- Home
- Events
- Writer in Residence
- Chris Benjamin
Writer-in-Residence "Chris Benjamin"
Passion needs to come from deep within, and every writer has it. For Chris Benjamin, his passion for writing, helping others and spreading the literary word in the community is why the Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library (PARL) was excited to announce him as our 2014 Writer-in-Residence, and our 11th Writer-in-Residence at the library!
PARL and our patrons, gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Writer-in-Residence @ the library program through funding by the Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library Board.
Biography
A freelance journalist and author, Chris Benjamin is a frequent contributor to Saltscapes Magazine, Halifax Magazine, and the Halifax Examiner. His debut novel, Drive-by Saviours, won the H.R. Percy Prize and was longlisted for Canada Reads 2011 and a ReLit Prize. His second work, a non-fiction piece titled Eco-Innovators: Sustainability in Atlantic Canada, was the winner of the 2012 APMA Best Atlantic-Published Book Award and a finalist for the Richardson Non-Fiction Prize. His newest book, Indian School Road: Legacies of the Shubenacadie Residential School was released August 2014 and won the Dave Greber Freelance Writing Award.
Chris has also written for The Globe and Mail, Toronto Star, Chronicle Herald, Halifax Magazine, and more.
Benjamin has always been a storyteller with a passion for social justice, sustainability and human health. While working toward his Master's degree in Environmental Studies at York University, he became hooked on environmental writing. But it had to be people focused. He was starting to see a parallel between human diversity and bio-diversity. As an ecosystem is resilient when it has diverse elements symbiotically and non-judgmentally complementing one another's functions and evolving, societies thrive when communities engage with open minds. Somewhat incongruously, Benjamin also holds a Bachelor's of Commerce from Dalhousie University, which has served him immensely in understanding how humans behave in organized environments. A writer needs to know these things.
Benjamin carefully crafts his written work through narratives, memoirs, features, analyses and editorials having a profound impact on the world around him. With his career as a journalist and his role as an enviro-social activist, the research he does is evident in his writing.
Chris lives with his wife and two kids in a house owned by two cats in Halifax, Nova Scotia. People can follow him on Twitter at @benjaminwrites and find his website at www.chrisbenjaminwriting.com. He is also a member of the Writers Federation of Nova Scotia (WFNS).
Awards/Memberships
- 2013 Dave Greber Freelance Book Award
- Finalist for 2012 Evelyn Richardson Prize for Non-Fiction
- Winner, 2012 Best Atlantic Published Book Award
- Longlisted for Canada Reads 2011
- Nova Scotia literary grant recipient, 2010
- Finalist, Fusion Go Sustainability Award 2010
- Third Place, Atlantic New Cultures Writing Competition 2010
- Member, Nova Scotia Professional Writer's Council 2008/present
- Honourable Mention, Canadian Magazine Awards 2009
- First Prize, Novel Category, Atlantic Writing Competition 2008
- Toronto Arts Council Grant recipient for literature 2006
- Canadian Race Relations Council Award of Excellence Finalist 2005
- Toronto Community Foundation Vital Ideas Award 2005
- TRCA Local Hero Award 2004
BIBLIOGRAPHY
BOOKS
PARTIAL LIST OF PUBLISHED WORK - DATING TO 2010
- Weather Seals, Science Friday, Feature, August 2014
- Free Lab addresses Citadel Hill erosion problem, Halifax Examiner, Feature, August 2014
- Raucous crowd greets fracking review panel, Halifax Examiner, Feature, August 2014
- Betting the Fish Farm, Saltscapes Magazine, Feature, July 2014
- Paradise Found, Halifax Magazine, Feature, July 2014
- The Planner Without a Plan, Halifax Magazine, Feature, May 2014
- Natural Law, Halifax Magazine, Cover Story, April 2014
- Bookmark for Sale, The Coast, ShopTalk, January 2014
- 2013 Report on Nova Scotia's Cosmetic Pesticide Ban, Pesticide Free Nova Scotia, December 2013
- Meribah, The Coast, Short Fiction, December 2013
- Michael de Adder in the Author's Studio, Atlantic Books Today, Feature Story, December 2013
- People Movers, Halifax Magazine, Feature Story, October 2013
- Lesley Choyce in the Author's Studio, Atlantic Books Today, Feature Story, October 2013
- It's Getting Hotter: What do We Do?, Dalhousie Magazine, Feature, July 2013
- Six Features in the Dalhousie Management Special Issue, May 2013
- Cuisve: Connected by Poverty, Fierce Ink Press, Narrative Non-Fiction, May 2013
- The Water Bottle Thief, Everything is So Political Anthology, Short Fiction, Roseway Publishing, May 2013
- Gottigen Terrace Back From the Dead, The Coast, News, January 2013
- The Forest and the Trees, Radio Documentary, Maritime Magazine, CBC Radio, January 2013
- Idle No More: Halifax Gets Active, The Coast, News, January 2013
- Spotlight on Schizophrenia, The Coast, Feature, December 2012
- Bloomfield Redeployment, The Coast, December 2012
- Gottingen Street's Affordable Housing Crisis, The Coast, Feature, October 2012
- No Defense for Cornwallis, Halifax Magazine, Summer 2012
- The Changing Classroom, Dalhousie Magazine, Feature, May 2012
- At the Same Table: Summary Report on the Nonprofit Sector, Phoenix Youth Programs and the Federation of Community Organizations, January 2012
- Eco-Innovators: Sustainability in Atlantic Canada, Nimbus Publishing, Non-Fiction Book, October 2011
- 10 Features in Success!, Nova Scotia Community College alumni magazine, Summer 2011
- Clinical Culture Clash and IWK Midwifery, The Chronicle Herald, News Feature, Feb 2011
- Reserve Judgments, The Coast, Column, Jan 2011
- Fear and Seeking in Nova Scotia, The Coast, Column, Jan 2011
- The Law Won, Prisons Issue, Descant, Creative Non-Fiction, December 2010
- Opportunities & Challenges in Atlantic Canadian Farming, Narrative Report, Nova Scotia Federation of Agriculture, Fall 2010
- We Are All Junkies, The Coast, Column, Oct 2010
- Rebuilding Halifax's Most Feared Neighbourhood, The Globe and Mail, News Feature, Sept 2010
- Drive-by Saviours: a novel, Roseway Publishing, Long Fiction, September 2010
- Energy Poverty, The Coast, Column, Aug 2010
- It's Muhammad, Atlantic New Cultures Website, Fiction, April 2010
- Supportive Housing Stories, Community Action on Homelessness, March 2010
- Housing Crisis Can't be Ignored, Halifax Media Co-op, News, March 2010
- Midwifery is ready for delivery, but public health lags, This Magazine, Feature, February 2010
