Award-winning playwright, librettist and theatre artist Anna Chatterton is joining Western as the incoming writer-in-residence for 2025-26. She brings decades of experience in theatre, opera and writing, as well as a strong passion for helping others tell their stories.   “Anyone can be a writer,” she says. “If you want to write, you can. There are doctors who write, lawyers, cashiers, taxi cab drivers, everyone. There’s always a way to write if you’re determined to do it.”  Chatterton’s central focus during her time at Western is to empower aspiring writers with the confidence, faith and inspiration they need to flourish in their craft.  “It feels so good when somebody comes to me hesitant, full of questions and full of doubt, but they leave emboldened that they are a writer and they have the right to be a writer. It’s okay to struggle. It’s all part of the process,” she said.   

From theatre school to creative writing 

Based in Hamilton, Chatterton has built a career in theatre and opera. After graduating from theatre school and attending Concordia University’s theatre program, she realized she didn’t want to continue as a “gigging actor,” going from audition to audition.  “I never really liked to audition. But I hadn’t been taught a lot of what they teach now in theatre school, which is to create your own work. So I had to figure it out myself and eventually started experimenting with my own projects,” she said.   A decade later, Chatterton chose to pursue a master of fine arts in creative writing at the University of Guelph, where she was then exposed to all sorts of different writing, beyond just theatre. She encountered a variety of different genres and solidified her personal style during her studies.  In her own work, Chatterton frequently embraces elements of comedy, tragedy and absurdist humour, writing about the complexity of relationships and class differences. Much of her work is dedicated to putting women front and centre.  “I’m attracted to writing about strong women, super women who I see as superheroes,” she said.  Chatterton has an upcoming book based on a play she co-wrote called Children of Fire, rooted in her experience visiting Kurdish female freedom fighters in Iraq. She has written numerous other pieces that garnered significant praise, including Quiver, Gertrude and Alice, Cowgirl Up and Within The Glass, often finding inspiration in her own life and family.    

Bringing unique experience to Western 

Chatterton, who’s held writer-in-residence roles elsewhere, is excited for her time at Western, bringing a plan to connect with writers and develop their skills.   “Writing can often be an isolated endeavour,” she said. “At my previous residency, I started to connect writers who needed a community, and they ended up starting a writing group, so they could support each other throughout the process, which is something I’m hoping to foster at Western.”  Chatterton will be arranging public workshops throughout the year, to give tools and tips for strengthening writing and battling writer’s block. Her inaugural reading is Sept. 24 in University Community Centre room 56 from 4 to 5:30 p.m. “Now that I’ve read over 100 writers’ work in a supervisory role, I’ve started to notice similar issues that come up again and again. So the workshops will be aimed at helping embolden people to understand what’s needed to make an engaging piece of writing,” she said.    

Western’s long-running writer-in-residence program 

Western is home to one of the longest running writer-in-residence programs in the country, hosting a writer annually since 1972.   The program, run in collaboration with the London Public Library, offers support to the writer and gives the community a chance to engage with them and benefit from their expertise. The writer-in-residence typically holds weekly office hours and informational workshops for the public, offering personalized feedback and guidance. Interested writers can visit with her on campus or at the London Public Library. Chatterton has a simple message for the Western community: “Come visit me.” She acknowledges writing can be hard and intimidating, especially when starting out, and wants to reassure interested writers that help is available.  “I want people to know that I will talk to you on your level. I will answer any question you have, and if you want to write, I can help you.”