Shani Mootoo began her creative life as a visual artist and video maker. With the publication of her first novel Cereus Blooms at Night, her work burst onto the international scene. Today, after five novels, a collection of short stories and of poetry, and a body of exhibited visual artwork, she continues to engage numerous themes in these media. Her themes include complex identities, desire, belonging, insider and outsider-ness, all set against her status as an immigrant from Trinidad with dual citizenship--Canada and Ireland. In this talk, Mootoo will explore the influences in her work since she arrived here as a new Canadian, and will discuss how her creative practices have evolved, particularly as evidenced in her most recent novel, Scotiabank Giller shortlisted Polar Vortex, and in History Revisited, her latest exhibition of photographic works.
