SATA
ENTRY TYPE:
WORK TITLE: Africville
WORK NOTES:
PSEUDONYM(S):
BIRTHDATE:
WEBSITE: https://shauntaygrant.com/
CITY: Halifax
STATE: NS
COUNTRY: Canada
NATIONALITY: Canadian
LAST VOLUME: SATA 255
http://www.myspace.com/shauntaygrant
RESEARCHER NOTES:
PERSONAL
Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
EDUCATION:Dalhousie University, B.Mus., 2002; University of King’s College, B.J., 2003; studied at Neptune Theatre’s Pre-Professional Training Program, 2009, and Onelight Theatre’s Apprenticeship for Theatre Artists, 2011.
ADDRESS
CAREER
Writer, musician, broadcast journalist, and spoken word artist. Nova Scotia Mass Choir, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, director for five years; choral music director for Gospel Challenge, Vision Television, 2006, and Soul, Vision Television, 2009. News and current affairs reporter for Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) Radio and CBC Television; host of annual CBC Poetry Face-Off; host of CBC Radio’s All The Best (regional music program), until 2012; Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, assistant professor. Coordinator and leader of art workshops in Canada and abroad; founding member of Word Iz Bond (collective for spoken word artists); creator and co-curator of Halifax Jazz Festival’s “Words and Music” series; facilitator and workshop leader for Tatamagouche Centre’s literary programs, Tatamagouche, Nova Scotia, Canada; coordinator of CommUNITY performance series and organizer of Wordrhythm performance series. Writer-in-residence at J.L. Crowe Secondary School, Trail, British Columbia, Canada.
MEMBER:Playwrights Guild of Canada, Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia, African Nova Scotian Music Association.
AWARDS:Black Business Initiatives Industry Development Award, African Nova Scotian Music Association, 2007; Sauvé scholarship, 2009-2010; named poet laureate of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, 2009-11; Best Atlantic-Published Book Award, 2009, and Hackmatack Children’s Choice Award, 2010, both for Up Home illustrated by Susan Tooke; named Poet of Honour, Canadian Festival of Spoken Word, 2010; Inspire Award, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Halifax, 2011; Jury Award for Outstanding Drama, Atlantic Fringe Festival, 2011, for Steal away Home; Ann Connor Brimer Award for Children’s Literature nomination, 2011, for The City Speaks in Drums; Governor General’s Literary Award nominee, 2018, for Africville.
WRITINGS
Also author of The Bridge; Contributor of poetry to anthologies; former arts and entertainment columnist for Halifax Daily News.
SIDELIGHTS
A respected Canadian poet, playwright, musician, and spoken word artist, Shauntay Grant has also written books for young readers. In Up Home, her first, Grant offers a poignant look at growing up in North Preston, a historic black community in Nova Scotia. The lyrical narrative contains “just the right hints of rhythm, warmth, dialect, and geographic and cultural touchstones,” Todd Kyle observed in the Canadian Review of Materials, and Carlyn Zwarenstein wrote in Quill & Quire that Up Home pays tribute to the town’s “natural environment, culture, and the steadfast love that its people share for each other.”
In her award-winning picture book The City Speaks in Drums, Grant celebrates the sights and sounds of Halifax, Nova Scotia, by following a pair of boys who spend a busy day exploring its vibrant neighborhoods. “The rhythmic flow of the text is extremely effective in recreating, for readers, Grant’s sensory experience of the city,” Crystal Sutherland remarked in the Canadian Review of Materials.
Discussing The City Speaks in Drums during an interview with Michael Kinder for the Atlantic Publishers Web site, Grant stated, “Music isn’t just about music as we traditionally understand it. It’s the rhythm of child running a stick along a fence, the sound of their bubble gum popping and the skipping rope as it hits the ground. You find music in trying to capture that sound and the energy that comes from the city.”
(open new)In Apples and Butterflies, a young, female narrator describes her family’s vacation to Canada’s Prince Edward Island. She goes through a list of things that she wants to do while there. Illustrations show her and her family as they walk on the beach, admire the ocean, and picking apples. Booklist contributor Shelle Rosenfeld found it to be a “charmingly illustrated picture book with poetic touches.”
Grant published Africville in 2018. As a result of African slaves fleeing during the War of 1812, the Black community of Africville was formed in Halifax, Canada. Grant depicts the unfair treatment residents of this community received. Despite paying just as much taxes as other residents of the city, many in this community were denied equal facilities. In 1960 the community was razed, and its residents were forcibly relocated. Nevertheless, an annual reunion festival is held in honor of the spirit of the community, and the city administration has since offered to take steps to right its wrongs.
In an article in the Coast, Grant shared her hopes for what readers would take away from reading this story. “I’m open and welcome to whatever people draw from the story, but I think that feeling of home was central in crafting the story.” Grant appended: “So if readers can walk away with that feeling and learn something about Africville, then I’d be happy about that.” In an article in CBC, Grant also acknowledged that she is “always meeting people who don’t know about Africville, so it feels good knowing that the story is going to be reach more people. Often when we hear about Africville in the media, what’s talked about is what was done to the community in the 60s. That’s part of the community’s history.”
