M. NourbeSe Philip

M. NourbeSe Philip was born in Tobago. A poet, novelist, playwright, and lawyer, NourbeSe Philip holds a BSC in Econ as well as an MS in Political Science from the University of the West Indies, and a law degree from the University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada.

NourbeSe Philip has published four books of poetry, including Zong! (Wesleyan University Press, 2008), She Tries Her Tongue; Her Silence Softly Breaks (Casa de las Americas, 1988), winner of the Casa de las Americas prize; Salmon Courage (Williams Wallace Inc. Stratford, 1983); and Thorns (Williams Wallace Inc. Stratford, 1980). She is also the author of the novels Harriet’s Daughter (The Women’s Press, 1988) and Looking For Livingstone: An Odyssey of Silence (The Mercury Press, 1991), and numerous essay collections.

The recipient of awards, fellowships, and grants from the Guggenheim Foundation, the McDowell Colony, the Canada Council, the Toronto Arts Council, and the Ontario Arts Council, NourbeSe Philip was also the winner of the 1988 Tradewinds Collective Prize in both poetry and short story, the Toronto Arts Award in writing and publishing, the Rebels for a Cause award, and the YWCA Woman of Distinction award in the Arts

She has taught creative fiction at New York University, and lives in Canada.