A Farewell from our Writer in Residence

The time has come for me to say goodbye, Regina. My term as your Writer in Residence ends on May 21, when I‘ll head home to Banff, and then further west, to spend the summer on the coast, as I always do.

Regina has been good to me. I got so much writing done, met many interesting writers and writers-to-be, and read many unique and interesting works from every genre and from every skill level. Bravo, Regina! You’re producing excellent writers.

Regina Public Library staff and management have been tremendously supportive, both of me and of the RPL Writer in Residence program as a whole, and for that I am eternally grateful. The program has a long and important history and stands out amongst similar residence programs across the country. You have something valuable.

I’ve enjoyed the many connections, and the collaborations—notably with the Saskatchewan Writers Guild and with the Saskatoon Public Library. It’s been fun running the various programs—craft workshops on Voice, and Setting, and Point of View—and participating in the past and present Writer in Residence discussion with Trevor Herriot, Gail Bowen, and Arthur Slade; my public reading and author talk; and the last one, coming up on May 12, a “Showcase” of short readings by eight of the writers I’ve worked with over the past nine months. I hope you can attend!

And so, adieu. Do keep writing, keep reading, keep taking note of interesting details you can make use of in your own work. And as a wise person once said to me when I was filled with doubt and questioning everything, wondering what I was doing: “Trust the Process.” Trust the process. Yes.

Onward ho, and all the best to you and yours.

Jill Robinson - 2020/2021 Writer in Residence