A Return to Writing

One of the great joys for me this year was a return to focusing on my own writing. Like many others,  the pandemic played havoc with my sense of time and connection these past three years. Fortunately, my involvement with the CNFC board helped me maintain my sanity and links to the Canadian writing community. That's not to say my words were unread during that time. After winning the 2020 Penguin Random House Canada MFA Prize for best nonfiction book proposal, I completed my memoir in 2021, and it went out on submission via my wonderful agent. If only [...]

By |2024-01-03T18:39:10+00:00December 20th, 2023|Publication, School, Writer|0 Comments
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When Community Converges

I attended a nonfiction writers’ conference during the last weekend of May. For the first time in four years, the Creative Nonfiction Collective (CNFC)  hosted an in-person writing conference at the University of King’s College where I graduated with my MFA in 2020. My heart exploded with joy as I met so many CNFC volunteers and members for the first time after three years of Zoom meetings. And reconnecting with the King’s MFA community was a gift. Thanks to my hardy friends for braving the cold weather to dine al fresco with me [...]

By |2023-07-23T21:35:14+00:00June 15th, 2023|CNFC, MFA, School, Travel, Volunteering, Writer|0 Comments
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The Globe and Mail: Organ donation op-ed

Skip the mall this Christmas. Your organ-donation consent is the best gift you can give   'Tis the season for gift shopping. That time of year when we flock online, a Pavlovian response to slick advertising. We search shopping malls and stalk special one-day-only sale racks, spending hours seeking the perfect gift. But what if we didn’t have to search? What if we already carried the perfect gift within us? Less than one-quarter of Canadians have registered to donate organs, but 90 per cent of Canadians say they support organ donation. Presumed consent is a potential solution to increase donors, [...]

By |2023-10-15T21:38:28+00:00May 10th, 2021|Publication, School, Survivor, Writer|0 Comments
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Winner: 2020 Penguin Random House MFA Prize

I am honoured to be the winner of the 2020 Penguin Random House MFA Prize for best nonfiction book proposal. "Margaret Lynch, who graduated in May from the University of King’s College with her Master of Fine Arts in Creative Nonfiction degree, is the winner of the 2020 Penguin Random House Best Nonfiction Book Proposal Prize. Lynch, a Toronto-based storyteller who writes about people, places, and plights, won for her proposal for Transformed: When My DNA Changed, So Did I, her memoir of her journey to “become a better person” after a rare leukemia invaded her body when she was just [...]

By |2023-10-15T21:40:56+00:00June 26th, 2020|MFA, Publication, School, Survivor, Writer|0 Comments
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My manuscript is finished

That’s a wrap! 2 years, 4 mentors, 11 chapters, a book proposal, numerous essays, op-eds, book reviews, publications, a finished manuscript and an MFA. I’ve enjoyed every minute of the past 20 months, even (especially?) when I was challenged! Going back to school for my MFA at this stage of life has been a gift. One of the many rewards is belonging to the wonderful University of King’s College, Halifax community, which I will carry with me. Thanks to my outstanding mentors Ayelet Tsabari, Wanda Taylor, Jane Silcott, Cooper Lee Bombardier andMFA program faculty Kim Pittaway, Dean Jobb, and [...]

By |2023-10-15T21:42:25+00:00April 9th, 2020|MFA, School, Survivor, Writer|0 Comments
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Back to MFA School

Just finished a wonderful two-week residency in Halifax where I lived, breathed and talked writing. It kicked off the second (and final) year of my MFA program at the University of King's College in Halifax, NS. A big thanks to all the generous mentors and faculty who shared their wisdom and experience so freely, supporting all of us on our writing journey. To my fellow students from the MFA Classes of 2020 and 2021: There were too many special moments to mention. You are all gifted writers and have fascinating stories to tell. I’m inspired by all of [...]

By |2020-01-20T20:05:59+00:00August 20th, 2019|School, Travel, Writer|0 Comments
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Toronto Star personal essay

After cancer the fear never leaves you, but she’s fighting back In 1988, I celebrated my thirty-first birthday in a hospital bed, convinced it would be my last. Days earlier, I’d woken from a coma after two grand mal seizures—caused by three months of chemotherapy for the rare leukemia that had overtaken my body. Doctors used the word “grim.” My father bought me a cemetery plot. One month later in May, I received an experimental bone marrow transplant at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto—a long shot with less than an eight per cent chance of success. On that day, [...]

By |2023-10-15T21:47:25+00:00June 1st, 2019|cycling, Publication, School, Survivor, Writer|0 Comments
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CBC Radio: This Happened to Me (video)

I walked the Camino to celebrate 25 years of survival Soon after my essay was broadcast on The Sunday Edition, a CBC video producer approached me for their new YouTube series, This Happened to Me, about pivotal moments in people's lives. My life-changing Camino de Santiago story is now available as a YouTube video, enhanced by wonderful animations that beautifully (and sometimes humorously) illuminate my words. The story is excerpted from my King's MFA memoir project about life and love after cancer. Back to Complete List of Blog Posts:

By |2023-10-15T21:48:13+00:00May 9th, 2019|Publication, School, Survivor, Writer|0 Comments
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Back to Writing School

Just finished my first residency for the University of King's College Creative Nonfiction MFA program. It's been an amazing two weeks — Intense, instructive, and immersive. So inspiring to learn from generous faculty, mentors, and fellow students, all sharing their time and energy.   Back to Complete List of Blog Posts:        

By |2020-01-20T12:35:10+00:00August 18th, 2018|School, Writer|0 Comments
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