Canisia Lubrin facts for kids

Canisia Lubrin was born in 1984. She is a talented writer, critic, professor, poet, and editor. Canisia grew up in St. Lucia, an island country. Today, she lives in Whitby, Ontario, Canada.

About Canisia Lubrin

Canisia Lubrin was born on the beautiful island of St. Lucia. She later moved to Canada to continue her education. She earned a bachelor's degree from York University. After that, she completed a special degree in creative writing at the University of Guelph.

Canisia's Career as a Writer

Canisia Lubrin has written several important books. Her first collection of poems was called Voodoo Hypothesis. It was published in 2017.

Voodoo Hypothesis

Voodoo Hypothesis is a book of poems that challenges old ideas. It speaks out against systems that unfairly treated Black people. The book also explores the history of slavery in the Caribbean, where Lubrin is from. Voodoo Hypothesis was a very successful book. It was nominated for several awards, including the Gerald Lampert Award and the Pat Lowther Award. It was also a finalist for the Raymond Souster Award. CBC Books named it one of the best Canadian poetry books of 2017. The League of Canadian Poets also called it a "must-read" book. In 2018, CBC Books highlighted Lubrin as a Black Canadian writer to watch.

Other Writings

Canisia Lubrin also wrote a short story called "Into Timmins." This story was included in a book called The Unpublished City: Vol. I. This collection was put together by Dionne Brand. The book was a finalist for the 2018 Toronto Book Awards.

The Dyzgraphxst

Lubrin's second collection of poems is titled The Dyzgraphxst. This book was published in 2020. The Dyzgraphxst received many honors. It was shortlisted for four major book prizes. These included the Governor General's Award for English-language poetry in 2020. It was also considered for the 2020 Trillium Book Award for Poetry. The book went on to win four awards. These included the OCM Bocas Prize for Caribbean Literature and the Derek Walcott Prize. In 2021, it also won the prestigious Griffin Poetry Prize.

Code Noir

In 2024, Canisia Lubrin released her first book of fiction. It is called Code Noir. This book was published in Canada by Alfred A. Knopf Canada. A version for the United States was released in 2025. Code Noir has already won two major awards. It received the 2025 Carol Shields Prize for Fiction. It also won the 2025 Danuta Gleed Literary Award. The book was also a finalist for several other awards. These include the Writers' Trust of Canada's Atwood Gibson Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. It was also shortlisted for the Governor General's Award for English-language fiction in 2024. Other nominations included the Trillium Book Award and the Balcones Prize. It was also considered for the 2025 Sunburst Award for Excellence in Literature of the Fantastic.

Canisia's Work as a Professor and Editor

Besides being a poet, Canisia Lubrin is also a professor. She is an Assistant Professor in the School of English and Theatre Studies. This is at the University of Guelph. She was also the first Shaftesbury Writer in Residence at Victoria College. This is part of the University of Toronto.

From 2018 to 2021, she worked as an editor for Buckrider Books. This is a part of a Canadian publishing company called Wolsak & Wynn. She also helped lead the Pivot Reading Series. This was a poetry reading event held every two weeks in Toronto. For 2017 and 2018, Lubrin was a Writer-in-Residence with Poetry In Voice. In 2019, she was a Writer-in-Residence at Queen's University. In 2021, a publisher named McClelland & Stewart announced that Lubrin would be their new poetry editor.

Awards and Recognition

In 2021, Canisia Lubrin was recognized with a major award. She was one of two winners of the Windham–Campbell Literature Prizes for poetry. The other winner was Natalie Scenters-Zapico. In the same year, Dionne Brand also won the Windham–Campbell Literature Prize for fiction. This was a special moment. It was the first time two Canadians won this award in the same year.

Books by Canisia Lubrin

Poetry Books

• Augur. Gap Riot Press, 2017. ISBN: 9781775056119
• Voodoo Hypothesis. Buckrider Books, 2017. ISBN: 9781928088424
• The Dyzgraphxst. McClelland & Stewart, 2020. ISBN: 9780771048692

Fiction Books

• Code Noir. Alfred A. Knopf Canada, 2024. ISBN: 9780735282216