Creative Writing I

I am a practising writer of fiction and poetry, and I love connecting with students through their creative writing practice. For nine years, I was the Academic Assistant to Professor Carolyn Smart on CWRI 295, and I am thrilled to be taking over as course leader this year.  I am a Queen’s alumna, BA(Hons) English Language and Literature; Art History (ArtSci ’06), and I completed teacher’s college as an English and Drama teacher at the Institute of Education at University College London. I also received my MA and PhD in Creative Writing at Swansea University in Wales, where I live. My work has been published in various literary magazines in Canada and the UK, my poetry pamphlet/chapbook, “Loose Jewels” was published in 2020, and a full collection of poetry, “Strange Animals”, is due for publication by Parthian Books in 2022. I am also a novelist and short story writer, and the distinction between the two forms was the focus of my doctoral research.  I look forward to welcoming you to CWRI 295 and seeing your creative writing practice bloom and grow over the course of the semester.

Dr. Emily Vanderploeg is a writer of fiction and poetry.  She received a BA(Hons) in English and Art History from Queen’s University, completed teacher’s college at the Institute of Education at University College London, and received an MA and PhD in Creative Writing from Swansea University, Wales.  Her writing has been published in both Canada and the UK in various literary magazines, shortlisted for the Arc Poem of the Year Award, and longlisted for the Women Poets’ Prize.  Emily is a novelist and short story writer, which was also the focus of her doctoral practice and research.  Her poetry pamphlet, Loose Jewels, won the Cinnamon Press Pamphlet Competition and was published in 2020, and a full collection of poetry, Strange Animals, is due to be published in 2022 by Parthian Books.  Originally from Aurora, Ontario, she currently lives in Swansea, Wales.