Banff, Alberta, October 13, 2014 -- An accomplished Canadian author, curator and journalist, Devyani Saltzman has been appointed director of Literary Arts at The Banff Centre, effective December 1, 2014. Saltzman has deep roots in the global arts and culture community.
As the founding curator of literary programming at Luminato, Toronto's festival of arts and creativity, Saltzman brings more than a decade of experience in program development and team leadership to The Banff Centre.
"Devyani’s deep programming experience, her international literary network and her interest in multidisciplinary programming make her a natural fit for The Banff Centre. Sharing art and ideas with audiences is something she has done throughout her career, both in her own work and in her literary programming. We’re delighted that she’ll be joining the team and I know she will bring an exciting vision to Literary Arts at The Centre,” said Carolyn Warren, vice president of arts at The Banff Centre.
Saltzman’s critically-acclaimed memoir, Shooting Water (2005), received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly and Library Journal. Shooting Water, hailed ‘a poignant memoir’ by The New York Times, tells the remarkable story of reconnecting with her mother, award-winning filmmaker Deepa Mehta, in India and Sri Lanka during the production of the Oscar®-nominated film Water.
“I'm thrilled to be joining The Banff Centre team. It's an incredibly exciting time for Literary Arts at The Banff Centre. I look forward to honouring the program's venerable reputation while continuing to build Canada's preeminent global platform for the discussion and creation of literature, journalism and ideas,” said Saltzman.
Saltzman sits on the advisory committee for Project Bookmark Canada and has been a juror for the National Magazine Awards, Canada Council for the Arts and The Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction. She is currently finishing her first novel.
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About The Banff Centre: The Banff Centre's mission is inspiring creativity. Thousands of artists, leaders, and researchers from across Canada and around the world participate in programs at The Banff Centre every year. Through its multidisciplinary programming, The Banff Centre provides them with the support they need to create, to develop solutions, and to make the impossible possible. Moving forward, the Centre will disseminate the art and ideas developed in Banff using new initiatives in digital, web, radio, and broadcast media.