Gillian Sze
# Gillian Sze

Gillian Sze is a Canadian writer. She has won one Quebec Writers' Federation Award and been a finalist seven times across four different categories.

## Biography

Sze's parents are Chinese immigrants, and she grew up speaking the Hokkien dialect of Mandarin at home. She was raised in Winnipeg.

After graduating from high school, Sze studied at the University of Winnipeg for one year to study medicine, after which she transferred to Concordia University to study creative writing. She later received a Master of Arts in creative writing from Concordia University, as well as a Ph.D. in English Studies from the Université de Montréal.

Sze presently lives in Montreal. Since 2017, she has worked in the English Department at John Abbott College.

## Awards and honours

My Love for You is Aways received a starred review from Kirkus Reviews.

The Night is Deep and Wide received a starred review from Publishers Weekly. The book was also named one of the best children's books of the year by New York Public Library (2021) and Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh (2022).

The Globe and Mail included Quiet Night Think: Poems & Essays in their list of the best 100 books of 2022. CBC Books also included in on their "Best Canadian Poetry of 2022" list.

Awards for Sze's writing :

| Year | Title | Award | Result |
| - | - | - | - |
| 2009 | Fish Bones | McAuslan First Book Prize | Shortlist |
| 2011 | "Like This Together" | carte blanche Prize | Winner |
| 2014 | Peeling Rambutan | A. M. Klein Prize for Poetry | Shortlist |
| 2016 | Redrafting Winter | A. M. Klein Prize for Poetry | Shortlist |
| 2018 | Panicle | A. M. Klein Prize for Poetry | Shortlist |
| 2022 | Quiet Night Think | A. M. Klein Prize for Poetry | Shortlist |
| 2022 | You Are My Favorite Color | Janet Savage Blachford Prize | Shortlist |
| 2023 | Quiet Night Think | Pat Lowther Award | Shortlist |

## Publications

### Children's books

* My Love for You Is Always, illustrated by Michelle Lee (2021, Philomel, ISBN 9780593203071)
* The Night Is Deep and Wide, illustrated by Sue Todd (2021, Orca Books, ISBN 9781459824812)
* You Are My Favorite Color, illustrated by Niña Mata (2022, Philomel, ISBN 9780593203101)
* When Sunlight Tiptoes, illustrated by Soyeon Kim (2023, Orca Book Publishers, ISBN 9781459834507)
* The Little Green Envelope, illustrated by Claudine Crangle (2023, Groundwood)

### Poetry

* Fish Bones (2009, DC Books, ISBN 9781897190494)
* The Anatomy of Clay (2011, ECW Press, ISBN 9781770410145)
* Peeling Rambutan (2014, Gaspereau Press, ISBN 9781554471331)
* Fricatives (2015, Gaspereau Press, ISBN 9781554471539)
* Redrafting Winter, with Alison Strumberger (2015, BuschekBooks, ISBN 9781894543859)
* Panicle (2017, Misfit Book, ISBN 9781770414051)
* Quiet Night Think: Poems & Essays (2022, Misfit Book, ISBN 9781770416253)
