Fellowship for Anne-Marie Turza
January 22nd, 2026
On January 15, 2026, Writers’ Trust of Canada announced Anne-Marie Turza as the inaugural recipient of the Writers’ Trust Board Fellowship.
The newly relaunched program awards $50,000 annually to a writer demonstrating exceptional creative ability and promise at a critical mid-career stage. In addition to the monetary award, Turza will receive a two-week self-directed residency at the Leighton Artist Studios at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
The announcement was made at the Storytellers Ball in Toronto, which marked the beginning of Writers’ Trust’s 50th anniversary celebrations.
In selecting Turza, the jury praised her as “one of the most striking and idiosyncratic voices in Canadian poetry,” noting her “oblique, funny” sensibility and imagery that transforms everyday life into something uncanny and luminous. Describing her work as having “the texture of prophecy,” the jury recognized Turza as a visionary poet whose contributions continue to shape Canada’s literary landscape.
About the Author:
Anne-Marie Turza is the author of two poetry collections, The Quiet (2014) and Fugue with Bedbug (2022), both published by House of Anansi Press, as well as the chapbook Slip Minute (Baseline, 2018). Her work has appeared in Arc Poetry Magazine, The Malahat Review and The Best Canadian Poetry in English 2010. A finalist for the RBC Bronwen Wallace Award for Emerging Writers and the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award, Turza lives in Victoria, BC.
Marla Lehberg (left) and Anne-Marie Turza – credit George Pimentel Photography.
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