
Leslie Jamison wins Writers' Trust award for international non-fiction author
American author and essayist Leslie Jamison has won this year's $75,000 Weston International Award.
The prize, presented by the Writers' Trust of Canada, recognizes the career achievement of a non-fiction writer from outside of Canada.
Jurors praise Jamison's 'mastery of language' and say she brings rigorous scholarship to writing about her most intimate thoughts.
Jamison's non-fiction work includes the essay collections 'The Empathy Exams' and 'Make It Scream, Make It Burn' and the memoirs 'The Recovering' and 'Splinters.'
She also teaches at Columbia University, where she directs the non-fiction Masters of Fine Arts program.
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A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene.
The Writers' Trust plans to host an on-stage interview with Jamison at the Royal Ontario Museum in September.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 18, 2025.
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Winnipeg Free Press
10 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Leslie Jamison wins Writers' Trust award for international non-fiction author
American author and essayist Leslie Jamison has won this year's $75,000 Weston International Award. The prize, presented by the Writers' Trust of Canada, recognizes the career achievement of a non-fiction writer from outside of Canada. Jurors praise Jamison's 'mastery of language' and say she brings rigorous scholarship to writing about her most intimate thoughts. Jamison's non-fiction work includes the essay collections 'The Empathy Exams' and 'Make It Scream, Make It Burn' and the memoirs 'The Recovering' and 'Splinters.' She also teaches at Columbia University, where she directs the non-fiction Masters of Fine Arts program. Weekly A weekly look at what's happening in Winnipeg's arts and entertainment scene. The Writers' Trust plans to host an on-stage interview with Jamison at the Royal Ontario Museum in September. This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 18, 2025.


Toronto Sun
a day ago
- Toronto Sun
Pope Leo related to Madonna, Justin Bieber and Justin Trudeau
Pope Leo, left, and Madonna Photo by Alberto Pizzoli; Dia Dipasupil / Getty Images Reviews and recommendations are unbiased and products are independently selected. Postmedia may earn an affiliate commission from purchases made through links on this page. Family comes in all shapes and forms — just ask Pope Leo XIV. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account It's safe to say that the unlikely pairing were not on your bingo card but it turns out, the pontiff and Madonna are 'ninth cousins, various times removed,' Henry Louis Gates Jr., host of the PBS show Finding Your Roots, revealed in the New York Times . Gates traced the American Pope's lineage and discovered the pontiff — born Robert Francis Prevost — and Madge were linked to Canadian ancestor Louis Boucher de Grandpre, who was born in Trois-Rivières, Que., Gates noted in the Times . But Madonna isn't the Pope's only famous relative; Leo is also related to numerous Canadian-derived distant cousins, including Angelina Jolie, Hillary Clinton, Justin Bieber, Pierre and Justin Trudeau and Jack Kerouac — making for a pretty star-studded family tree. Your noon-hour look at what's happening in Toronto and beyond. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Please try again This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. The Material Girl hasn't been shy about her difficult past with the Catholic church she was raised in. Her racy video for her 1989 hit 'Like a Prayer' stirred up controversy for burning crosses and its sexy depiction of Jesus. Pope John Paul II urged fans in Italy to boycott Madonna and skip her Blond Ambition tour the following year. Then in 2006, Madge sparked outrage for her mock crucifixion during a concert in Rome. That incident led Cardinal Ersilio Tonino, with the approval of Pope Benedict XVI, to declare that she 'should be excommunicated,' according to the London Evening Standard . 'To crucify herself during the concert in the city of popes and martyrs is an act of open hostility,' he continued. 'It is nothing short of a scandal and an attempt to generate publicity.' This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. That said, Madonna was quick to share the lineage news on her Instagram Stories, sharing a photo of them side by side and noting that Leo is a 'distant relative.' Leo XIV was elected as pope on May 8 following Pope Francis' death on April 21. Over the weekend, Al Pacino became the first movie star to meet the first American Pope. RECOMMENDED VIDEO 'We are honored to announce that this morning His Holiness Pope Leo XIV received in a private audience at the Holy See a delegation from the film 'Maserati: The Brothers,' including Oscar winner actor Al Pacino and the film's producer Andrea Iervolino,' Iervolino said in a statement, as per Variety . 'The meeting was a moment of profound spiritual and cultural inspiration, centred around shared values that lie at the heart of both the Catholic Church and the film: family unity, love, compassion and the importance of contributing to the common good.' Read More The Pope may have more official audiences with celebrities in his future given his relation to many of them. Toronto Maple Leafs Canada NHL Toronto Maple Leafs Ontario


