For immediate release
KPU instructor launches book exploring Canada's literary gardens
Metro Vancouver, BC – Dr. Shelley Boyd, a Canadian literature specialist in Kwantlen Polytechnic University's (KPU) Department of English, launched her new book Garden Plots: Canadian Women Writers and Their Literary Gardens on Tuesday.
Published by McGill-Queen’s University Press, Garden Plots explores the relationship between gardening and writing in the works of five authors: Susanna Moodie, Catharine Parr Traill, Gabrielle Roy, Carol Shields, and Lorna Crozier. Spanning the 19th to 21st centuries, Garden Plots reveals the evolving role of the female gardener-writer, and the changes that take place in Canada’s literary gardens over time. The book was awarded a grant through the Awards to Scholarly Publications Program, which is provided by the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences.
“The wilderness has long been viewed as central to the Canadian imagination,” Boyd explains. “I wanted to shift focus onto private domestic spaces that have been overlooked by critics.”
Before choosing to work and write out of KPU, Boyd served as the Max Bell Postdoctoral Fellow at McGill University where she taught both undergraduate and graduate courses in Canadian literature, Canadian studies and Business Communications.
Her book launch was held at VanDusen Botanical Gardens in Vancouver.
Kwantlen Polytechnic University has been serving the Metro Vancouver region for 30 years, and has opened doors to success for more than 250,000 people. Four campuses—Richmond, Surrey, Cloverdale and Langley—offer a comprehensive range of sought-after programs, including business, liberal arts, science, design, health, trades and technology, apprenticeships, horticulture, and academic and career advancement. Over 18,000 students annually have a choice from over 200 programs, including bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, diplomas, certificates and citations. Learn more at www.kpu.ca.
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