The University of Winnipeg would like to congratulate internationally acclaimed Manitoba poet and UWinnipeg instructor Di Brandt, who will receive an Honorary Doctor of the University ’21 from Edmonton’s MacEwan University in recognition of her literary talents.
“Di Brandt is a unique and exciting writer and thinker and we’ve been very lucky, both faculty and students, to have her join us as a member of the Department of English over the last few years,” said Dr. Brandon Christopher, Chair of English. “It’s wonderful to see her recognized like this.”
Brandt began her teaching career at UWinnipeg in the 1980s and was delighted to return “home” to the Department of English a few years ago. She has held several research and writing positions at the Universities of Alberta, Manitoba, Windsor, and Brandon, in addition to UWinnipeg.
“I am very pleased to see that Di Brandt’s acclaimed and prolific career is receiving this well-deserved honour from MacEwan University,” said UWinnipeg Dean of Arts, Dr. Glenn Moulaison.
Beyond her contributions in the classroom, Brandt is also a talented author, editor, translator, and multimedia creative arts collaborator. She has published more than a dozen books of poetry, fiction, creative essays, and literary criticism and has received numerous awards in several genres. She has held prestigious appointments at several Canadian universities and has given literary readings and lectures at festivals, conferences, and other venues around the world. She was honoured to serve as Winnipeg’s inaugural poet laureate for 2018-19, and one of the poems she wrote during that time, River People, received the GOLD National Magazine Award and was chosen for Best Canadian Poetry 2020.
