Constance Rooke wins award for lifetime achievement

Constance Rooke, president of PEN Canada, co-founder of the Eden Mills Writers Festival and former editor of The Malahat Review, has been given a lifetime achievement award in education by the Guelph YMCA-YWCA as a woman of distinction. Here is the citation:

Admired as a coach and mentor, Constance Rooke leads, influences and encourages hundreds of women with her boundless energy, courage and compassion. Currently director of the University of Guelph Master of Fine Arts program in creative writing, Connie is noted for her dedication to the ideals of education and has for decades been a prominent figure in literary and academic communities. Under her editorship, The Malahat Review became recognized as Canada's most important literary magazine, winning awards such as the National Magazine Award for Fiction and Poetry and Magazine of the Year. As co-founder of the Eden Mills Writers' Festival, she created a venue for people to enjoy, listen and meet writers. With a strong belief in equality and justice for women, Connie has contributed significantly to feminist literature in Canada and abroad, was instrumental in developing the University of Guelph's sexual harassment policy and is president of PEN Canada, a freedom-of-speech advocacy group working on behalf of imprisoned writers. An award-winning writer and teacher, Connie has received the Gjenima Prize for Literature from the Society of Albanian Writers and the 3M Teaching Fellowship, Canada's top teaching award.