Charlie Petch is a non-binary[1] Canadian writer and performer from Toronto, Ontario,[2] whose poetry collection Why I Was Late was the winner of the ReLit Award for Poetry in 2022.[3]

Work

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Principally a poet of spoken word, Petch was the founder of Hot Damn It's a Queer Slam and was Spoken Word Canada's poet of honour in 2017.[4] They have also written and performed a number of theatrical plays, most notably Mel Malarkey Gets the Bum's Rush.[2]

Why I Was Late is a 2021 poetry and biography collection by Petch that explores themes of queer love, loss, and survival. The book is a look at masculinity from the perspective of a transmasculine, disabled person who loves music, theater, and Star Wars.[5][6] It won the 2022 ReLit Award for Poetry.[3]

Awards

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Honors

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Literary

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Year Title Award Category Result Ref
2022 Why I Was Late ReLit Award Poetry Won [3]

Bibliogr

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Poetry collection

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  • Why I Was Late (2021)

References

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  1. ^ "Poetry in Motion: Charlie Petch + Why I Was Late – Alllitup.ca". 2021-08-24. Retrieved 2024-01-29.
  2. ^ a b Victoria Mohr-Blakeney, "Happiest onstage: an interview with playwright and performer Charlie Petch". KawarthaNow, March 19, 2017.
  3. ^ a b c "Toronto poet Charlie Petch wins 2022 ReLit Award for poetry for debut collection Why I Was Late". CBC Books, May 6, 2022.
  4. ^ "Why I Was Late". CBC Books, August 21, 2021.
  5. ^ "Why I Was Late". Canadian Short Literary Works. Retrieved 2024-06-16.
  6. ^ "To Be Performed: A Review of Charlie Petch's "Why I Was Late"". PRISM international. 2021-12-02. Retrieved 2024-06-16.