Award-winning author and screenwriter Catherine Hernandez will be UWinnipeg’s 2025 online Jake MacDonald Writer-in-Residence from September 8 to December 8.
Named in honour of the beloved Manitoba writer Jake MacDonald, this residency focuses on mentoring emerging writers, bringing readings and other literary events to the public, and providing support for working writers to concentrate on their projects in process.
Hernandez is a proud queer woman who is of Filipino, Spanish, Chinese and Indian descent and married into the Navajo Nation. Her work has received several awards, including eight Canadian Screen Awards.
I hope to inspire people to stay curious and playful in their work.
Catherine Hernandez
“I am delighted to welcome Catherine Hernandez as the 2025 Jake MacDonald Writer-in-Residence at the University of Winnipeg,” said Dr. Tracy Whalen, Dean of the Faculty of Arts. “A prolific and award-winning writer, she brings playfulness, curiosity, and a spirit of attentiveness and listening to the creative process. The department and University are incredibly fortunate to have such an accomplished and thoughtful writer joining us this fall!”
Writer-in-Residence events
During her residency, Hernandez will join the UWinnipeg and broader community for three exciting and informative events, and will be available for one-on-one virtual consultations.
Join us September 15 at 12:30 p.m. for a Welcome Reading and Q&A. Hernandez will share published work, will be interviewed by Associate Professor of Creative Writing, Lindsay Wong, and will answer questions from the audience (submitted in advance).
On October 8 at 12:30 p.m. Hernandez will be giving a Masterclass on a craft topic. She will teach an aspect of creative writing, geared towards aspiring and emerging writers.
Then, join us again on November 5 at 12:30 p.m. for a Public Lecture, hosted by English Professor, Dr. Andrew Burke. Hernandez will discuss an aspect of the writing life at the event, which is for anyone who is interested in creative writing and literature.
Writer-in-Residence events are all free and virtual. The public is invited to participate in all events, however, priority will be given to UWinnipeg students and alumni. Registration is required for the Welcome Reading and Q&A, the Masterclass, and the Public Lecture.
Mentorship for community
A key component of her residency will be providing mentorship and advice to members of the community.
“The opportunity to guide folks in their writing endeavors is not one I take lightly,” Hernandez said. “It’s a true honour to witness their process, their hopes and fears, as they birth this new creation.”
Although priority will be given to UWinnipeg students, alumni, faculty, and staff, we encourage all Manitoba residents to request a virtual consultation with Hernandez.
During the 50-minute consultations, she will offer feedback on fiction, screen-writing, playwriting, and children’s picture books. She is also happy to chat more broadly about writing, craft, and publication, or answer questions about being a professional writer and screenwriter.
“During my residency,” she said, “I hope to inspire people to stay curious and playful in their work, while adopting an openness to what experimentation and failure can teach us with each draft.”
More about Catharine Hernandez
Her first novel, Scarborough, won the Jim Wong-Chu Award for the unpublished manuscript and was a finalist for several awards including Canada Reads 2022. She wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation of Scarborough, which was nominated for 11 Canadian Screen Awards and won 8 including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Her second novel, Crosshairs, was shortlisted for the Toronto Book Award and made several Best-Of lists of 2020. Her third novel, The Story of Us, was an instant national bestseller and was selected for the One Book Peterborough, Kitchener and Simon Fraser University.
Her fourth novel, Behind You, about a young girl growing up in Scarborough when a serial killer was at large, was published this year and was an instant national bestseller. Before it hit the shelves, it was optioned by Conquering Lion Pictures to become a feature film, with Catherine writing the screenplay.
Behind You was longlisted for the Dublin Literary Award. She is working on several TV and film projects, including showrunning CBC Gem/Apartment 11/Avenida Productions’ The Unstoppable Jenny Garcia.
The Jake MacDonald Writer-in-Residence Program, established in 2021, runs in the Fall term. This program will frequently be offered online to allow for greater availability and access for participants.
The Jake MacDonald Writer-in-Residence Program honours the memory of the beloved Manitoba writer Jake MacDonald, who passed away suddenly and too soon on January 30, 2020.