A contributor to Kirkus Reviews observed that the novel’s “writing is spare but emotional, and the art brings the community to life.” The same reviewer called Africville “a loving tribute to a history that should not be forgotten.” Writing in School Library Journal, Anna Haase Krueger claimed that Grant’s “poetic ode to a place lost in time is an excellent choice for general reading and classroom sharing.”(close new)
BIOCRIT
PERIODICALS
Booklist, March 15, 2013, Shelle Rosenfeld, review of Apples and Butterflies: A Poem for Prince Edward Island, p. 88.
Canadian Review of Materials, September 26, 2008, Todd Kyle, review of Up Home; September 1, 2010, Crystal Sutherland, review of The City Speaks in Drums; March 1, 2013, Jill Griffith, review of Apples and Butterflies.
Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2018, review of Africville.
Quill & Quire, July 1, 2008, Carlyn Zwarenstein, review of Up Home.
Resource Links, October 1, 2008, review of Up Home, p. 1.
School Library Journal, August 1, 2009, Mary N. Oluonye, review of Up Home, p. 89; September 1, 2018, Anna Haase Krueger, review of Africville, p. 91.
ONLINE
Atlantic Publishers website, http://www.atlanticpublishers.ca/ (November 10, 2010), Michael Kimber, “The City Speaks through Shauntay Grant.”
Canadian Children’s Book Centre website, http://www.bookcentre.ca/ (March 1, 2013), “Shauntay Grant.”
CBC, https://www.cbc.ca/ (October 24, 2018), Ryan B. Patrick, “How I Wrote It.”
Chronicle Herald Online, http://thechronicleherald.ca/ (December 2, 2012), Bill Spurr, “The Young and the Restless” (profile of Grant); October 3, 2018, “Halifax Author Shauntay Grant among Nominees for Governor General’s Literary Award.”
Coast, https://www.thecoast.ca/ (September 13, 2018), Brandon Young, “Shauntay Grant Builds a Sense of Home in Africville.”
Dalhousie University website, https://www.dal.ca/ (January 1, 2019), author profile.
Jeanne Sauvé Foundation website, http://jeannesauve.org/ (January 1, 2019), “Meet the Fellows – Shauntay Grant.”
Open Book, http://open-book.ca/ (September 4, 2018), author interview.
Playwrights Guild of Canada website, http://www.playwrightsguild.ca/ (March 1, 2013), “Shauntay Grant.”
Shauntay Grant website, https://shauntaygrant.com (January 1, 2019).
2b Theatre Company website, http://www.2btheatre.com/ (January 1, 2019), author profile.
Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia website, http://writers.ns.ca/ (March 1, 2013), “Shauntay Grant.”
Word on the Street, http://thewordonthestreet.ca/ (January 1, 2019), author profile.
SHAUNTAY GRANT is a descendant of Black Loyalists and Black Refugees who migrated to Canada some two hundred years ago. A writer and performance artist, she has won the Joseph S. Stauffer Prize, and she has published several picture books. Shauntay also lectures in the Creative Writing Program at Dalhousie University. Her professional degrees and training include the Master of Fine Arts program at the University of British Columbia, and the Bachelor of Journalism program at the University of King’s College. She lives in Halifax.
Shauntay Grant is a writer and storyteller from Nova Scotia. She teaches creative writing at Dalhousie University, and she served as Halifax’s third Poet Laureate from 2009 to 2011. A descendant of Black Refugees, Black Loyalists, and Jamaican Maroons who came to Canada during the 18thand 19thcenturies, Grant’s love of language stretches back to her storytelling roots in Nova Scotia’s historic Black communities. She is a multidisciplinary artist with professional degrees and training in creative writing, music, and theatre, and her homegrown artistic practice embraces African Nova Scotian folk tradition as well as contemporary approaches to literature and performance. Her awards and honours include a Best Atlantic-Published Book prize from the Atlantic Book Awards, a Poet of Honour prize from Spoken Word Canada, and a Joseph S. Stauffer Prize in Writing and Publishing from the Canada Council for the Arts. She is the author of five books for children, most recently Africville (Groundwood Books, 2018), and her stage play The Bridge will premiere at Neptune Theatre in early 2019. Visit her online at shauntaygrant.com
Halifax author Shauntay Grant among nominees for Governor General’s Literary Award
The Chronicle Herald
Published: Oct 03 at 9:58 a.m.
Updated: Oct 03 at 10:08 a.m.
Halifax author Shauntay Grant has been nominated for a 2018 Governor General's Literary Award, along with illustrator Eva Campbell, for their picture book Africville. Photo credit: Shyronn Dre Smardon (Note: this handout photo is from 2013)
Halifax author Shauntay Grant has been nominated for a 2018 Governor General's Literary Award, along with illustrator Eva Campbell, for their picture book Africville. - Shyronn Dre Smardon
Shauntay Grant of Halifax is nominated for a Governor General’s Literary Award.
Africville, by Grant and British Columbia illustrator Eva Campbell, is in the running in the Young People's Literature-Illustrated Books category.
RELATED: Here are the nominees for this year's awards
Intended for readers from four to seven, Africville is about a young girl who visits the site of the former community in Halifax and imagines what it was once like. She visits the park there and the sundial where her great-grandmother’s name is carved, and celebrates during the annual Africville reunion and festival held every summer.
The books are among the best published this year in seven categories, both in English and in French. They are the works that stood out to peer assessment committees from about 1,400 titles submitted for consideration.Africville, published by Groundwood Books, is one of the 70 Canadian books announced Wednesday by the Canada Council for the Arts as finalists for the awards.
