Anna Marie Sewell and Rhonda Parrish have been appointed as the 2025 Writers in Residence (WIR) at Strathcona County Library, St. Albert Public Library, and Edmonton Public Library (EPL). The acclaimed authors will offer a wide range of support and programs to writers of all ages and experience levels during their residency, through a partnership between the three libraries.
“We are delighted to welcome Rhonda Parrish as our 2025 Writer in Residence,” says Pilar Martinez, CEO of EPL. “Rhonda’s impressive body of work and boundless creativity will undoubtedly inspire our community of writers and readers. We look forward to seeing her expertise and enthusiasm in action as she supports the growth of literary talent in our city.”
Dubbed "Canada's best-known and most prolific speculative fiction anthologist" by the Ottawa Review of Books, Parrish has been recognized with numerous awards and nominations. Her work spans science fiction, fantasy, and paranormal non-fiction, with recent releases including the Saltwater Sorrows anthology and novels Blindspots and One in the Hand. Excited about her upcoming residency, Parrish shared "I am so very honoured—I can't wait to meet more of our city's incredibly talented storytellers and continue the community-building already done by my predecessors. This is going to be fun!"
While Parrish focuses on storytelling within Edmonton, the writing communities in the surrounding areas will flourish under Anna Marie Sewell’s guidance. Serving as Writer in Residence for St. Albert, and Strathcona County, Sewell brings extensive multidisciplinary collaborative experience, including choral scores from Journey Song (with Mari Alice Conrad), At First Light, and To Wash the World (with Caleb Nelson), which is set to premiere in March 2025.
Together, Parrish and Sewell will offer the local writing community unique opportunities to grow their craft. Parrish will spend her year on the second floor of EPL’s Stanley A. Milner Library in the Writer in Residence office while Sewell will be stationed at the Strathcona County Library from January through June, and at the St. Albert Public Library from August through December. Area writers can access Writer in Residence programs and services at either library throughout the year.
During their residencies, each writer will devote roughly half of their time to mentoring other writers and the other half to working on personal projects. This balance of mentorship and creative work has been a hallmark of the WIR program, as demonstrated throughout 2024 by the impactful contributions of outgoing WIR Premee Mohamed and Katie Bickell.
In their tenure, Mohamed and Bickell have engaged with many aspiring and experienced writers in the metro area, offering free one-on-one writing support, creative opportunities, and dozens of writing programs. They will pass the torch to the 2025 writers in the New Year.
About the Edmonton Public Library
EPL is a gathering place for people and ideas, enabling a lifetime of learning, engagement, and possibility for every Edmontonian. One of the most visited places in Edmonton, EPL welcomes millions of visitors across our 21 branches each year. We deliver our incredible services to you everywhere – in the library, at home or on your handheld device. Unmatched access and unrivalled value – that is today’s EPL.
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About the Metro Edmonton Federation of Libraries
The Metro Edmonton Federation of Libraries consists of Edmonton Public Library, Fort Saskatchewan Public Library, St. Albert Public Library and Strathcona County Library. Libraries in the Federation collaborate on programs, projects and events.
Media Contact
Erika Nakatsui, Communications Specialist, Edmonton Public Library
