Q & A with Dawson semifinalists for the QWF College Writers Award

Published: October 11, 2023

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Out of a record 81 entries at Dawson alone, three Dawson students were selected as semifinalists for the 2023 Quebec Writers’ Federation (QWF) College Writers Award. The 2023 award will be announced at the QWF Gala on Nov. 13.

Dawson English teacher and organizer Adam Bright said that the Dawson writers “noticed and felt something new and then found the words to express it. They sharpened and then shared a unique vision. They each brought a new world into existence.”

The winners at the Dawson level and the semifinalists for the provincial award are: Jenna Brender (Class of 2023, Social Science – Law, Society and Justice), Charles Brisson (third-year student in 3D Animation and Computer Generated Imagery) and Nemesis Jarry (Class of 2023- Arts, Literature and Communication – Literature).

The Communications Office interviewed the three writers. Here are some Q and A’s on the writing piece they submitted to the competition, their writing process, their thoughts on their Dawson experience and more. To read the winning entries of the Dawson competition, scroll down to the note feature.

Q & A with Dawson writer Jenna Brender

Q: What inspired you to write this? Tell us about your piece.

Jenna: I was actually inspired by a retrospectively insignificant breakup to write this story. It was a starting point which allowed me to craft a narrative about more serious issues that I have faced over the past six years of my life. I would describe this piece as being an introspective illustration of trauma and healing, intertwined with dark humour and a somewhat self deprecating tone.

Q: Tell me about yourself as a writer. What kind of writing do you like to do? What is your process? What genres and subjects fascinate you?

Jenna: When writing such a deeply personal piece, it was important for me to set boundaries as to what I felt comfortable putting into physical words, and working my way around that. It is crucial in my writing process to constantly check in with myself and to carefully choose how to eloquently present my truth beyond surface level reality. In terms of genres, I thoroughly enjoy reading poetry books that expose brutal truths through simple stanzas.

Q: What is your advice for fellow aspiring writers?

Jenna: My advice would be to not force yourself to dig farther than you are comfortable with, but to rather circle around trauma and write parallel to it. Throughout my entire piece, I do not once mention the traumatic event that I am referring to. I instead throw in anecdotes to fill in the gaps.

Q: Who are your favourite authors?

Jenna: My favourite author is Rupi Kaur.

Q: What do you like best about Dawson? About your program?

Jenna: My favourite part about Dawson was the impact that I made. I was co-president of the Dawson Feminist Union, as well as co-founder of the Dawson Period Project, where we successfully fundraised for the installation of free menstrual hygiene product dispensers and environmentally sustainable disposal bins in all women and gender neutral washrooms on campus. I am proud to say that my impact will outlast my time spent at the college.

Q: Tell me a little about yourself: your interests, hobbies, life as a student and outside of school. What are your future plans beyond Dawson?

Jenna: I play guitar and am an avid Taylor Swift fan. I draw a lot of inspiration from her songwriting. I am currently at McGill, getting my undergraduate degree in Joint Honours Political Science and Social Justice. I plan to attend law school after graduation. I pride myself on my school-life balance. I work extremely hard to succeed academically, but equally succeed in my social life and involvements outside of school.

Q & A with Dawson writer Charles Brisson

Q: What inspired you to write this? Tell us about your piece.

Charles: With Haffed, I wanted to write a classic fantasy story. One in which children find the courage to fight for themselves and face the world around them (even if it feels menacing and daunting).  Haffed is the tale of a dysfunctional boy, who finds the courage to overcome his quirks and face his challenges after spending a night in a fantasy world. A world where brooms converse wonderfully, and rollercoasters have a mind of their own.

Q: Tell me about yourself as a writer. What kind of writing do you like to do? What is your process? What genres and subjects fascinate you?

Charles: For me, 60% of the writing process is drawing. If I can’t put precise images on characters and surroundings, then what I’ve written is just words in the winds. Drawing makes the story more tangible, and as such, helps me pin down the narrative structure. I’m absolutely fascinated by the macabre and horror stories, and I’m looking forward to writing more in that genre. In fact, I’m currently working in a team of three artists on a short animated horror film.