Vancouver Sun
2 days ago
- Vancouver Sun
Bob Rennie donates $22.8 million in art to the National Gallery of Canada: 'We want the works to be shown'
Vancouver real estate marketer Bob Rennie is starting to think about his legacy, and where to place some of the 4,000-plus works in his art collection. The National Gallery of Canada appears to be at the top of his list. On Monday, the Ottawa institution announced Rennie and his family had donated 61 works to the gallery, valued at $22.8 million. The trove includes 40 works by the late Vancouver artist Rodney Graham and three works by Ai Weiwei, the outspoken contemporary art superstar from China. There are also 10 pieces by Palestinian artist Mona Hatoum, a large installation by British artist Yinka Shonibare, and three works by the late American artist Dan Graham, among others. Get top headlines and gossip from the world of celebrity and entertainment. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Sun Spots will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Rennie has already donated a couple of hundred works to the National Gallery, bringing the total to 260 pieces of art valued at $35 million. 'I'm 69,' said Rennie, a wildly successful real estate marketer and internationally known art collector. 'My kids don't have the capacity to manage this collection, so I want a custodian that is better than me and that is well-funded for conservation, preservation, (and) blending.' He also notes the National Gallery has a new position designed 'to make sure that there's a lending practice across Canada to major, modest and small museums. We want the works to be shown.' There may be more art on the way. 'We're discussing two major Kerry James Marshall works,' he said. 'I think (the gallery was) surprised that we might be willing to give them, because they're extremely valuable.' That isn't hype. A Marshall painting sold for $21.1 million US at Sotheby's auction in 2018. 'It's very hard for museums to keep up with contemporary market prices,' he said. To get expensive works, art galleries rely on donations. Rennie said for a collector, donating art is like 'you're marrying off your children.' 'You hope that they're marrying the right person, and the journey will be protected,' he said. 'And that's been our relationship with the National Gallery. We've been (that way) ever since our first donation to them 20 years ago. We've been very comfortable.' Rennie had local shows of his collection for a couple of decades at his own gallery in Chinatown, located at the historic Wing Sang building. Many of the works he has donated were at shows at his gallery, including a Rodney Graham exhibition. 'I wanted to keep (the Graham works) all together, and (thought) the National Gallery would be a really safe place for it,' he said. A neon globe that was the centrepiece of Mona Hatoum's show at the Rennie gallery is not going to the National Gallery, however. He donated it to a museum in Qatar. He sold the Wing Sang building to the province in 2022, which converted it into a Chinese Canadian Museum. Much of his focus now is on lending art from his collection for exhibitions. He currently has 62 artworks on loan around the world, and is lending some Marshall paintings to an exhibition that will open this fall at the Royal Academy in London, England. His collection is largely focused on what he calls 'raising artists' voices.' 'Social justice is too weak a word. It's used too often,' he said. 'But raising artists' voices and making sure that topics of our time are raised.' He has blue-chip international art connections. He is chair of the collections committee at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. After 17 years of association with the Tate Gallery in London, he stepped down as president of the Tate Americas Foundation last November. He has also been a critic of the Vancouver Art Gallery's proposal to build a new facility. But he had breakfast on Monday with the two people currently running the VAG, Eva Respini and Sirish Rao, and said he now has 'the nicest relationship with the Vancouver Art Gallery that I have had since 2002.' And he is still collecting. 'I've acquired 342 works since Jan. 1, 2023.' jmackie@