Dear President Morrison and Provost and VP Vaughan:

I am writing to urge you to restore Sheridan College’s Honours Bachelor of Creative Writing and Publishing (CWP) program, which was included in a larger set of recently announced program cuts.

The Literary Press Group of Canada represents 66 Canadian-owned independent literary publishers located across the country. Our member publishers produce books by Canadian and international authors, including fiction, creative nonfiction, drama, poetry, graphic narratives, and children’s literature. Collectively, our ties to Sheridan’s CWP community—students, graduates, and faculty—are broad and deep. CWP student and alumni writers find markets for their creative writing with our presses. CWP students and graduates also serve as publishing interns, and many continue afterward as employees and freelancers. CWP students are new publishing professionals and, as such, they need both technical skills and knowledge of the Canadian publishing industry, which the highly regarded CWP program provides.

Our member presses also engage with the CWP program through its literary journal, The Ampersand Review, and through The & Festival. Impressive in their design and execution, both initiatives have nurtured the literary community in Mississauga and beyond. Both provide opportunities for students to build relationships with literary book publishers.

While the funding issues related to international student visas have clearly caused financial pressures for colleges, the CWP program continues to attract strong enrolment, primarily from domestic students. If it is not possible to restore the program now, it is our hope, as industry stakeholders, that the College will at least place it in “review” status, so that a conversation about potential efficiencies and long-term sustainability can be had.

CWP is a valuable, vibrant program that benefits current and prospective students, the Canadian publishing industry, the broader literary community, and our culture. It deserves to continue and thrive.

Sincerely,
Laura Rock Gaughan
Executive Director

cc: Genevieve Amaral, Associate Dean; Gabriel Levine, Associate Dean; Norm Nehmetallah, Publisher and LPG Chair; and the Sheridan College Board of Governors