MFA in Writing Student Jaclyn Morken Covers the 2018 Kloppenburg Award Ceremony

MFA in Writing Student Jaclyn Morken Covers the 2018 Kloppenburg Award Ceremony

2018 Cheryl and Henry Kloppenburg Award for Literary Excellence

                Walking into the German Cultural Centre on September 11 was like walking into open arms. Friendly faces were everywhere, ready to welcome newcomers like myself and visit with friends and colleagues. All were gathered to celebrate the winner of the 2018 Cheryl and Henry Kloppenburg Award for Literary Excellence. As Jeanette Lynes told me, this event was the perfect opportunity to see the literary culture of our province “in action.”

            Despite being from Saskatchewan, I grew up knowing little of said culture. I came to Saskatoon with the intention of honing my writing skills at the University of Saskatchewan, but I did not expect to find a literary community so ready to welcome me. When I first learned of its presence in Saskatoon, I was amazed at its vibrancy, and at the network of support existing throughout the entire province. I had heard rumours about the prestigious Kloppenburg Award, including praise of the event and of the generosity of the Kloppenburgs in sponsoring it, and was eager to know more of the award and our writing community.

                Jack Walton, President of the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild, opened the program once we took our seats. First introduced to the stage was His Honour The Honourable Thomas Molloy, Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan. He praised the longevity of the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild, the first organization of its kind in Canada, and the generous support of the Kloppenburgs. He closed with greetings from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. Mayor of Saskatoon Charlie Clark took to the podium next, speaking of his own passion for reading and the undeniable importance of reading in today’s society.

                “The book is enduring,” Clark said, “as we can see.”

                And the Kloppenburgs actively work to contribute to that endurance. As His Honour aptly stated, Henry and Cheryl Kloppenburg are “shining examples of giving back to the community.” The Kloppenburgs, founders of a successful law practice in Saskatoon, are well-respected in this city and beyond, with their reputation stretching all the way to Oxford University, where Henry studied as a Rhodes Scholar. Both are also alumni of the University of Saskatchewan, and have maintained strong ties with the institution, even donating a 55-piece collection of Inuit Art to the University, which is housed in the College of Agriculture and Bioresources. In recent years, the Kloppenburgs decided to create an award to acknowledge Saskatchewan writers.

                Established in 2010, the Cheryl and Henry Kloppenburg Award for Literary Excellence recognizes Saskatchewan writers who have contributed significantly to the literary culture in the province. The winner receives $10,000, as well as a painting by the esteemed artist Dorothy Knowles, Honorary Member of the Order of Canada, and recipient of the Order of Merit of Saskatchewan. Past winners include: Guy Vanderhaeghe (2010); Lorna Crozier (2011); Sharon Butala (2012); Dianne Warren (2013); Sandra Birdsell (2014); David Carpenter (2015); Yann Martel (2016); and Trevor Harriet (2017). The Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan, the President of the University of Saskatchewan, and the Mayor of Saskatoon are all honorary patrons of the award. This firmly establishes the award as a formal recognition of excellence, which was one of the Kloppenburgs’ primary reasons for creating it, another being that the award would bring these talented writers to the attention of the general public and of university students, such as myself.

                I sat in silent anticipation as Cheryl and Henry Kloppenburg, standing at the podium before a room of expectant faces, announced the 2018 recipient of the Cheryl and Henry Kloppenburg Award for Literary Excellence. The hall swelled with applause as poet Sylvia Legris took the stage.

                Originally from Winnipeg, Sylvia Legris now lives in Saskatoon. Her poetry has received national acclaim, earning numerous awards over her decades-long career. Among these recognitions are the 2014 Lieutenant Governor’s Saskatchewan Artist Award, as well as the 2012 Canada Council’s Victor Martyn Lynch-Staunton Award, and her third collection, Nerve Squall, won the 2006 Griffin Poetry Prize and the 2006 Pat Lowther Award. Her poetry has appeared in numerous journals and literary magazines, and she has been Editor at Grain Magazine, as well as a mentor with the MFA in Writing program at the University of Saskatchewan.

After a delicious lunch, Legris returned to the stage to read poems from her upcoming work. She expressed her gratitude at receiving this award, describing the experience as “humbling.” She had not always known she would be a writer, and, once she did, thought she would write fiction. But her decision to pursue poetry is one for which countless people are grateful. When I read her first collection, Circuitry of Veins (1996), I was so captivated by the sharp poignancy of the words that I read its entirety in one sitting.

 “It was here [Saskatchewan] that I started figuring out how to be a poet,” she said. “And I’m still figuring it out.”

And here in this province so eager to encourage and celebrate writers, maybe I’m starting to figure out how to be a writer, too.

** Special thanks to Henry and Cheryl Kloppenburg for answering my questions on the award. **