“This year’s finalists have once again proven just how rich, bold, diverse and strong our literature is,” said Simon Brault, director and CEO of the Canada Council for the Arts, in a news release.
“Whether they offer exciting ideas, extraordinary illustrations, inspiring verse or outstanding translations, the finalists are sure to impress.”
Founded in 1936, the Governor General’s Literary Awards are one of Canada's oldest literary awards programs, with a total annual prize value of $450,000, according to a news release. The Canada Council for the Arts has funded, administered and promoted the awards since 1959.
Finalists are chosen by category-specific, language-based peer assessment committees (seven in English and seven in French), which this year considered eligible books published between Sept. 1, 2017 and Sept. 30, 2018 for English-language books and between July 1, 2017 and June 30, 2018 for French-language books.
Each winner receives $25,000. The publisher of each winning book receives $3,000 to support promotional activities. Non-winning finalists each receive $1,000.
In 82 years, the Governor General’s Literary Awards have celebrated more than 700 works by over 500 authors, poets, playwrights, translators and illustrators.
The 14 winning books will be announced Oct. 30. The awards will be presented in Ottawa on Nov. 28, and public readings will take place there Nov. 28 and 29.
SHAUNTAY GRANT
Shauntay Grant is a writer and storyteller from Nova Scotia. A descendant of Black Refugees, Black Loyalists, and Jamaican Maroons who came to Canada during the 18th and 19th centuries, Grant’s love of language stretches back to her storytelling roots in Nova Scotia’s historic Black communities. She is a multidisciplinary artist with professional degrees and training in creative writing, music, and theatre, and her homegrown artistic practice embraces African Nova Scotian folk tradition as well as contemporary approaches to literature and performance.
Grant served as Halifax’s Poet Laureate from 2009 to 2011. Her awards and honours include a Best Atlantic-Published Book prize from the Atlantic Book Awards, a Poet of Honour prize from Spoken Word Canada, a Jury Award for Outstanding Drama from the Atlantic Fringe Festival, and a Joseph S. Stauffer Prize in Writing and Publishing from the Canada Council for the Arts. She currently teaches creative writing at Dalhousie University as a Lecturer in the Department of English/Creative Writing Program.
shauntaygrant.com
September 13, 2018 ARTS + CULTURE » LITERARY
Shauntay Grant builds a sense of home in Africville
The acclaimed poet appears at Prismatic and Word on the Street with her new book, which provides vivid memories of an African Nova Scotian community.
By Brandon Young
shauntay-grant_photo-credit-shyronn-smardon.jpg.jpg
Africville launch
Thursday, September 13, 11am
Africville Museum, 5795 Africville Road
Word on the Street reading
Saturday, September 15, 11am
Halifax Central Library, 5440 Spring Garden Road, Lindsay Room (second floor)
Home takes on different meanings for everyone, but for Shauntay Grant, it comes in the form of her latest children's book, Africville. The book takes a poetically nostalgic look at the Black Nova Scotian community, and will launch during the Prismatic Arts Festival. Grant's reading takes place at the Africville Museum—a true homecoming.
"It's been a real gift being able to take a story like Africville's and translate it into a work for toddlers and young children," says Grant about her 32-page picture book. Beautiful illustrations by artist Eva Campbell accompany the author's wistful and imaginative words that take readers on a journey through the vanished neighbourhood.
As well as the illustrated story, at the end of the book is a page of information about Africville to bring older readers up to speed on this sad chapter of Halifax history. Africville residents paid city taxes, but lived without running water, paved roads and other basic necessities. Making matters worse, the city put a slaughterhouse, a hospital for infectious disease and a garbage dump nearby. In the 1960s, the city demolished this vibrant Black community that had existed for over 150 years, scattering many residents into public housing, yet Africville was never forgotten.
Published by Groundwood Books—the children’s publishing partner of House of Anansi—the story of Africville follows a young girl as she visits the former site, which was named a National Historic Site in 2002. While there, stories she's heard from family members begin to ruminate. Images of brightly coloured homes, ponds, vast fields and huge bonfires fill her head with the beauty of the tight-knit community. Following her daydream, she visits the present-day park and celebrates at the annual Africville Reunion Festival with friends and family.
Although the story is deeply connected to the African Nova Scotian community, Grant says it is representative of a universal concept she believes everyone can relate to: "In writing Africville I wanted to invoke that feeling of home for readers. No matter where they're from, I wanted anyone who picks up the book to feel a sense of home while learning about the community in the process."
Having published various children's books since 2008 (most notably Up Home), Grant says the process of creating her latest release has been nothing short of amazing.
"The poem that is the basis for this book is truly a gift," says Grant about the inspiration that she received during many writing trips to the former site. "Africville today is very different from the Africville described in old city images," she says. "But drawing on resources, which for me was writing on the land and talking to former residents as consultants for the project, made it a better book."
Her efforts have paid off in a beautifully composed work of art representative of a long-lost community once home to so many. After this week's launch, Grant has a busy month ahead of her that includes a reading of her book at Word on the Street (September 15), as well as a series of publicity events in Toronto including school visits and community events.
