Spotlight
Pauline LeBel
Pauline received a Professional Development Grant from the Foundation, which enabled her to work with mentor/poet Rob Taylor on her collection of poems on the end of life. Three of the poems were published in literary magazines, and the entire manuscript, Becoming the Harvest, was published in October 2024 by Caitlin Press.
The cover of Pauline’s new poetry collection.
Catherine Tsalikis
Catherine’s Marian Hebb Research Grant, awarded in 2021, supported her work delving into the life of Chrystia Freeland and provided the opportunity for her to do in-person interviews in Alberta, Ontario and New York for her biography on Freeland, Chrystia: From Peace River to Parliament Hill.
The cover of Catherine’s biography on Chrystia Freeland published by House of Anansi Press.
Ontario Book Publishers Organization
A Marian Hebb Research Grant from Access Copyright Foundation helped support the work behind the Ontario Book Publishers Organization’s recent report quantifying the positive economic impact of Ontario’s independent book-publishing industry in 2023.
The logo of the Ontario Book Publishers Organization.
Vincenzo Pietropaolo
A Marian Hebb Research Grant has helped Vincenzo with his ongoing photography project, Unveiling the Queer Italian Canadian Experience, documenting Italian Canadians who self-identify as queer. Working with Vincenzo is writer Liana Cusmano.
A photo of Raffeal Briatico with his aunt, “zia” Maria Marinaro who are emblematic of Vincenzo’s project.
Elephant Mountain Literary Festival
Through an Events Grant from Access Copyright Foundation, the Elephant Mountain Literary Festival was able to offer a series of Blue Pencil Mentorship sessions at this year’s festival. Authors Roz Nay and Shashi Bhat were paired with writers looking to have their manuscripts evaluated.
A photo of the program from the 2024 festival, taking place from September 12 to 15 in Nelson, British Columbia.
Marc Edge
Marc Edge was awarded an Access Copyright Foundation Marian Hebb Research Grant to research alternative forms of Canadian media ownership for his upcoming book, Tomorrow’s News, to be published in November 2024.
The cover of Marc’s upcoming book on the state of the news media in Canada.
Susan White
A Marian Hebb Research Grant enabled author Susan White to dig deep into the 1947 Wartime Housing project in Moncton, New Brunswick which saw 100 houses built in the record time of 66 days.
Susan is now in the midst of crafting a fictional novel with the working title If These Walls… The novel will follow the residents of one of those constructed wartime houses through almost eight decades of change and challenge in the city to a present-day project attempting to deal with another housing crisis.
A photo of Susan.
Pam Clark
The Marian Hebb Research Grant enabled Pam Clark to deepen her understanding of the role of the Ukrainian Bookstore in 1914 Edmonton as a center of the community and its transformation during WW1. Pam is currently writing a sister novel to Kalyna (Stonehouse Publishing, 2016) featuring one of her earlier characters, Aya.
A photo of a traditional Ukrainian embroidered blouse for women called a vyshyvanka.
Hackmatack Children’s Choice Book Award
An Events Grant from Access Copyright Foundation for Hackmatack’s 2023 awards ceremony brought children’s authors and young books lovers together for a fun day of Canadian stories.
A photo of (left to right) authors Denis Boucher and Kevin heronJones.
Playwrights Guild of Canada
The Playwrights Guild of Canada’s Events Grant helped the Guild organize a series of readings in libraries, parks and other locales that featured the work of Canadian playwrights to mark the 50th anniversary of the Guild’s founding.
A photo of playwright Andrea Scott during one of the events as part of the Guild’s reading series.
Kathy Fisher
Through an Access Copyright Foundation Professional Development Grant, Kathy was able to attend the Sage Hill Poetry Colloquium to work with Louise Bernice Halfe – Sky Dancer on a poetry manuscript. One of the poems, footnotes margins minutes, has been published in a collection celebrating the life of historian Blaine Baker.
A screenshot of Kathy at the book launch of Law, Life, and the Teaching of Legal History: Essays in Honour of G. Blaine Baker.
