Award-winning authors explore reshaping identity
Identities built on 'us and them' need a rethink, says writer Kyo Maclear
*Originally published on Feb. 12, 2024.
Adopting the voice of a villain to explore the real self. How an older widow is motivated to change her life. How immigration results in psychological births and deaths.
These are just a few of the creative approaches taken in some new writing: original pieces written by five winners of the Governor General's Literary Awards, 2023.
The authors were asked to create short work exploring the theme of "subverting identity." It's part of an annual collaboration between CBC Books, the Canada Council for the Arts, and IDEAS.
IDEAS also asked each of the five authors to reflect on their work, and the theme itself.
Kyo Maclear, a 2023 GGs nonfiction winner for her memoir, Unearthing, wrote an essay looking "at what it would mean to think of ourselves in community, even when we're resistant to that idea, even if it goes against our kind of better nature, or our tendencies."
A self-declared introvert who avoids groups, Maclear somewhat reluctantly joins her husband's group singing event, involving residents of a Toronto men's shelter. She finds the experience unexpectedly moving.
It leads her to wryly acknowledge in the piece that "there is something to be said for communality even if it's not second nature or, frankly, 100 per cent enjoyable."
In conversation with IDEAS, Kyo Maclear saw the seed of something bigger in that small experience. In a time of conflict, climate change, and the politicization of borders, she believes we need to strive to be more porous, inclusive, and open.
"I do think that the only hope for healing and any planetary survival is if we start to think of ourselves in broader collective terms, and step outside of the silo of the self."
To listen to this conversation and hear from other award-winning authors download the IDEAS podcast from your favourite app.
Guests in this episode:
Sarah Everett is a writer. Her book, The Probability of Everything, won a 2023 Governor General's Literary Award in the category Young People's Literature, Text.
Hannah Green is a poet in Winnipeg. Her book, Xanax Cowboy, won a 2023 Governor General's Literary Award in the poetry category.
Kyo Maclear is a writer in Toronto. Her memoir, Unearthing, won a 2023 Governor General's Literary Award in the nonfiction category.
Anuja Varghese is a writer in Hamilton, Ontario. Her story collection, Chrysalis, won won a 2023 Governor General's Literary Award in the fiction category
Jack Wong is a writer and illustrator based in Halifax. His picture book, When You Can Swim, won a 2023 Governor General's Literary Award in the category Young People's Literature, Illustrated.
*This episode was produced by Lisa Godfrey. It is part of an annual series with CBC Books and the Canada Council for the Arts.