As for what she hopes readers both young and old, near and far, take away from her book, Grant wants them receive new knowledge while feeling a sense of familiarity. "I'm open and welcome to whatever people draw from the story, but I think that feeling of home was central in crafting the story," she says. "So if readers can walk away with that feeling and learn something about Africville, then I'd be happy about that."
HOW I WROTE IT
Why Shauntay Grant created a children's book to revisit the legacy of Africville
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Ryan B. Patrick · October 24
Africville is written by Shauntay Grant and illustrated by Eva Campbell. (Shyronn Smardon/House of Anansi Press)
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Shauntay Grant is an award-winning Canadian poet and author who collaborated with illustrator Eva Campbell to depict the underreported story of Africville. The vibrant Black community in Halifax thrived for more than 150 years before being demolished by the government in the 1960s. The illustrated story is brought to life through the eyes of a young girl visiting for the annual Africville Reunion/Festival.
12 beautifully illustrated picture books for young readers
Africville is a finalist for the 2018 Governor General's Literary Award shortlist for young people's literature — illustrated books. Below, Grant discusses the process of finishing her latest children's book.
Home again
"When I first wrote Africville, I wasn't thinking about it as a children's book. It started as a poem that I wrote one day when visiting the Africville site for a walk. I like to hear the words out loud before I commit them to the page and I talk when I'm creating my poems. I'm concerned with how language sounds out loud.
"I then decided that I wanted to turn the poem into a book. The poem was about the feeling of being home. I wanted that to be reflected in a children's story."
Calling all writers! The CBC Short Story Prize is now open for submissions
An interior image from Africville, illustrated by Eva Campbell and written by Shauntay Grant. (Eva Campbell/Groundwood Books)
Bringing history to life
"Knowing that I wanted to work with an illustrator, I was visually imagining witnessing these scenes from the past from a child's perspective and focusing on these visual memories of specific places. Once I had a manuscript that I thought would work for children, my publisher connected me with [illustrator] Eva Campbell. Her work is stunning.
"It was important that the illustrations reflected the words but also stay true to the community. She would send me illustrations which I then brought to former residents of Africville to get their thoughts on the pictures and the text. I wanted to ensure it represented Africville as they remembered it. I wanted to get it right. I wanted readers to know these places of childhood memory, places where the fields where children played, and put those specific locations in the story."
An interior image from Africville, illustrated by Eva Campbell and written by Shauntay Grant. (Eva Campbell/Groundwood Books)
Enduring legacy
"I'm always meeting people who don't know about Africville, so it feels good knowing that the story is going to be reach more people. Often when we hear about Africville in the media, what's talked about is what was done to the community in the 60s. That's part of the community's history, but it's certainly not the whole story. It is a small window by comparison to its history as a Black community that was established in the 1800s by black refugees. Africville is still connected to the community — people are still learning about Africville and its former residents still revisit the site for an annual reunion. I wanted to craft a story for children that would zero in on what Africville means for me."
Shauntay Grant's comments have been edited and condensed.
Meet the Fellows - Shauntay Grant
Find a Fellow
Shauntay Grant
SHAUNTAY GRANT
Canada
Program Year
2009-10
Country of Current Residence
Canada
City/Town of Current Residence
Halifax
Current Position
Professor
Organization
Dalhousie University
Profession(s)
Writer, Artist, Professor
Sector(s)
Arts, Education, Entertainment
Language(s)
English
Mentor
Dr. Myriam Denov, McGill University, School of Social Work
Interest(s) / Expertise
arts, education, storytelling, writing, youth
Scholar website URL Scholar email address
SEARCH
Name
Program Year
Country of Origin
Country of Residence
Interest(s) / Expertise
Profession
Impact Statement
A dedicated artist and educator, Shauntay has a deep-rooted passion for creatively exploring the world and encouraging others to embrace their creative selves. Her arts-for-social change initiatives have connected artists of all ages around advocacy, awareness, and charitable giving.
Biography
Shauntay Grant is a writer and storyteller from Halifax, Nova Scotia. She publishes, performs, and teaches in several literary genres, and as Halifax’s third Poet Laureate (2009-11) she organized Canada’s first national gathering of Canadian Poets Laureate. She teaches and coordinates the Creative Writing Program at Dalhousie University in Halifax. Shauntay was recently named 2b theatre’s 2016-2018 playwright-in-residence.
Shauntay is the current writer in residence at Berton House, Canada’s most sought-after writing residency. While living in the childhood home of noted Canadian author Pierre Berton in Dawson City, Yukon, Shauntay will develop a middle grade poetry novel that follow’s a young boy’s efforts to document the culture and customs of his home amidst a backdrop of environmental racism and community protest.
A descendant of Black Loyalists, Black Refugees, and Jamaican Maroons who came to Canada during the 18th and 19th centuries, Shauntay’s love of language stretches back to her storytelling roots in Nova Scotia’s historic Black communities. Her homegrown artistic practice embraces African Nova Scotian folk tradition as well as contemporary approaches to literature and performance.
Shauntay’s work has earned her invitations to present at local and international events including Canada’s national Word On The Street festivals, Toronto’s Luminato Festival, Ottawa’s Versefest, the Vancouver Writers Fest (where she was Writer In Residence), Australia’s National Young Writers’ Festival, Jamaica’s International Maroon Convention, and the 10th Anniversary Launch of the Freedom Schooner Amistad in Havana, Cuba.