Liza Potvin
Liza Potvin’s Professional Development Grant from Access Copyright Foundation enabled her to work with mentor Gail Anderson-Dargatz on an upcoming short-story collection about the weirdness of our human-animal connections.
A photo encapsulating the primary theme of Potvin’s upcoming short-story collection.
Yilin Wang
An Access Copyright Foundation Marian Hebb Research Grant aided Yilin Wang‘s work of translating the poetry of Chinese feminist poet Qiu Jin. Through the Grant, Wang has been able to research Qiu Jin’s life and poetry, key historical figures and women in her life who were important to her work as well as the moments in her life that most influenced her poetry.
An undated photo of Qiu Jin.
Funny Pages Society
An Access Copyright Foundation Event Grant supported the Funny Pages Society‘s inaugural in-person Funny Pages Festival. Over two days in April 2022 at the Halifax Central Library, hundreds of elementary students and their teachers enjoyed hilarious live presentations by some of Canada’s funniest authors.
A photo of author Sheree Fitch presenting at the 2022 Funny Pages Festival.
Lana Button
With the support of a Marian Hebb Research Grant, Lana Button was able to travel to New Brunswick and delve into the history of the building which houses the world’s oldest basketball court. This research will support her non-fiction book for young readers.
A photo of the St. Stephen Basketball floor.
Moni Brar
The Marian Hebb Research Grant Moni Brar received enabled her to conduct field research as well as interviews as she works on a memoir, told through poetry, relating to the cross-generational experience of a Punjabi-Canadian family.
A photo of the UNBC Northern BC Archives & Special Collections, one of the places where Moni was able to conduct important research.
Lori Hahnel
Lori Hahnel’s Marian Hebb Research Grant helped to facilitate research as she worked on a second draft of her upcoming novel on the life of composer and pianist Clara Schumann.
A picture of Schumann, circa 1853.
Carrie Snyder
A Marian Hebb Research Grant enabled Carrie Snyder to visit the Mennonite Archives of Ontario in Waterloo, Ontario, for a new novel, a work of fiction inspired by her grandmother’s experience being the daughter of Mennonite missionaries.
A photo from a scrapbook in the Clifford Snyder (Carrie’s grandfather and a Mennonite missionary) fonds at the Mennonite Archives of Ontario. The scrapbook dates from around 1947 and was created by Clifford’s sisters to memorialize his life and death.
Ayelet Tsabari
Ayelet Tsabari’s Marian Hebb Research Grant enabled her to investigate the history of Yemenite women’s songs for two projects: her upcoming novel as well as a series of poems on the topic.
A picture of Ayelet wearing a traditional Yemeni head covering at the home of her singing teacher.
The FOLD
Through the Festival of Literary Diversity‘s Events Grant from the Foundation in 2020, the Festival was able to welcome over 20 authors from Canada and around the world for five days of virtual literary events and discussions.
A screenshot from the 2020 edition of the Festival.
CANSCAIP
CANSCAIP’s Events Grant from Access Copyright Foundation in 2020 helped it to host the I Write Canadian Festival which occurred virtually during 2021’s I Read Canadian Day. The festival saw four videos (three in English, one in French) launched on YouTube featuring 20 children’s authors and illustrators.
Photo of author Eric Walters, the founder of I Read Canadian Day, discussing his novel, Don’t Stand So Close to Me (Orca Book Publishers).
Maria Saba
Maria Saba’s Professional Development Grant helped to cover expenses related to a residency at Wallace Stegner House in Eastend, Saskatchewan as she worked on revising the first draft of her upcoming novel.
A snapshot of Maria revising her manuscript during her time at Wallace Stegner House..
Frye Festival
Access Copyright Foundation’s 2020 Events Grant to the Frye Festival supported the creation of seven Story Time readings featuring English- and French-language Canadian writers that were made available on YouTube.
A screenshot of author Danny Ramadan reading from Salma the Syrian Chef (Annick Press, 2020).