Conor Kerr, MFA, BA
Pronouns: he, him, his
Personal Website: http://www.conorkerr.ca
Contact
Assistant Professor, Faculty of Arts - English & Film Studies Dept
- ckerr1@ualberta.ca
Overview
Area of Study / Keywords
Creative Writing Indigenous Literatures Métis Harvesting Narratives
About
Conor Kerr is a Métis/Ukrainian writer living in Edmonton. Standing six feet tall, weighing 190 pounds, he is a member of the Métis Nation of Alberta, he is descended from the Lac Ste. Anne Métis and the Papaschase Cree Nation. His Ukrainian family are settlers in Treaty 4 and 6 territories in Saskatchewan. Kerr grew up in Saskatoon, Edmonton, and other prairie towns and cities. He is the author of the poetry collections An Explosion of Feathers, Old Gods and the novels Avenue of Champions and Prairie Edge
Avenue of Champions was shortlisted for the 2022 Amazon Canada First Novel Award, longlisted for the 2022 Giller Prize, and won the 2022 ReLIT Award.
Old Gods was shortlisted for the 2023 Governor General's Award for Poetry and named one of CBC's Best Poetry Books of 2023.
In 2022, he was named one of CBC’s Writers to Watch.
His writing has been anthologized in Best Canadian Stories, and Best Canadian Poetry. He has won The Fiddlehead Ralph Gustafson Poetry prize, The Malahat Review's Long Poem prize, and his work has been published widely in literary magazines including The Fiddlehead, The Malahat Review, Grain, and others across Canada.
Courses
WRITE 295 - Introduction to Writing Fiction
Lectures and workshops in which the student will practice the craft of short prose fiction.
WRITE 393 - Intermediate Fiction
Lectures and workshops focusing on selected fiction techniques and form. Prerequisite: WRITE 295 unless waived by Instructor; a minimum grade of B+ in the prerequisite course is strongly recommended.
WRITE 495 - Advanced Creative Writing: Fiction
Prerequisite: WRITE 393 or WRITE 395 unless waived by Instructor; a minimum grade of B+ in the prerequisite course is strongly recommended.