Education:
Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing (University of British Columbia)
ASPIRE Model of Adult Education, Design and Leadership Certificate Training (Tatamagouche Centre)
Pre-Professional Training Program in Theatre (Neptune Theatre School)
Bachelor of Journalism (University of King’s College)
Bachelor of Music (Dalhousie University)
Prizes, Awards & Honours:
Berton House Writers’ Retreat Writer-In-Residence (Writers Trust of Canada, 2015)
Joseph S. Stauffer Prize in Writing and Publishing (Canada Council for the Arts, 2014)
Joseph Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, 2014)
Arts Graduate Research Award (University of British Columbia, 2014)
Faculty of Arts Graduate Award (University of British Columbia, 2013)
Jury Award for Outstanding Drama (Atlantic Fringe Festival, 2011)
Poet of Honour Award (Spoken Word Canada, 2010)
Best Atlantic-Published Book Award (Atlantic Book Awards, 2010)
Poet Laureate of Halifax (Halifax Regional Municipality, 2009–2011)
As a Fellow
Shauntay welcomed the opportunity to participate in an international learning experience, reflect on her personal and professional goals, and explore how she could use her work to be of greater service to communities at home and abroad. She created new literary and performance works, volunteered for the Montreal branch of Leave Out Violence, and developed Poets 4 Change, a youth-led arts-for-social change project that operated in Halifax in 2010-11. Poets 4 Change grew into CommUNITY, a spoken word series that ran in Halifax from 2011 to 2014 and raised thousands of dollars for charities at home and abroad.
As Shauntay developed her projects, she received guidance from her Academic Mentor, Dr. Myriam Denov, whose research and teaching interests lie in the areas of children and youth at risk.
Sauvé Testimonial:
The Program gave me the time and space I needed to reflect on my personal and professional goals, and consider how I can use my skills and interests to be of greater service to my community.
Shauntay Grant
WEBSITE
http://www.shauntaygrant.com/
BIOGRAPHY
Shauntay Grant is a writer, spoken word performer, broadcast journalist, and musician. She has shared her blend of poetry and music internationally at festivals and events, and as Halifax's third Poet Laureate she organized Canada's first national gathering of Canadian Poets Laureate in 2010. Shauntay regularly conducts arts workshops and performances for youth and adults at festivals, schools and community centres around the country. Her original works of poetry and music have been featured nationally on radio and television, and in several anthologies.
Shauntay was a Poet of Honour at the 2010 Canadian Festival of Spoken Word in Ottawa. Her children’s picturebook memoir Up Home (Nimbus 2008) won a 2009 Best Atlantic Published Book Award, and her stage play Steal Away Home won the 2011 Jury Award for Outstanding Drama at the Atlantic Fringe Festival. Shauntay is the recipient of a 2011 INSPIRE Award from Big Brothers Big Sisters. She serves on the board of Youth Voices of Nova Scotia, and she is a regional music host for CBC Radio in the Maritimes.
PUBLICATIONS
Up Home. Illustrated by Susan Tooke. Nimbus, 2008. ISBN 978-1551096605.
The City Speaks In Drums. Illustrated by Susan Tooke. Nimbus Publishing, 2010. ISBN 978-1551097583.
The City Speaks In Drums. Illustrated by Susan Tooke. Book & CD. Nimbus Publishing, 2010. ISBN 978-1551097664.
Apples and Butterflies. Illustrated by Tamara Thiebaux-Heikalo. Nimbus, 2012. ISBN 978-1551099354.
AWARDS
Winner of the Best Atlantic Published Book Award, 2009; 'Up Home'
SHAUNTAY GRANT
Assistant Professor
Shauntay Grant 2
Department of English
Email: shauntay.grant@dal.ca
Phone: 902-494-3488
Mailing Address:
Room 3188, McCain Building 6135 University Ave. PO Box 15000 Halifax, N.-S. B3H 4R2
Research Topics:
Orality and Poetry
Black Language in Children's Literature
Black Nova Scotians
Jamaican Maroons
Teaching
CRWR 2001 The Creative Process
CRWR 2002 Introduction to Creative Writing
CRWR 3011 Creative Writing: Poetry II
CRWR 3100 Songwriting: Creative Writing for Lyric Forms
CRWR 3200 Spoken Word, Storytelling and Literary Performance
Education
BMus (Dalhousie University)
BJ (University of King’s College)
MFA (University of British Columbia)
Shauntay Grant Shauntay Grant is a poet, playwright, performance artist, and author from Halifax, Nova Scotia.
A descendant of Black Loyalists, Black Refugees, and Jamaican Maroons who came to Canada during the 18th and 19th centuries, Shauntay’s love of language stretches back to her storytelling roots in Nova Scotia’s historic Black communities. She is a multidisciplinary artist with professional degrees and training in creative writing, music, and theatre, and her homegrown artistic practice embraces African Nova Scotian folk tradition as well as contemporary approaches to literature and performance.
Shauntay’s work has earned her invitations to present at local and international conferences and festivals including the Canadian Writers Summit, Singing Storytellers International Symposium, the International Research Society for Children's Literature (IRSCL) Congress, the Vancouver Writers Festival, the Edmonton Poetry Festival, Ottawa's Versefest, Moncton's Frye Festival, Toronto's Luminato Festival, Australia's National Young Writers’ Festival, the Jamaica Poetry Festival, and the 10th Anniversary Launch of the Freedom Schooner Amistad in Havana, Cuba.
