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Exiled writers get a home at Writers' Centre
by Briony Smith
Quill & Quire

Jun. 2, 2006: Writers of all stripes may have been trying out the newly opened Toronto Writers’ Centre recently, but the centre’s new partnership with PEN Canada’s Writers in Exile Network will see scribes from all around the world finding a home there.

Starting this month, three exiled writers – Petronila Cleto of the Philippines, Gordana Icevska of Macedonia, and Sheng Xue of China – will take a three-month residency at the centre, where the usual membership fees will be waived, and they’ll be given free run of the facilities. Toronto Writers’ Centre managing director Mitch Kowalski says this program could be a good way for the Centre to give back to the community. “These exiled writers don’t have a place to write, making coming to the centre a fairly easy way for us to give back right away,” he says.

And the writers get more than just a desk and solitude – they get the company of other (Canadian) writers. “This program is different than the usual university residencies,” says Writers in Exile Network coordinator David Cozac. “This way, they get access to other writers, which is something exiled writers have been telling us they want more of. They can be immersed in the writing community and make contacts with Canadian writers, which we think is very valuable.”

Kowalski, too, is pleased with the cross-national socialization that will be going on. “Every day, there’ll be a different set of writers, widening the exiled writers’ social and writing network very quickly,” he says. “But local writers can also interact with international writers that they’d normally never meet in their daily life.”

Kowalski hopes to install three new exiled writers every three months and would like to eventually jointly sponsor readings with PEN Canada, allowing the exiled writers to share their work with the public.

June 2, 2006

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		Exiled writers get a home at Writers' Centre by Briony Smith Quill & Quire Jun. 2, 2006: Writers of all stripes may have been trying out the newly opened Toronto Writers’ Centre recently, but the centre’s new partnership with PEN Canada’s Writers in Exile Network will see scribes from all around the world finding a home there. Starting this month, three exiled writers – Petronila Cleto of the Philippines, Gordana Icevska of Macedonia, and Sheng Xue of China – will take a three-month residency at the centre, where the usual membership fees will be waived, and they’ll be given free run of the facilities. Toronto Writers’ Centre managing director Mitch Kowalski says this program could be a good way for the Centre to give back to the community. “These exiled writers don’t have a place to write, making coming to the centre a fairly easy way for us to give back right away,” he says. And the writers get more than just a desk and solitude – they get the company of other (Canadian) writers. “This program is different than the usual university residencies,” says Writers in Exile Network coordinator David Cozac. “This way, they get access to other writers, which is something exiled writers have been telling us they want more of. They can be immersed in the writing community and make contacts with Canadian writers, which we think is very valuable.” Kowalski, too, is pleased with the cross-national socialization that will be going on. “Every day, there’ll be a different set of writers, widening the exiled writers’ social and writing network very quickly,” he says. “But local writers can also interact with international writers that they’d normally never meet in their daily life.” Kowalski hopes to install three new exiled writers every three months and would like to eventually jointly sponsor readings with PEN Canada, allowing the exiled writers to share their work with the public.
			June 2, 2006