UWinnipeg Writer in Residence Program helps students find their writing passion  Blog

The Jake MacDonald Writers Fund is unique in the University of Winnipeg Foundation’s (UWF) collection of awards. Created in 2020 thanks to the patronage of Dr. Angus Reid, the endowed funds are used to support the residency of a notable Canadian writer who spends time in the University of Winnipeg’s English department as a resource. Their goal is to help aspiring students and local writers ‘find their voice’ while also giving them time and a space to work on their own creative project.  

Most recently, Hiromi Goto, a two-time Commonwealth Writers’ Prize winner used her talents and insight to help inspire students in 2024. 

“This has been an exceptional experience,” says Goto. “I had the security of financial support and the breadth of time to work on my short story collection, and I have almost reached the point where the work is ready for submission. I am hoping to eke out some more writing space in the next two months to finalize this work and I am ever so grateful for the residency support.” 

Tasked with dividing their tenure between helping students and working on their own creative projects has helped Goto connect with the institution and the community despite the relatively short period of stay.  

“It was an honour and a privilege to be able to work with the creative writing department and with all the creative writers who came to me for feedback on their work.” says Goto. “It’s always a thrill to see what the next generation of writers are imagining and shaping, and I am so lucky to be able to see movement in the field as areas of interest expand, intersect, subvert, and take off.” 

It was the desire to preserve the incredible legacy of award-winning writer Jake MacDonald, who was a friend of Dr. Reid’s as the reason to establish the fund that now bears Jake’s name.  

Mr. MacDonald was a winner of the National Rogers Non-Fiction Award and best-known for his memoir Houseboat Chronicles: Notes from a Life in Shield Country. Over the course of his 39-year career he wrote multiple novels, short stories, essays, and magazine articles. Shortly before his death in 2020, he published his first play, The Cottage, which debuted at the Manitoba Theatre Centre in 2019.  

To be considered for the residency, potential candidates should be a Canadian writer who is recognized as a professional by their peers with specialized training in literary creation and has experience producing professional public presentations and publications. 

Throughout the years, the residency has had many talented creatives to fill this unique opportunity in the English Department. Starting with poet Erín Moure in 2021, the program has since tenured Liz Howard, acclaimed teacher, editor, and poet, and Omar El Akkad, international bestselling author.  

The University’s English Department is currently working to select a new writer for the 2025 residency and will announce their choice later this Spring.