For articles and reviews, event listings, and other info please visit shauntaygrant.com
Selected Publications
Children & YA
Africville. Toronto: Groundwood, 2018.
The Walking Bathroom. Halifax: Nimbus, 2017
“Apples and Butterflies.” Whispers of Mermaids and Wonderful Things. Ed. Sheree Fitch, Anne Hunt. Halifax: Nimbus, 2017
“The Boy and the Story.” Sankofa Black Heritage Collection: Firsts. Ed. Natasha Henry, Tom Henderson. Oakville: Rubicon, 2014.
Apples and Butterflies. Halifax: Nimbus, 2012.
The City Speaks In Drums. Halifax: Nimbus, 2010.
Up Home. Halifax: Nimbus, 2008.
Non-Fiction
"An Interview With George Elliott Clarke". The Dalhousie Review. Ed. Anthony Enns. Halifax: The Dalhousie Review, 2018.
“Negotiating a Black Vernacular in Children’s Literature.” Talking History. Ed. Kerry Clare. Toronto: 49th Shelf, 2015.
“The Art In Trusting Your Voice.” iLit Digital Collection. Whitby: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 2012.
Playwriting
The Bridge, a three-act drama that will premiere on Neptune Theatre's mainstage in 2019 (a co-production between 2b theatre and Neptune, in association with Obsidian Theatre).
WORD, a spoken word stage performance presented by Onelight Theatre as part of the 2016 Prismatic Arts Festival.
Poetry
"jazz fest". TOK Magazine. Toronto: Diaspora Dialogues, 2018.
“mirror.” Contemporary Verse 2 (CV2). Winnipeg: Contemporary Verse 2 (CV2), 2016.
“passing.” The Fieldstone Review. Saskatoon: The Fieldstone Review, 2015.
“firsts.” Sankofa Black Heritage Collection: Firsts. Ed. Natasha Henry, Tom Henderson. Oakville: Rubicon, 2014.
“Grandmother.” The Great Black North: Contemporary African Canadian Poetry. Calgary: Frontenac House, 2012.
“t(her)e.” TOK: Writing The New City – Book IV. Toronto: Zephyr Press, 2009.
Spoken Word
"The City Speaks In Drums". Drifts. Halifax: Narratives in Space + Time Society/MindSea Inc., 2018.
Say Sumthin. Halifax: Wordrhythm, 2014.
“Home.” iLit Digital Collection. Whitby: McGraw-Hill Ryerson, 2012.
“Life Lessons.” Live Ink! Online. Don Mills: Pearson Canada, 2011.
Art Gallery and Museum Exhibitions
Every. Now. Then. Reframing Nationhood. (Art Gallery of Ontario exhibits multidisciplinary installation Grandmother, Teach Me – curated by Grant – as part of national group exhibition) 2017
Canada: Day 1 (Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21 exhibits collaborative work Abeng presented as part of national group exhibition) 2017
Stitched Stories: The Family Quilts (Dalhousie Art Gallery exhibits poetry, spoken word, and family heritage quilts; curated by Grant) 2016
Up Home (Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design exhibits text and original illustrations from the award-winning picture book) 2010
Up Home (Art Gallery of Nova Scotia exhibits text and original illustrations from the award-winning picture book) 2009
Up Home (Black Cultural Centre for Nova Scotia exhibits text and original illustrations from the award-winning picture book) 2009
Recognitions
Playwright-In-Residence (2b theatre company, 2016–2018)
Berton House Writers’ Retreat Writer-In-Residence (Writers Trust of Canada, 2015-16 cohort)
Joseph S. Stauffer Prize in Writing and Publishing (Canada Council for the Arts, 2015)
Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship (Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada, 2014)
Arts Graduate Research Award (University of British Columbia, 2014)
Faculty of Arts Graduate Award (University of British Columbia, 2013)
Finalist for Ann Connor Brimer Award for Children’s Literature (Atlantic Book Awards, 2011)
Jury Award for Outstanding Drama (Atlantic Fringe Festival, 2011)
Finalist for Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award (2010)
Poet of Honour Award (Spoken Word Canada, 2010)
Best Atlantic-Published Book Award (Atlantic Book Awards, 2010)
Sauvé Scholars Fellowship (Jeanne Sauvé Foundation, 2009-10)
Poet Laureate of Halifax (Halifax Regional Municipality, 2009-11)
Shauntay Grant is a writer and storyteller from Halifax, Nova Scotia. She teaches creative writing at Dalhousie University, and as Halifax's third poet laureate she organized Canada's first national gathering of Canadian poets laureate. An award-winning author of children's literature, Shauntay's picture book Africville with illustrator Eva Campbell (Groundwood, 2018) was recently nominated for a 2018 Governor General's Literary Award. Her stage play The Bridge will premiere in early 2019, a co-production between 2b theatre and Neptune Theatre in association with Obsidian Theatre.
Shauntay is a descendant of Black Loyalists, Jamaican Maroons, and Black Refugees who came to Canada during the 18th and 19th centuries. Her love of language stretches back to her storytelling roots in Nova Scotia's historic Black communities, and her homegrown artistic practice embraces African Nova Scotian history and folk culture, as well as contemporary approaches to literature and performance. Shauntay is a multidisciplinary artist with professional degrees and training in creative writing, music, and theatre. Her awards and honours include a Best Atlantic-Published Book prize from the Atlantic Book Awards, a Poet of Honour prize from Spoken Word Canada, and a Joseph S. Stauffer Prize from the Canada Council for the Arts.
