Natalie Meisner is a Canadian playwright, poet, and academic, known for her literary contributions and her role as the fifth Poet Laureate of Calgary.[1] She is currently a professor in English and Creative Writing at Mount Royal University in Calgary, Canada.[2]

Selected works

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Plays

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  • "Legislating Love: The Everett Klippert Story": This play is inspired by the life of Everett Klippert, a Calgary bus driver whose story played a significant role in the decriminalization of homosexuality.[3]
  • "AREA 33": A thought-provoking play exploring themes of intergenerational mistrust and challenges in the fishing industry.
  • "Speed Dating for Sperm Donors" (stage play)[4][5]

Books

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  • Meisner, Natalie (1 March 2014). Double Pregnant: Two Lesbians Make a Family. Roseway Publishing, ISBN 978-1552666012.[6][7]
  • Meisner, Natalie (8 April 2019). My Mommy, My Mama, My Brother, and Me: These Are the Things We Found By the Sea. Nimbus Publishing. ISBN 978-1-77108-741-4.[8]
  • Meisner, Natalie (17 September 2019). Baddie One Shoe. Frontenac House ISBN 978-1-927823-96-5.[9]
  • Meisner, Natalie; Allen, Kevin; Maillie, Tereasa; Mehmel, Jason (15 November 2019). Legislating Love: The Everett Klippert Story (1st ed.). University of Calgary Press. ISBN 978-1773850818.
  • Meisner, Natalie (27 April 2020). Speed Dating for Sperm Donors. Playwrights Canada Press. ISBN 978-0369100825.
  • Meisner, Natalie (15 April 2023). It Begins in Salt. Frontenac House Ltd. ISBN 978-1-989466-47-6.

Awards and honours

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It Begins In Salt was on the Calgary bestseller list and was recently shortlisted for the Gwendolyn MacEwen poetry award.[10]

Two plays by Meisner are shortlisted for the Tom Hendry Awards run by the Playwright's Guild of Canada: "Legislating Love" (shortlisted for the Carol Bolt Award) and "AREA 33" (shortlisted for the Drama Award).[11]

Natalie Meisner was awarded the Carol Bolt Award at the Tom Hendry Award for “Legislating Love”[12][13]

References

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  1. ^ "The power of words: Calgary's new poet laureate feels added responsibility in these troubled times". Calgary Herald.
  2. ^ "Natalie Meisner". Mount Royal University.
  3. ^ "Review: Legislating Love reveals a new brand of historical drama". The Globe and Mail. 23 March 2018.
  4. ^ "Review: Sperm search leads to comedy at Lunchbox Theatre". Calgary Herald.
  5. ^ Belanger, Joe. "Speed Dating for Sperm Donors give audiences a couple 'to root for'". London Free Press.
  6. ^ Neddow, Delainey (28 February 2017). "Review of: Meisner, Natalie. (2014). Double Pregnant: Two Lesbians Make a Family. Winnipeg: Fernwood Publishing". Canadian Journal of Family and Youth. 9 (1): 145–149. doi:10.29173/cjfy29032. ISSN 1718-9748.
  7. ^ Chisvin, Sharon (3 May 2014). "May 2014: Lesbian couple's journey to parenthood doubly difficult". Winnipeg Free Press.
  8. ^ "Book review: My mommy, my mama, my brother & me, by Natalie Meisner, illustrated by Mathilde Mars-Cinq". Rainbow Round Table Book and Media Reviews. 28 October 2020.
  9. ^ "Shelf Life Books' JoAnn McCaig reveals what books are popular in her Calgary store". CBC.
  10. ^ "Fiction and Poetry Competitions". Exile Quarterly. 20 February 2020.
  11. ^ "Nine BC artists make Playwright Guild of Canada 2023 Tom Hendry Awards shortlist". The Georgia Straight. 18 September 2023.
  12. ^ "PGC Announces the 2023 Tom Hendry Awards Recipients!". Playwrights Guild of Canada.
  13. ^ "Natalie Meisner wins the 2023 Carol Bolt Theatre Award". Calgary Herald.