M. NourbeSe Philip is a poet, essayist, novelist and playwright and former lawyer who lives in the space-time of the City of Toronto. Author of five books of poetry, one novel and three collections of essays, her most recent work, Zong!, is a genre-breaking, book-length poem which engages with law, history and memory as they relate to the transatlantic slave trade. Her forthcoming collection of essays is Bla_K. Winner of many awards including Guggenheim and Rockefeller Fellowships and the Arts Foundation of Toronto Writing and Publishing Award, she is also a Dora Award finalist for her play Coups and Calypsos.