Shauntay's work has earned her invitations to present at local and international events including Canada's national Word On The Street festivals, the Vancouver Writers Festival, Ottawa's Versefest, Moncton's Frye Festival, Toronto's Luminato Festival, Australia's National Young Writers’ Festival, the Jamaica Poetry Festival, and the 10th Anniversary Launch of the Freedom Schooner Amistad in Havana, Cuba. Her plays have been presented by 2b theatre (Halifax), Neptune Theatre (Halifax), Eastern Front Theatre (Halifax), Black Theatre Workshop (Montreal), and b current (Toronto). Her poems have been published in several anthologies and literary journals including the Fieldstone Review and Contemporary Verse 2: The Canadian Journal of Poetry and Critical Writing. Connect with her on Facebook or join the Mailing List to stay updated on her latest news, visit the Press page to browse articles and reviews of her work, or visit the Contact page to send her a message.
Shauntay Grant Brings an Important Chapter of Black Canadian History to the Page for Children
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September 04, 2018
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Shauntay Grant Lucky Seven Interview Groundwood Books
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Africville was once a vibrant community in Halifax. For over 150 years, it was home to Black Nova Scotians. Due to neglect and targeting by the city government however, the community eventually shuttered in the early '60s, with the residents forcibly removed to public housing. It remains an essential place in Black Canadian history and has been designated a National Historic Site of Canada.
It's this rich history that Shauntay Grant builds on in Africville (Groundwood Books, illustrated by Eva Campbell). In this poignant tale, packed with gorgeous illustrations of the titular community, a young girl visits Africville and imagines what it was once like in its glory days, connecting those thoughts with the current memorialization of the Africville site and her own family history.
It's a powerful book that brings an important chapter of Canadian history to life for young readers, and we're excited to welcome Shauntay to Open Book today to speak about Africville as part of our Lucky Seven series.
She tells us about starting the text for the book while sitting in the park that now occupies the former Africville site, how the book explores the concept of home, and how she was able to work with former Africville residents during the writing process.
Open Book:
Tell us about your new book and how it came to be.
Shauntay Grant:
Africville is based on the text of a poem I wrote while sitting at the site of the former community, which is now a public park. When writing about a specific place, I’ll often go there to draw inspiration from the physical land. And so this poem was one of the gifts of that experience, sitting near the shores of the Bedford Basin in Halifax, listening, and reflecting on the community of Africville.
OB:
Is there a question that is central to your book, thematically?
SG:
One question that consumed me during the writing process is, “How do I make the Africville story accessible to children?” Often when we hear about Africville we hear about the negative things that were done to the community – all of the unwanted services brought by the city like the garbage dump, railroad tracks, slaughterhouse, the hospital for infectious disease, and lack of sewers and running water. But that is only a part of the story. For more than 150 years Africville was a vibrant, self-sustaining community. It was a home. And this celebration of home is a central theme in the book.
OB:
Did this project change significantly from when you first started working on it to the final version?
SG:
For sure. The first draft was conceived as a poem. The second draft, as a poem for young children, so a few tweaks with the language. And later, once I began working with Groundwood, I had the opportunity to share the draft text and illustrations with former Africville residents. It was such an incredible experience, to receive their feedback and affirmation. They helped make it a better book.
OB:
What do you need in order to write – in terms of space, food, rituals, writing instruments?
SG:
Silence is good. I talk as I write so hearing the words bounce around the space I’m in without other noise interference is helpful. I like to start with pen and paper, and then move to computer when I’m editing. Though sometimes I start with just voice – speaking the words aloud to myself, over and again until it feels right. I can pretty much write anywhere but I prefer an uncluttered desk, or an open space outside (weather permitting of course!). Tea is always good. Peppermint. Or Ginger.
OB:
What do you do if you're feeling discouraged during the writing process? Do you have a method of coping with the difficult points in your projects?
SG:
I go for a walk. It’s central to my writing practice. For me, the work doesn’t just happen at a desk in front of a computer or with pen and paper. There’s something about walking – coupled with listening and quiet reflection – that just makes everything clearer. I also have a habit of needing to hear the words aloud before committing them to paper, especially when it comes to dialogue. Exploring rhythm, meter, pacing, cadence is crucial to my practice, be it poetry, children’s books, playwriting, or any form of creative writing.
OB:
What defines a great book, in your opinion? Tell us about one or two books you consider to be truly great books.
SG:
I’m drawn to books that read like poetry. Whether poetry or prose, if the words sing and the writer is clearly concerned with the rhythm of the language, I’m hooked. One that I keep returning to is At The Bottom Of The River, a collection of short stories by Jamaica Kincaid. The writing is full of imagery, metaphor, music, feeling… you really get swept away.
OB:
What are you working on now?
SG:
My next project is a work for adults – a play. I’ve been developing my stage play The Bridge as playwright-in-residence at 2b theatre company. It’s set in a rural Black Nova Scotian community and explores the complexities of a relationship between two brothers strained over 20 years of secrecy, sin and shame. The play will premiere at Neptune Theatre in January 2019, a co-production between 2b and Neptune in association with Obsidian Theatre.
