Kwantlen Polytechnic University instructor Aislinn Hunter, author of Stay, a 2002 fictional novel, is having her novel made into a film. Filming began in Roundstone, Ireland last month and resumed in Montreal where it is expected to wrap up mid-July and proceed to post-production. Stay is expected to make its premiere late 2013, or early 2014.
“Being on set for the film version of Stay was a really wonderful experience,” says Hunter. “It's quite uncanny to meet the flesh-and-blood versions of characters that came out of your imagination and to walk onto sets built from one's writerly daydreams. A good bit of the book was adapted for the film - but the spirit of the book is definitely present in every set and scene. I'm grateful beyond measure to the producer Andrew Boutilier, and the director / screen writer Wiebke von Carolsfield who have been working to bring the project to light for years.”
Stay is a story centering on Abbey, a young Canadian woman living in a village outside Galway, Ireland, who returns home to Canada after learning that she is pregnant and the father has no interest in keeping the baby. Stars to lead the Canadian-Irish indie drama are Taylor Schilling and Aidan Quinn.
Hunter has been a part-time faculty member in Kwantlen’s creative writing department for 10 years, teaching a variety of first to fourth year poetry and fiction classes. Her work has been shortlisted for numerous national and provincial awards and in 2002 she won the Gerald Lampert Award for poetry. Other than her first novel, Stay, two books of poetry Into the Early Hours and The Possible Past, a collection of short stories What's Left Us, and a book of lyric essays A Peepshow with Views of the Interior: Paratexts, have also been published. Aislinn has a M.F.A., MSc, and is currently writing her PhD thesis.
Kwantlen’s creative writing department offers courses at the Surrey, Langley, and Richmond campuses. The BA, creative writing major, builds on the successful creative writing minor by providing students looking for a dynamic, relevant and interdisciplinary education with the opportunity to complete a full degree in a foundational and vital subject – writing. For more information please visit: kwantlen.ca/humanities/creative_writing.
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 and science, design, health, trades and technology, apprenticeships, horticulture, and academic and career advancement. Over 17,500 students annually have a choice from over 200 programs, including bachelor’s degrees, associate degrees, diplomas, certificates and citations.
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