Q: What is your advice for fellow aspiring writers?

Charles: Write stuff you love, and then share it with people that love the same stuff.

Q: Who are your favourite authors?

Charles: The biggest influence on my writing has been Neil Gaiman. I love the way he weaves these clear stories, that still hold their fair share of mystery and darkness. I’ve also read a lot of Stephen King, and I’m particularly impressed by Carrie, mostly for its simplicity. And finally, the book I always come back to is Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. This book is a mystery and will always remain one (that’s why its great).

Q: What do you like best about Dawson? About your program?

Charles: I’m currently in the third year of the 3D Animation and CGI program. Above all else, I enjoy the hands down approach of the curriculum. We get a direct view on how animation studios work, and we are taught every aspect of the animated film production. The three-year program converges towards the 3rd year, where we produce a one minute short film. You work side by side with the same artists for three years, and it makes for a very communal workspace. That’s cool.

Q: Tell me a little about yourself: your interests, hobbies, life as a student and outside of school. What are your future plans beyond Dawson?

Charles: I draw a lot, and always carry a little book with me where I can jot down ideas for film designs or short stories. However, before being a writer, I’m a draftsman. Drawing came to me in the early stages of adolescence, so my brain is wired around it. I also love photography and sculpture. I’ve chosen animation as a career path because it’s the one place where all my artistic interests converge.

On another note, I work at an arthouse film theater called Cinema du Parc, where I’m allowed to see all kinds of movies from all over the world. After Dawson College, my plan is to move on to university in animation, to keep on making films, and hopefully one day make my own.

Q & A with Dawson writer Nemesis Jarry 

Q: What inspired you to write this? Tell us about your piece.

Nemesis: Bad Brain Blunder is a lovely, messy patchwork of what little non- academic writing I did over the span of three months. I was so burnt out from writing essays and feeling extremely uninspired creatively speaking, it was cathartic to be able to let myself write the way I wanted to write and not the way I was “supposed” to.

Q: Tell me about yourself as a writer. What kind of writing do you like to do? What is your process? What genres and subjects fascinate you?

Nemesis: I’ve always loved to create and tell stories. I especially like speculative fiction like sci-fi, dystopian fiction and dark fantasy. I love whenever an author is able to take a dark theme such as death, loss, suffering and turn it into something beautiful (the other way around is also fascinating to me – taking a more pleasant theme like love, childhood or family and twist it into something horrifying). I sometimes feel like a mad scientist when I’m writing because I’ll stay up late at night, pin sheets of notes on my wall and pace around while talking to myself about what literary device I can use in a certain passage and how it would affect the reading experience.

Q: What is your advice for fellow aspiring writers?

Nemesis: Have fun! And don’t be afraid to be weird! One of the things I say to myself the most when I’m writing is “Wouldn’t that be messed up if…?” or “Wouldn’t it be funny if…?” or “Why does no one do this…?”. This means that, at the end of the day, even if I’m not satisfied with the end result, I can still look back and appreciate it because I enjoyed the process.

Q: Who are your favourite authors?

Nemesis: I like the works of Stephen Graham Jones, Neil Gaiman, Shirley Jackson … More recently I’ve also been reading Sacred and Terrible Air by Robert Kurvitz, and he is also becoming one of my favourites.

Q: What do you like best about Dawson? About your program?

Nemesis: What I like most about Dawson’s English Literature program would be the people that I met while studying here, both classmates and teachers. I’ve learnt so much from the people I met and got to know and being able to support and help each other made the whole journey so much more fun and memorable.

Q: Tell me a little about yourself: your interests, hobbies, life as a student and outside of school. What are your future plans beyond Dawson?

Nemesis: My name is Nemesis Jarry and I’m 21 years old. I am a history and literature nerd, but I also like to paint, sew and play board games. I’m taking a gap after graduating from Dawson to save up for future projects (either to go to university and study English Literature more, or to self-publish a book). I have a couple of ideas and drafts for potential novels I would like write, so I’ll probably be working on those during that time.