Calgary Distinguished Writers Program welcomes Amanda Leduc as writer-in-residence

Canadian author Amanda Leduc, known for her fiction and non-fiction on living with a disability, is the newest writer-in-residence with the Calgary Distinguished Writers Program (CDWP) at the University of Calgary’s Faculty of Arts.

Her residency kicks off with a free public event on Sept. 21 at cSpace, giving an opportunity to meet the author and learn about the creative life, her projects and her approach to mentorship.

Leduc is a disabled Canadian writer whose essays and stories have appeared across Canada, the U.S. and the U.K. She has cerebral palsy and is the author of Disfigured: On Fairy Tales, Disability, and Making Space, which was shortlisted for the 2020 Governor General’s Award in Nonfiction. Her novel, Wild Life, was longlisted for the 2026 Carol Shields Prize for Fiction and the 2025 Giller Prize. Her earlier novels include The Centaur’s Wife and The Miracles of Ordinary Men.

"I'm so looking forward to meeting and engaging with Calgary's writers — and all of their stories! We all carry stories deep inside of us, and sometimes the process of getting that story out into the world is just a matter of speaking to someone else who can help discern its shape,” Leduc says. “I can't wait to help demystify the writing process, help your stories come alive and do my part in helping to ensure that Calgary continues to be a vibrant, accessible place for sharing our stories with the world."

Throughout the year, Leduc will be active in literary events on campus, in Calgary and around Alberta. The CDWP and UCalgary Libraries and Cultural Resources is hosting a Lit Happens book club on Nov. 19, featuring Leduc and her novel, Wild Life. Readers will have a chance to interact with the author and get their books signed as they discuss her 2026 Carol Shields Prize for Fiction- and 2025 Giller Prize-longlisted book.

Leduc will also visit classrooms and do manuscript consultations during her residency. Free manuscript consultations are open to aspiring writers from any faculty at UCalgary. Anyone can have one individual consultation on their works of fiction or non-fiction. Writers can submit a manuscript at any stage of development to discuss ideas, receive guidance and editing or get advice on writing and publishing in Canada. 

The CDWP is Canada’s premiere residency program, striving to advance the careers of Canadian writers and invigorate the Calgary writing community. It connects students and the community with some of the country’s most engaging literary voices. 

Since its inception in 1993, the program has brought to Calgary two Nobel Laureates — Derek Walcott and Wole Soyinka — and such literary luminaries as Carmen Maria Machado, Zadie Smith, Oliver Sacks, Timothy Findley, Michelle Good, Ursula K. Le Guin, Michael Ondaatje, and Pulitzer Prize-winning author and illustrator Art Spiegelman. 

Leduc joins a roster of celebrated writers who have helped shape the program’s reputation into a hub for creativity and cultural dialogue. The CDWP’s most famous Canadian writers-in-residences include award-winning Graphic Memoirist Teresa Wong; best-selling author and speaker Danny Ramadan; Giller Prize-winner and faculty member Suzette Mayr; and nationally recognized journalist and writer Marcello di Cintio.

Learn more about Amanda Leduc and upcoming events on the Calgary Distinguished Writers Program website.