UPEI professors join celebration of David Helwig, September 25
Several members of UPEI’s Department of English will be on hand to help celebrate Canadian poet, novelist, and essayist David Helwig. “An Evening with David Helwig” will be held Tuesday, September 25 at 7:30 pm in the Carriage House of Beaconsfield Historic House on the Charlottetown waterfront. The event is hosted by PEI’s Poet Laureate, Deirdre Kessler, and the Bookmark.
To date, David Helwig has published close to fifty books and edited numerous others. He has written for television and radio, worked at the CBC, taught at Queen’s University, been Poet Laureate of Prince Edward Island, and named to the Order of Canada. Yet, he remains little known.
David Helwig: Essays on His Works is the first book to gather new essays, an interview, and earlier material—by George Fetherling, Douglas Glover, D.G. Jones, Simon Lloyd, Tom Marshall, Rob McLennan, Shane Neilson, Ingrid Ruthig, Mark Sampson, and Lorraine M. York—in order to introduce and explore Helwig’s body of work while documenting the broad range of his literary talents and accomplishments.
The editor of this edition, Ingrid Ruthig, writer, poet, visual artist, said, “Within any literary community, there are those writers who simply go about the business of writing—diligent, dedicated, building a body of work without fanfare. They seem disinclined to court chatter and celebrity, to inflate image and ego, or to stake out a place centre-stage. David Helwig is one of those unassuming craftsmen. Since he first aspired to it more than six decades ago, he has been living the life of a writer.”
UPEI’s Richard Lemm, Lee Ellen Pottie, and Deirdre Kessler, along with 20 Island poets and writers, will present an evening to celebrate David Helwig and his remarkable literary accomplishments. This event is free, and the public is encouraged to attend and meet a Prince Edward Island literary giant.
The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.
