An award-winning author known for writing horror fiction, including her 1997 debut novel and international bestseller A Dry Spell, is the 34th writer-in-residence at the Winnipeg Public Library.

Susie Moloney has been writing and publishing narrative fiction for 30 years.

In 2015, Moloney branched off into screenwriting and has written feature-length films, a number of short films and episodes for television. Her latest feature length film, ROMI, premiered at the Fantasia International Film Festival in Montreal, North America’s largest genre film festival in August.

She is also teaching advanced screenwriting at the University of Winnipeg for this year’s fall/winter term.

She was the writer-in-residence at the Edmonton Public Library in 2020.

Moloney says she’s had many people champion her work over the years and hopes to offer mentorship and guidance to community members at various stages in their writing careers.

“Once you have had a certain amount of success, it’s important that you start opening up to younger writers (and) to newer writers,” Moloney says.

She especially hopes to encourage mid-career writers, who feel they are without support.

“It’s a super important time to maybe reach out to somebody like me who can shore up that confidence and say ‘you are being heard. Your voice is important, and we need you to speak it,’” she says.

The Winnipeg Public Library’s writer-in-residence program launched in 1985, and Moloney joins a cohort of celebrated Canadian poets, short-fiction writers, playwrights and novelists, including Carol Matas, Miriam Toews and David Bergen.

Kim Parry, a reader-services librarian at the Millenium Library, says the program helps build Manitoba’s literary community by giving newer writers the opportunity to connect with established writers and library staff.

Writers-in-residence offer free consultations for emerging and experienced writers of all genres. As of Oct. 2, Moloney will be available to provide advice via email, Zoom, phone and in-person meetings on select days from her office at the Millenium Library.

Moloney will also host group workshops and a writing circle, where participants can share their work and receive feedback from other authors, playwrights, novelists and poets.

“Building that community is important, and I know writers who have been part of the writers’ circle have really benefited from getting access to the writer and getting support,” Parry says.

Moloney’s residency ends in April 2024. By that time, she hopes to have inspired writers to continue honing their craft.

“I’m hoping, at the end of my term, there will be a whole bunch of writers out there who have gained a ton of confidence– enough confidence to not only keep going, but to maybe create something that they are confident enough to send out into the world,” she says.

Writers interested in receiving feedback on their work can email submissions to [email protected] or drop off manuscripts at the Millennium Library. For more information on how to submit works, visit the wpl.winnipeg.ca/library.

Published in Volume 78, Number 02 of The Uniter (September 14, 2023)