Glenda Fu is the 2021 recipient of the Paddy O'Rourke Poetry Scholarship.

From the Paddy O'Rourke Scholarship website:

Glenda’s poetry was an outstanding submission among many impressive entries from towns and cities across the province. In Grade Seven, Glenda wrote a story that was selected by The Poetry Institute of Canada and Young Writers, and she has continued to develop her talent. She was the leader of her Campbell Collegiate (Regina) creative writing club since Grade Ten. In Grade Eleven, she wrote and directed her own play, “a satirical murder mystery set in 1950s Chicago.” Currently, she is attending the University of Toronto, where she is majoring in English with a minor in philosophy.

The judges were particularly impressed with the consistency of Glenda’s work, and noted in particular how there was “a simplicity in her language but a profundity in her ideas.” One judge noted, “Behind the apparent simplicity of these poems is a questioning mind. The poems have a refreshing clarity. The 17 poems are very consistent in their approach: they probe and seek answers with eyes wide open.”

When asked to comment on her work, Glenda replied, “I’ve loved to write since childhood, because I believed writers to be real world magicians. They conjure entire universes, and capture the inexplicable beauty of life. Poetry, in particular, has always been a safe haven for me, a place where I could turn the chaos of life into something concrete and profound. My poetry is who I am, and what an honour it is to be able to share it!”