David Adams RichardsCMONB (born 17 October 1950) is a Canadian writer[2] and member of the
Canadian Senate.[3]
Background
Born in
Newcastle,
New Brunswick, Richards left
St. Thomas University in
Fredericton, three credits shy of completing a BA.[4] After publishing a poetry chapbook in 1972, he won the Norma Epstein Award, a literary prize for unpublished writing by Canadian university students, in 1974 for an excerpt from his novel manuscript The Coming of Winter, and the novel was published later that year as his fiction debut.
Career
Over his career as a writer, Richards has published novels, stage plays, short stories and non-fiction work. His fiction typically addresses the lives and experiences of poor and
working class residents of the
Miramichi region of New Brunswick, exploring spiritual and philosophical themes influenced by Richards'
Roman Catholic faith.[5]
Richards has been a writer-in-residence at various universities and colleges across Canada, including the
University of New Brunswick.
On 30 August 2017, the appointment of Richards to the Senate of Canada on the advice of Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau was announced.[3]
On 25 April 2018, Richards resigned from the
Independent Senators Group to sit as a non-caucusing independent senator.[1] Richards stressed that he had not felt pressured by the ISG, saying that he left because he wants a high degree of personal autonomy, citing how he never joined the
Writers' Union of Canada or
PEN Canada as an author. Richards also said that since Trudeau had appointed him as an independent, he felt it was his duty to be as independent as possible.[6]
In 2009, he was made a Member of the
Order of Canada "for his contributions to the Canadian literary scene as an essayist, screenwriter and writer of fiction and non-fiction".[9]
Richards' papers are currently housed at the University of New Brunswick.[11]
In 2014,
Halifax singer-songwriter Dan MacCormack released an album of songs inspired by Richards' novels, called Symphony of Ghosts. The title was taken from a line in Mercy Among the Children.[12]
Facing the Hunter: Reflections on a Misunderstood Way of Life (2011)
Murder and Other Essays (2019)
General
"Non-Judgmental Truth: An Interview with David Adams Richards" by Craig Proctor, Blood & Aphorisms (Winter 1998)
Personal life
In 1971, Richards married the former Peggy McIntyre. They have two sons, John Thomas Richards and Anton Richards, and reside in Fredericton as of December 2012[update].[13][14]
David Adams RichardsCMONB (born 17 October 1950) is a Canadian writer[2] and member of the
Canadian Senate.[3]
Background
Born in
Newcastle,
New Brunswick, Richards left
St. Thomas University in
Fredericton, three credits shy of completing a BA.[4] After publishing a poetry chapbook in 1972, he won the Norma Epstein Award, a literary prize for unpublished writing by Canadian university students, in 1974 for an excerpt from his novel manuscript The Coming of Winter, and the novel was published later that year as his fiction debut.
Career
Over his career as a writer, Richards has published novels, stage plays, short stories and non-fiction work. His fiction typically addresses the lives and experiences of poor and
working class residents of the
Miramichi region of New Brunswick, exploring spiritual and philosophical themes influenced by Richards'
Roman Catholic faith.[5]
Richards has been a writer-in-residence at various universities and colleges across Canada, including the
University of New Brunswick.
On 30 August 2017, the appointment of Richards to the Senate of Canada on the advice of Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau was announced.[3]
On 25 April 2018, Richards resigned from the
Independent Senators Group to sit as a non-caucusing independent senator.[1] Richards stressed that he had not felt pressured by the ISG, saying that he left because he wants a high degree of personal autonomy, citing how he never joined the
Writers' Union of Canada or
PEN Canada as an author. Richards also said that since Trudeau had appointed him as an independent, he felt it was his duty to be as independent as possible.[6]
In 2009, he was made a Member of the
Order of Canada "for his contributions to the Canadian literary scene as an essayist, screenwriter and writer of fiction and non-fiction".[9]
Richards' papers are currently housed at the University of New Brunswick.[11]
In 2014,
Halifax singer-songwriter Dan MacCormack released an album of songs inspired by Richards' novels, called Symphony of Ghosts. The title was taken from a line in Mercy Among the Children.[12]
Facing the Hunter: Reflections on a Misunderstood Way of Life (2011)
Murder and Other Essays (2019)
General
"Non-Judgmental Truth: An Interview with David Adams Richards" by Craig Proctor, Blood & Aphorisms (Winter 1998)
Personal life
In 1971, Richards married the former Peggy McIntyre. They have two sons, John Thomas Richards and Anton Richards, and reside in Fredericton as of December 2012[update].[13][14]