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Program Information
Program faculty Denise Balkissoon and Stephanie Kwetásel’wet Wood
Overview
This two-week residency encourages writers of Literary Journalism focusing on environmental concerns. Designed to challenge and stimulate, the program aims to inspire creative pieces of non-fiction and to assist the writers in their completion. The program addresses universal environmental concerns at a time when they could not be more relevant – from fire and flood, to climate change, to life after oil.
A preeminent space for long-form journalism, this residency emphasizes the strengths of thorough and articulate reporting, distinctive storytelling, and literary devices.
Work created in this program has been published in many outlets including The Globe and Mail, The Walrus, and The Atlantic, and pieces have gone on to win National Magazine and National Newspaper Awards.
What does the program offer?
Faculty provide mentorship and one-on-one workshopping. Instructors will discuss story ideas, craft concepts such as voice and structure, and challenges writers may be encountering with their literary journalism. Writers will have time to work on their manuscripts, receive individual consultations with faculty, and participate in group discussions.
Successful applicants will receive 100% scholarship to cover tuition, on-site accommodation, and on-site meals.
Who should apply?
Literary Journalism is designed for writers seeking a professional development opportunity in a community of peers with the guidance of an experienced writer/editor, as each participant prepares a long form piece.
Applicants should be experienced professionals, active in the diversified fields of writing, including print or electronic media. This program is open to fiction and non-fiction writers, journalists, freelance critics or curators, artists, and academics, with an emphasis on those who can write for a lay audience with logic, vigour, and charm—and those who have a portfolio to prove it.
We welcome writers from all backgrounds, and all gender identities and expressions. Applicants must be ages 18+ at the time of the program start date.
Please note: This program is run in English and participants are accepted for an English-language essay.
The Literary Journalism program is generously supported by:
Rogers Communications Chair in Literary Journalism Endowment Fund
Faculty
Denise Balkissoon
Denise Balkissoon is Ontario bureau chief at The Narwhal, a publication about the natural world. Prior to that, she has been executive editor at Chatelaine, an editor, reporter and podcast host at The Globe and Mail, and written for publications including the Toronto Star, Maclean’s, Toronto Life and the Boston Globe. She was also a co-founder of the Ethnic Aisle, a groundbreaking digital publication about race and ethnicity in the Greater Toronto Area and beyond. Denise has won awards for her journalism from the Canadian Journalism Foundation, the Canadian Association of Journalists, the National Magazine Awards, the Digital Publishing Awards, the Association of Ontario Midwives and the Urban Alliance on Race Relations.
Faculty
Stephanie Kwetásel’wet Wood
Steph Kwetásel’wet Wood is a Sḵwx̱wú7mesh journalist living and writing in her nation's territory also known as North Vancouver. She has been doing journalism focused on the natural world at The Narwhal since 2020, working on news stories, investigations, community-focused stories and long-form features. In 2022 she won the Canadian Association of Journalists' Emerging Indigenous Journalist award. In 2023, she was part of the team that won the Canadian Journalism Foundation Award for Climate Solutions Reporting. She worked with a team of Sḵwx̱wú7mesh community members in writing a book on Sḵwx̱wú7mesh history, which was published in January 2024, called tiná7 cht ti temíxw (We Come From This Land). She earned her Master of Journalism degree at the University of British Columbia.
Faculty
Molly Segal
Molly Segal is a reporter, producer and documentary-maker, whose audio work focuses on climate change, environment and science. Always ready for a reporting adventure, Molly's work has taken her up in helicopters over remote mountain tops, to the side of scree slopes looking for fossils and riding along with scientists counting grizzlies. She was a 2019–2020 MIT Knight Science Journalism Fellow, where she researched how people relate to large, toothy animals. Since July 2020, she’s worked with CBC Radio’s What On Earth, which won the inaugural Canadian Journalism Foundation award for climate solutions coverage. At CBC, Molly has covered the UN climate talks on the ground from Glasgow, guest hosted What On Earth and reported on topics ranging from the technical aspects of green technologies to the very personal toll of climate activism. She has given talks on field reporting to universities in Canada, the U.S. and Germany.
Professional Guest
What's Included
Single Room
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Your program fee includes a single bedroom on the Banff Centre campus for the duration of your program.
