Chelene Knight

Chelene Knight came into agenting after years of working on the editorial side of publishing and in the magazine industry. She is the author of the poetry collection Braided Skin and the memoir Dear Current Occupant, winner of the 2018 Vancouver Book Award, and long-listed for the George Ryga Award for Social Awareness in Literature. Her essays have appeared in multiple Canadian and American literary journals, plus the Globe and Mail, the Walrus, and the Toronto Star. Her work is anthologized in Making Room, Love Me True, Sustenance, The Summer Book, and Black Writers Matter, winner of the 2020 Saskatchewan Book award. Chelene Knight has a strong editorial background and has worked as a substantive editor for manuscripts in literary fiction, historical fiction, hybrid and traditional memoir, and most recently, children’s books. Chelene has juried for many literary prizes, including the Amazon First Novel Award. She’s also been on many arts boards’ granting juries, including the Canada Council for the Arts, and participated in numerous literary festivals across Canada. Knight was the previous managing editor at Room magazine and festival director for the Growing Room Literary Festival in Vancouver. She is now founder and CEO of Breathing Space Creative Literary Management. She often gives talks about home, belonging and belief, inclusivity, and community building through authentic storytelling. Chelene teaches poetry at the University of Toronto online.

Country

United States