1974 – September 5, 2018)[1] was a Canadian poet, novelist, fiction writer, and playwright.[1] Her poetry addressed various social issues regarding "women, violence, sexuality, culture, religion, illness and loss."[1]

Priscila Uppal

FRSC
Born(1974-10-30)October 30, 1974
Ottawa, Ontario
DiedSeptember 5, 2018(2018-09-05) (aged 43)
Toronto, Ontario
Occupation(s)Poet, Novelist, Playwright, Professor
Academic background
Alma materYork University (BA. Hons; Ph.D)
University of Toronto (MA)
Academic work
DisciplineEnglish studies
InstitutionsYork University

Personal life and career

Uppal was born in Ottawa, Ontario, she graduated from Hillcrest High School in 1993. She earned her Honours Bachelor of Arts from York University in 1997, a Master of Arts degree in English from the University of Toronto, and a Ph.D. from York University in 2004.[2] Following graduation, she was a professor in the Department of English at York University in Toronto and taught literature and creative writing.[3]

In 2007, her book of poetry Ontological Necessities was shortlisted for the Griffin Poetry Prize.[4] Uppal's poetry collection Pretending to Die (2001) was shortlisted for the ReLit Award,[1] and her memoir Projection: Encounters with My Runaway Mother was shortlisted for the Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction in 2013.[5] She served as the first poet-in-residence for the Rogers Cup Tennis Tournament in 2011.[6] She was also the Olympic poet-in-residence at the 2010 Vancouver Winter Games and the 2012 London Summer Olympics.[7] As a result of her role as the poet-in-residence for the London Summer Olympics, she was dubbed "Canada's coolest poet" by Time Out London magazine.[7] Uppal also became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2016.[8]

Uppal died of synovial sarcoma on September 5, 2018[9] after being diagnosed with the disease three years prior.[1]

Awards and honours

Uppal became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada in 2016.[8]

Awards for Uppal's writing
Year Title Award Result Ref.
2001 Pretending to Die ReLit Award Shortlist [1]
2007 Ontological Necessities Griffin Poetry Prize Shortlist [4]
2013 Projection Governor General's Award for English-language non-fiction Shortlist [10]
2013 Projection Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction Shortlist [5]

Bibliography

Poetry
  • How to Draw Blood From a Stone, Exile Editions, Ltd. 1998. ISBN 978-1-55096-230-7.
  • Confessions of a Fertility Expert, Exile Editions, Ltd. 1999. ISBN 978-1-55096-550-6.
  • Pretending to Die, Exile Editions, Ltd. 2001. ISBN 978-1-55096-519-3.
  • Live Coverage, Exile Editions, Ltd. 2003. ISBN 978-1-55096-571-1.
  • Cover Before Striking, Lyricalmyrical Press, 2004, ISBN 978-0-9736588-4-2
  • Holocaust Dream, MacLaren Arts Centre, 2005, ISBN 978-0-9693555-9-5 (photographs by Daniel Ehrenworth)
  • Ontological Necessities, Exile Editions, Ltd. 2003. ISBN 978-1-55096-045-7.
  • Traumatology, Exile Editions, 2010, ISBN 978-1-55096-139-3
  • Winter Sport: Poems, Mansfield Press, 2010, ISBN 978-1-894469-49-4
  • Successful Tragedies, Bloodaxe Books, 2010, ISBN 978-1-85224-860-4

Fiction

Non-fiction

Anthologies (as editor)
  • The Exile Book of Canadian Sports Stories, Exile Editions, 2010, ISBN 978-1-55096-125-6
  • The Exile Book of Poetry in Translation: Twenty Canadian Poets Take on the World, Exile Editions, 2009, ISBN 978-1-55096-122-5
  • Barry Callaghan: Essays on his Works, Guernica, 2007, ISBN 978-1-55071-253-7
  • Uncommon Ground: A Celebration of Matt Cohen – 2002 (edited with Graeme Gibson, Wayne Grady, and Dennis Lee)
  • Red Silk: An Anthology of South Asian Canadian Women Poets, Mansfield Press, 2004, ISBN 978-1-894469-16-6 (edited with Rishma Dunlop)

Anthologies (as contributor)
  • Alphabet City 11: Trash
  • Body Language: A Head to Toe Anthology
  • Certain Things About My Mother: Daughters Speak
  • In the Dark: Stories from the Supernatural
  • Larger Than Life
  • Mentor's Canon: poems about / for / after writers
  • New Canadian Poetry
  • Writer's Gym

Plays

References
  1. Davis, Charlene; Mcintosh, Andrew (2018-09-07). "Priscila Uppal". The Canadian Encyclopedia. Archived from the original on 2019-02-15. Retrieved 2023-05-20.
  2. "Priscila Uppal". Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies. York University. 24 May 2018. Archived from the original on 2019-03-06. Retrieved 2019-03-08.
  3. "Priscila Uppal | Canadian Writers in Person". Archived from the original on 2012-03-26. Retrieved 2011-07-27.
  4. "Priscila Uppal". Griffin Poetry Prize. Archived from the original on 2023-03-24. Retrieved 2023-05-21.
  5. Carter, Sue (October 15, 2014). "Naomi Klein wins Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize". Quill and Quire. Archived from the original on September 5, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  6. "Priscila Uppal | Asian Heritage in Canada". Archived from the original on 2019-03-08. Retrieved 2019-03-07.
  7. "Poet Priscila Uppal dies at 43 — 'a genuine spirit is gone' | The Star". thestar.com. 5 September 2018. Archived from the original on 2019-04-16. Retrieved 2019-03-07.
  8. "Prof. Priscila Uppal elected as Fellow to Royal Society of Canada". York University. September 9, 2014. Archived from the original on September 15, 2015. Retrieved February 14, 2019.
  9. "Priscila Uppal, Canadian poet, dead at 43". CBC Books. September 5, 2018. Archived from the original on September 6, 2018. Retrieved September 5, 2018.
  10. "Past GGBooks winners and finalists". Governor General's Literary Awards. Archived from the original on 2021-04-21. Retrieved 2021-11-27.
  11. "What Linda Said". Summerworks Performance Festival. Archived from the original on 2018-11-12. Retrieved 2019-03-08.
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