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Farzana Doctor to receive Dayne Ogilvie Grant

The Writer’s Trust of Canada has announced that Toronto author Farzana Doctor will receive the fifth annual Dayne Ogilvie Grant, which is given to an emerging gay or lesbian writer who demonstrates great literary promise with a body of work of exceptional quality.

Doctor, who has written two novels – Six Metres of Pavement (Dundurn Press) and Stealing Nasreen (Inanna Publications) – and has been a long-time activist in the queer and South Asian communities, will receive the $4,000 grant on June 20 at Buddies in Bad Times Theatre in Toronto.

The jury, composed of authors Jen Sookfong Lee, Jeffery Round, and Zoe Whittall, had this to say about Doctor:

[I]t’s hard to imagine a gentler protestor than Farzana Doctor, but protest she does: racism, sexism, ageism, and homophobia all fall before her gentle yet powerful touch.  She is a writer to cherish and reread when we feel the world lacks moral centre.

The jury also gave Honour of Distinction to Dani Couture and Matthew J. Trafford, who will each receive $250.