The Museum at Campbell River is pleased to welcome Danny Ramadan to the Haig-Brown House this winter as the Writer in Residence.
Danny Ramadan is a Syrian-Canadian author and LGBTQ-refugees advocate. His debut novel, The Clothesline Swing, won multiple awards. His children’s Book Salma the Syrian Chef, continues to receive accolades. Both books were translated to multiple languages.
His short stories and essays appeared in publications across North America and Europe. Ramadan graduated from UBC with an MFA in Creative Writing, and lives in Vancouver with his husband, Matthew Ramadan.
Ramadan’s forthcoming novel, The Foghorn Echoes (2022), and his memoir, Crooked Teeth (2024), will be released by Penguin Random House.
He participated in Words on the Water in 2019 and at the time was working on Foghorn Echoes. He sent an application immediately for the writing residency stating:
“Over this past weekend I was filled with such positive energy from my visit to Campbell River and the warm welcome I received by the audience at Words on the Water Festival. I had engaging and reviving conversations with many of the members of your community, as well as had some of the most restful sleeps I’ve had in a long while. When I arrived, I found a letter on the program waiting for me on my bedside table in my hotel, but I only returned to it on Sunday morning and read it in details.
“The reason I did, honestly, is that when I walked into the heritage hall where the festival took place, I noticed a number of foghorns on display in the museum section. At the restaurant where I was having dinner with other authors, one of the drinks on the menu is called the Foghorn. Finally, on Sunday morning, I woke up to the peaceful sound of a foghorn. I think these signs are inviting me towards applying to this residency.”
Thankfully he did apply once the residency was offered again, and the museum was happy to be able to invite him back to Campbell River.
Through his fundraising efforts, Ramadan raised over $250,000 for Syrian LGBTQ+ identifying refugees. During his residency, he is looking forward to connecting with both the local writing community and the the LGBTQ+ community.
The public is invited to attend a welcoming reception and a meet-and-greet with Danny Ramadan. The reception is to be held in the museum foyer on Sunday, Nov. 21 at 1 p.m. COVID-19 vaccine passports will be required to attend the event.
On Jan. 15, Ramadan will present a special reading from his upcoming novel The Foghorn Echoes to the local community. This will be the first time Ramadan ever reads from his new book. The event will also be held at the museum. On Jan. 7, he will be the keynote speaker at the North Island Writers Conference.
Starting in January, Ramadan will also be holding writing workshops and begin one-on-one consultations with local writers. For more information, contact Ken Blackburn at public.programs@crmuseum.ca or check out the Museum’s website at www.crmuseum.ca