The (CanL)It Crowd: Gail Kirkpatrick
I am happy to welcome Gail Kirkpatrick to The (CanL)It Crowd—a fitting author to feature in this series on literary community and citizenship since I first heard of Gail’s debut novel, Sleepers and Ties, through a dear mutual writer friend who recommended her book. And it’s a book that is (planets align!) also about the power and importance of community, set against the beautifully rendered backdrop of the Canadian prairies. (Learn more about Sleepers and Ties here.)
Sleepers and Ties by Gail Kirkpatrick (NON Publishing, 2023) is available wherever books are sold.
After receiving her undergrad at the University of Victoria, Gail Kirkpatrick completed her MA in writing at Lancaster University where she explored the parallel and converging lines of memory, shared history, and landscape. Her writing has been published in various literary and trade magazines in Canada and the UK, and Sleepers and Ties is her first novel. She currently resides in Victoria, BC.
Nuns, Fret Not: Author Gail Kirkpatrick on Writing Community
“Writing is a solitary activity best pursued in a room of one’s own. Good lamp, only the tap tap of my keyboard interrupted by the occasional bird, a tea beside me, the hanging lavender scenting my thoughts. I happen to be one of those people who prefer a quiet empty space, available only to the world I am creating. Nuns fret not.
I’m not sure when or why I looked for a community of writers. Probably for elder wisdom and inspiration. I joined the local chapter of Professional Writers’ of Canada when I started writing for a parenting magazine. I suppose I thought the affiliation would lend me some credit on a resume. Those first gatherings left me intimidated and I realized once again what a shy person I really am. Members were or had been publishers, editors, journalists, and broadcasters with long and impressive careers, some with several books under their belts. Still, they welcomed me as one of their own, and that boosted my confidence. The added bonuses: we laughed a lot, ate some wonderful food, and went en masse to book launches and writers’ talks. Not since my university days had I felt such a kinship with other writers. The local Victoria BC chapter has since disbanded, but some of us still meet every couple of months for community and a catchup on what everyone is working on.
Two people with whom I served on the executive have become good friends. An editor and a writer, they know what it means to struggle with the written word, face rejections, keep on keeping on, and we cheer each other on at every turn. We genuinely care about how each other’s work is going, and more personally now share how our writing takes shape around families, life events, and other responsibilities.
When my first novel came out, my publisher introduced me to the writer Lucy Black (The Brickworks) and she has inspired and motivated me. She is a wonderful writer and has broadened my connections to a literary community who are kind and passionate about what they are doing. I am also extremely blessed by a literary citizenship within my MA cohorts who write from Greece to Ghana.
Perhaps nuns fret not, but my writing life is informed and enriched by the writers that make up my literary community.”