Emily Urquhart
Areas of Expertise
- Creative Writing
- English Literature
- Folklore and Oral Traditions
Biography
I hold a PhD and MA in Folklore from Memorial University of Newfoundland, a Bachelor of Journalism from Toronto Metropolitan University, and a Bachelor of Art History from Queen’s University. I have published three books of creative nonfiction, drawing on my scholarly work and my background in journalism, including the essay collection, Ordinary Wonder Tales, a finalist for the 2023 Hilary Weston Writers’ Trust Prize for Nonfiction, and I selected and edited the Best Canadian Essays 2025 anthology. I am a five-time National Magazine Award nominee for my journalistic work, and I have won gold and silver.
In 2018, I was the Edna Staebler Laurier Writer in Residence, and I returned to Laurier’s Brantford campus to teach creative nonfiction in 2020. Prior to joining the Faculty of English at Laurier’s Waterloo campus, I taught creative writing and science communication at the University of Waterloo.
I am an avid reader and supporter of new writing, and I’ve served on numerous national and regional literary juries and serve as a nonfiction editor for The New Quarterly.