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Top 10 facts about Lawrence hill

Lawrence Hill was born on the 24th of January 1957 in Newmarket Ontario. He is a novelist, essayist, and memoirist. His parents Daniel and Donna Hill were activists and co-founded The Ontario Black History Society with Wilson O.

Brooks and other friends. Donna and Daniel’s work greatly influenced their children’s lives and professions since Dan, Lawrence and Karen became writers.

Lawrence Hills’ book The Book of Negroes which he published in  2007 novel gained him fame since that was inspired by the Black Loyalists given freedom and resettled in Nova Scotia by the British after the American Revolutionary War.

He also dabbles in non-fiction and fictional works. Here are 10 facts about Lawrence Hill:

1. He was a Teacher

Lawrence worked as a teacher while he was still pursuing his Master of Arts in writing at the John Hopkins University in Baltimore Maryland.

He taught undergraduate fiction writing until he completed the program and returned to Canada. He continued to teach and mentor creative writers in several adult education programs.

Among these include The Becoming Ground program at the University of British Columbia, the Humber School for Writers, Sage Hill Writing Experience, and The Banff Centre.

Furthermore, he served on juries granting literary awards and writing grants. He also frequently spoke at academic and social conferences, literary festivals, libraries, universities, and high schools across Canada and other states.

2. His Initial Zeal was Athletic Running

As a child, Lawrence enjoyed running and playing squash.  He always enjoyed the sport idolizing the black Olympic sprinters John Carlos and Tommie Smith.

He wanted to pursue his passion of becoming an elite athlete to compete and win an Olympic gold medal in the 5,000 meters.

He was unable to follow this dream career instead he immersed himself in writing in his teenage years. He enjoyed the art completing his first story at 14 he became hooked.

3. He worked for Newspapers

 After receiving his Bachelor of Arts in economics at the Laval University Lawrence worked for four years at a full-time newspaper.

He nurtured his skill as a writer by creating articles for papers like the   Globe and Mail, and later for The Winnipeg Free Press.

His expertise gained him the position of the parliamentary bureau chief for the newspaper in Ottawa that covered the Parliament, the Supreme Court of Canada, and a wide range of cultural, economic, and social issues.

He later resigned from his position as parliamentary bureau chief in 1986 he moved to Spain to begin writing fiction full-time

4. He is a Strong Activist

 Lawrence Hill has worked as a volunteer in West Africa to aid the girls and women. He takes this task very seriously since 1979 working with Mali, Cameroon, and Niger. 

He commemoratively wrote a book about his experience of working in Niger with Crossroads International and founded the Aminata fund to exclusively support women and girls in the developing areas in Africa.

 He has also published a memoir for a former US-Army private about his time serving in the Iraq War in 2004.

He has also been a member of the Council of Patrons of the Black Loyalist Heritage Society since 2011 and  an honorary active member of the Writers’ Union of Canada which he has chaired and sat on various committees and served on the National Council

5. The Work of his Parents Influenced his Writing Identity and Belonging

Hill’s parents Daniel and Donna Hill were an interracial couple. Daniel hill was a sociologist, civil servant, activist, and the first director and chairperson of the Ontario Human Rights Commission.

Donna hill came from a white Republican family in Oak Park, Illinois, and worked in Washington D.C. Where she met Daniel Hill.

She was a Democratic US Senator and became a civil and human rights activist for the city’s Labor Committee for Human Rights.

She lobbied the Ontario government to enact anti-discrimination legislation.

Their work in the human rights movement and Black history greatly influenced Lawrence Hill’s work as he learned and created his identity and belonging as a writer.

6. One of his books was turned into a film

Lawrence Hills co-wrote his most popular novel The Book of Negroes into a film adaptation.

The movie which was directed by Clement Virgo tells the story of Aminata Diallo who makes the journey to America after she is captured by slave traders in Africa.

The film showcases the psychological, physical, religious, emotional, and sexual tribulations of the transatlantic slave trade.

The series was filmed in South Africa, Nova Scotia, and Ontario, the premiered in Cannes, Toronto, and New York City in  2014. The film was on air and featured on BET in the U.S. in 2015.

7. He has been named a Member of the Order of Canada

Established in 1967 the prestigious Order of Canada is awarded to individuals with outstanding contributions to their field of endeavor.

It is the second-highest honor for merit in the system of orders, decorations, and medals of Canada, after the Order of Merit. It is how Canada honors people who make extraordinary contributions to the nation.

Lawrence Hill has been awarded this honor for his groundbreaking work highlighting the Plight of the black man in 2015.

8. Hill is the First Writer ever to Win the Competition Canada Reads Twice

Canada Reads is an annual competition that features various artists and their work. It is organized and broadcasted by CBC which is Canada’s Public Broadcaster.

It is aired in two distinct editions namely the English version and the French version due to Canada’s language versatility.

Hill won this competition twice with one of his novels The Illegal which was published in the fall of 2015 that has also been optioned for film production.

He made history by becoming the only writer to win this competition twice.

9. His Books have been Translated Severally.

 Hills’ work has been translated numerously due to the outreach his work has impacted across the globe.

French translations from Lune in  Montreal, Quebec have been published by Les Editions de la Pleine for his novel The Book of Negroes, Some Great Thing and Blood: The stuff of life.

This translation helped Lawrence reach all the cities in Canada including Quebec which speaks French as an official language.

The outcome of this was Hill’s novel The Book of Negroes becoming a bestseller and winning  Le combat des Livres on Radio-Canada. Other translations that have occurred are Dutch, Norwegian, German, and Hebrew language.

10. He has Won Numerous Awards and Honors

Lawrence hill has received several accolades for his work. He has been awarded nine honorary doctorates from Canadian universities ranging from letters to law etc.

He received the Governor Generals’ history awards for his intricate factual writing for fiction and non-fiction.

Lawrence has also been named a library, Archives Canada scholar, and been inducted into Canada’s walk of fame.

In 2017 he was awarded the prestigious NAACP Image Award and The Best writing in a dramatic program or limited series.