____________________________________
Shauntay Grant is a descendant of Black Loyalists, Jamaican Maroons and Black Refugees who migrated to Canada some two hundred years ago. A writer and performance artist, she has won the Joseph S. Stauffer Prize, and she has published several picture books. Shauntay also lectures in the Creative Writing Program at Dalhousie University. Her professional degrees and training include the Master of Fine Arts program at the University of British Columbia, and the Bachelor of Journalism program at the University of King’s College. She lives in Halifax.
Grant, Shauntay: AFRICVILLE
Kirkus Reviews. (July 15, 2018):
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 Kirkus Media LLC
http://www.kirkusreviews.com/
Full Text:
Grant, Shauntay AFRICVILLE Groundwood (Children's Fiction) $18.95 9, 4 ISBN: 978-1-77306-043-9
Africville, a historic black community that was located on the shores of Nova Scotia, is described from a child's perspective in this nostalgic picture book.
"Take me to the end of the ocean," begins this homage. The artwork, in brightly colored oil and pastel on canvas, combines past and present. The opening spread shows a modern-day black girl arriving at the shore, "where waves come to rest and hug the harbor stones." On shore, family, childhood, and community scenes from historic Africville await her. Some details are easy to imagine, like going to "watch the sea bring us all its treasures" and hearing "stories shared all around me." Others are specific to Africville but evocative of childhood adventure, like meeting at the Caterpillar Tree and "rafting down at Tibby's Pond." Still other details spark curiosity, like blueberry duff and "where my great-grandmother's name is marked in stone." On the final spread, the modern child enjoys an ice cream cone at a reunion, facing out at readers. The endmatter describes a community that was vibrant but neglected, then demolished in the 1960s. The annual reunions initiated in 1983 and the building of a museum echo the note of optimism on the final spread: "where memories turn to dreams, and dreams turn to hope, and hope never ends." The writing is spare but emotional, and the art brings the community to life.
A loving tribute to a history that should not be forgotten. (bibliography) (Picture book. 4-7)
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
"Grant, Shauntay: AFRICVILLE." Kirkus Reviews, 15 July 2018. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A546323084/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=32b240b7. Accessed 17 Nov. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A546323084
Apples and Butterflies
Shelle Rosenfeld
Booklist. 109.14 (Mar. 15, 2013): p88.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2013 American Library Association
http://www.ala.org/aboutala/offices/publishing/booklist/
Full Text:
Apples and Butterflies. By Shauntay Grant. Illus. by Tamara Thiebaux-Heikalo. Mar. 2013. 32p. Nimbus, $19.95 (9781551099354). Gr. 1-3.
A young girl narrator describes a family getaway to Prince Edward Island in this charmingly illustrated picture book with poetic touches. Following a refrain of "I want to," she relates scenarios such as "I want to rest inside a sunrise dream / an endless stretch of sea and sand and foam." Here, we see her joyfully greeting a swirly pastel sky. The lyrical text, with only a few lines per page, is simply constructed, though it's occasionally esoteric for kids--for instance, "I just want to breathe / breathe air that tastes like apples: / red / ripe." Nonetheless, the intricate, vibrant artwork incorporates playful and evocative elements, and the warm portrayal of a family appreciating nature's wonders and sharing in familiar activities like walking the beach or picking apples may inspire readers to dream or reminisce about their own vacations with, as the girl says, "no alarm clocks / and no chores.., only time / lots and lots of time."
Rosenfeld, Shelle
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Rosenfeld, Shelle. "Apples and Butterflies." Booklist, 15 Mar. 2013, p. 88. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A324981638/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=d69ea537. Accessed 17 Nov. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A324981638
GRANT, Shauntay. Africville
Anna Haase Krueger
School Library Journal. 64.9 (Sept. 2018): p91+.
Copyright: COPYRIGHT 2018 Library Journals, LLC. A wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/
Full Text:
* GRANT, Shauntay. Africville. illus. by Eva Campbell. 32p. Groundwood. Sept. 2018. Tr $18.95. ISBN 9781773060439.
K-Gr 2-This story celebrates the beauty and joy of the community seen through a child's eyes. Africville was a Black community in Halifax, Nova Scotia, that was settled during the American Revolutionary War, and provided a haven for those fleeing slavery during the War of 1812. Despite its rich history and equal contributions to taxes, the residents of Africville were denied equal services and the community was treated as a literal dumping ground, culminating in forcible relocation and its razing in the 1960s. The spirit of the community could not be broken; there is an annual reunion festival, and the City of Halifax has apologized and offered compensation to former residents. The narrator delights in the festivities, from the hills ripe with blueberries to rafting on the pond. There is both pride and longing expressed in the lyrical text, and the vibrant colors and friendly compositions of the oil and pastel illustrations immerse readers in this community. VERDICT This poetic ode to a place lost in time is an excellent choice for general reading and classroom sharing, and a must-purchase regionally.--Anna Haase Krueger, Ramsey County Library, MN
Source Citation (MLA 8th Edition)
Krueger, Anna Haase. "GRANT, Shauntay. Africville." School Library Journal, Sept. 2018, p. 91+. General OneFile, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A553280013/ITOF?u=schlager&sid=ITOF&xid=b03a3457. Accessed 17 Nov. 2018.
Gale Document Number: GALE|A553280013