The University of Winnipeg’s Dr. Sharanpal Ruprai has been awarded The Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee Medal. Ruprai was selected by The Writers’ Guild of Alberta to receive the medal, in recognition of her service in advancing the art of writing. This commemorative medal is in honour of the 70th anniversary of Her late Majesty’s accession to the Throne as Queen of Canada.
I always support emerging 2SQBIPOC poets and advocating for representation in literary communities.
Sharanpal Ruprai
“Dr. Ruprai’s voice and her mentorship reach deep into this community,” said Dr. Glenn Moulaison, Dean of Arts. “I congratulate her on this wonderful achievement.”
The Writers’ Guild of Alberta has selected 14 other individuals for this award.
“It’s with deepest gratitude to the literary community for giving me opportunities to teach and mentor poets and writers,” shared Ruprai. “I always support emerging 2SQBIPOC poets and advocating for representation in literary communities. Congratulations to my fellow recipients and I raise a glass to all of us!”
Ruprai is an associate professor and Chair of the Department of Women’s and Gender Studies at UWinnipeg. Ruprai’s début poetry collection, Seva was shortlisted for the Stephen G. Stephansson Award for Poetry by the Alberta Literary Awards in 2015, and her most recent collection, Pressure Cooker Love Bomb, was shortlisted for the prestigious 2020 Annual Lambda Literary Awards.
As an interdisciplinary humanities scholar, her research and teaching interests include: Indigenous and critical race feminism, religious and cultural studies, and artistic practice.