Get connected with other artists on campus and focus on your projects in a creative environment while we take care of the day-to-day essentials.
Full Flex Meal Plan
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Using a credit-based system to dine on campus, our flexible meal plans allow you to select meals according to your own needs during your stay. Banff Centre can accommodate most dietary requests.
The Full Flex meal plan is calculated at $70 credit per day, equivalent to breakfast, lunch and dinner at our Buffet service.
Showcase Your Work
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This program offers opportunities to showcase your work-in-progress in one of our performance venues.
Gym Membership
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Your program fee includes free access to the climbing gym, and fitness centre at the Sally Borden Fitness and Recreation Centre.
Box Office Discounts
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Enjoy special artist rates for ticketed performances or complimentary access to events.
Participant Resources
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Enrich your experience and get to know other artists on campus by taking advantage of the activities and support provided by our Participant Resources team.
Studio space
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Each participant will be allocated a private writing space on campus.
Paul D. Fleck Library and Archives
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The Paul D. Fleck Library and Archives are delighted to support Banff Centre Participants, Artists, and Faculty with access to collections, including program-relevant books, scores, artists’ books, recordings, periodicals, and an object library.
Fees & Financial Assistance
Application fee: $65 for individuals ($35 for applicants who identify as Indigenous).
Application Fees are non-refundable.
*Scholarship of 100% is available and will be applied to cover tuition, meals and accommodation costs.
If you would like to be considered, please complete the Financial Aid section when uploading your supporting materials.
Banff Centre will issue official tax receipts for eligible tuition fees and financial assistance and awards as required by the Income Tax Act. You will receive a T2202 (Tuition and Enrolment Certificate) for eligible tuition fees paid and a T4A (Statement of Pension, Retirement, Annuity, and Other Income) for applicable financial assistance and awards.
Help fund your experience at Banff Centre. View a compiled list of national and international opportunities here.
How to Apply
Learn more about the steps to Complete Your Application.
Resume
A 1-3 page resume or C.V. describing academic, professional, and other relevant experience.
Cover Letter
A one-page cover letter explaining why you are interested in this program and what you hope to achieve by attending it.
Project Proposal
An outline of one to three pages describing the project the applicant proposes to work during the residency.
Portfolio
Please provide one sample from your in-progress project, not exceeding 10 pages in total.
Financial Assistance
Be sure to complete the Financial Aid question in SlideRoom to be eligible for financial assistance.
Adjudication
Participants are selected by impartial adjudicators on the basis of their submitted material. The successful candidates will be selected from the field of applicants on the basis of writing skill, literary merit, and the relevance and originality of their project idea. Consideration will also be given to the likelihood that the writer’s work will benefit from the program.
Applicants will be notified of their status as soon as adjudication is complete.
Eligibility
Applicants are usually accomplished, professional journalists and writers who have been published in national or international magazines, newspapers, anthologies, or literary journals. However, writers with less experience have also been accepted to the program based on merit, the proposed project and writing skill.
Applicants must be ages 18+ at the time of the program start date.
Note: Past participants of Literary Journalism are not eligible. Those accepted as participants to the program who subsequently find themselves unable to attend for the full program schedule are asked to withdraw and re-apply another year. This program is not open to current faculty members of any other Banff Centre programming. Applications will not be accepted from any applicants who have participated in a Banff Centre program in the last 12 months.
International Applicants
Banff Centre welcomes domestic and international applicants for this program. Please note, Banff Centre programs do not meet Canadian Student Visa eligibility requirements, you must obtain a Visitor Visa to enter Canada. Accepted individuals are responsible for identifying and complying with the immigration requirements to enter Canada as a visitor from their country of origin. Current wait times to receive a visa are much longer than normal, so applicants who require a Visitor Visa should check the current expected processing times prior to applying.
All programs, faculty, dates, fees, and offers of financial assistance are subject to change. Program fee is subject to applicable taxes. Non-refundable fees and deposits will be retained upon cancellation. Any other fees are refunded at the discretion of the Banff Centre. The application deadline is 11:59 p.m. MDT.
Contact Admissions
For questions on preparing your application, please contact Admissions:
Toll Free Number (Canada + USA)
1.800.565.9989
Phone
403.762.6180
