Fonds SC442 - Michael J. Cullen fonds

Michael Cullen was a Senior instructor in the UVic English Department. Michael was born in Lethbridge Alberta and attended Oxford University, Notre Dame University (Nelson B.C.), and the University of Western Ontario. He was a writer of poems, plays, novels, screenplays, fiction, writing texts, study guides, chapters and reviews. He won the du Maurier National Playwright competition, Praxis National Screenwriting competition, Norma Epstein award at the University of Toronto, and was columnist of the year for British Columbia in 2006. He was an active member of the Sidney community for many years, and he shared his enthusiasm for writing by organizing the Sidney Reading Series and by writing weekly columns for the Peninsula News Review, for which he won an award. Plays include: "The Theory of the Big Bang: A Northern Soap" (First Performance: New Play Centre, Vancouver); "A History of the World," Belfry Theatre; "Hot Tub, The Musical" (commissioned: Canada Council. Performed by Anyspace Theatre Company, Banff, Alberta; "The Art of Hanging" a play in two acts: workshopped at the Fringe Festival, University of Alberta; "The Knife" screenplay for Neon Rider, AVR Productions, Inc; "The Farmer's Daughter" screenplay, from the book, optioned by J. Silberman, Northern Lights Media Corporation. Publications: MBA Writing Module: A Study Guide, University of Victoria, 1997 (rpt.) 1998-1999. A study guide for students in the MBA Program. Curried Chicken Apocalypse, Thistledown Press, Saskatoon. In Hard Cover and in Paper Back. Available through the publisher and on Google. Goodnight, Sammy Wong, Westlands. Winner of the Norma Epstein National Writing Award from the University of Toronto. The screenplay from the novel is winner of the Praxis National Screenwriting Award; the screenplay is optioned by Frame 30 Productions. Theory of the Big Bang: A Northern Soap, Umberto Press, 2001. Winner of the du Maurier National Playwright Competition: First performed in Vancouver at the New Play Centre and in Victoria at the Belfry Theatre; Heritage of the Speckled Bird, Poorhouse Press and Westlands. A compilation of early poems previously published. The Writer's Block, Umberto Press, 2000-2004. The Writer's Block, written by Kim Blank and Michael Cullen, published each year for five years as a writer's calendar. It sold out every year.Written Communications Within Aboriginal Organizations, School of Public Administration, University of Victoria. Re-published every year for five years, 1993-1998.