CV

V i t a

born in Solingen, Germany. 1998/1999 in Calgary, Alberta. 2000 marriage, until 2003 in Victoria, BC. 2004 – 2013 in Leverkusen, Germany. Since 2014 in Lethbridge, Alberta. 3 children. Permanent Resident in Canada.
„His style is a stroke of luck“ – Jury of Hans-im-Glück-Award. (Photo by Harald Krichel, free to use w/ credit)

A w a r d s / G r a n t s / R e s i d e n c i e s

– Literary Arts Individual Project Grant awarded by the Alberta Foundation for the Arts for “Suicide Hotel”, 2021
– Bursary from AMAAS for the multi media project The Time Traveller 2019
– Canada Council for the Arts Travel Grant for Literature Tour in Switzerland 2016
– “Der Drohnenpilot” novel on recommendation list of the German bookseller association, 2015
– 3 months Writer’s Residency in Germany Hausach LeseLenz for YA fiction, 2014
– two Literary Arts Council Grants of the province of Northrhine-Westfalia, 2010 & 2014
– speaker at Leipzig Bookfair 2013 and other venues regarding literature
– three Radioplay-Grants by the Film & Media Stiftung NRW, 2009, 2011 & 2013
– novel won the Literary Hans-im-Glück-Award 2012
– 1 month Writer’s Residency in Denmark H.A.L.D. Hovegaard for literature, 2012
– Shortlist for Wurfsendung-Award DLR public radio, 2010
– nominated novel Best German Young Adult Fiction Debut 2008
– Art Council Grant of the City of Leverkusen for the stage play „Paris Calgary“, 2007
– Short-Story-Award of the City of Leverkusen for „U-Haul“, 2006

A r t – E x h i b i t i o n / P e r f o r m a n c e

2021 – Audio poem for “This Might Help” project
2020 – “24 h Lethbridge” exhibition at The Pop Up Gallery
– “Paris, Calgary” exhibition at Casa Arts Centre
2019 – as performing author at the South Country Fair
2018 – “drawing in” 20min. video digital exhibition at The Gallery of Casa, Lethbridge
– “Snake Alley” Super8 film (author & producer) dir. JP Marchant, in “CINEscapes” at the Galt Museum, Lethbridge
2007 Work shown at Heinrich Heine Institute, Düsseldorf, Exhibition “Popliteratur 1965-2004″
2005 “Urban Electronic Poetry” multi media performances in Frankfurt, Cologne, Hannover and Berlin
1999 “Free Fare Zoning” w/ Ian Birse at Ex.120 by Space by Space New Gallery, Calgary
1996 “spam-maps”, mobile presentation of collected spam-email in public spaces in Leverkusen, Cologne and Düsseldorf
1993 “24-hour-live-novel” performance in Schlachthaus, Cologne
1992 “Literature Smuggle in the 20th Century”, live performance, Czech Republic/Germany
1987-1988 street art: poetry posters throughout City of Leverkusen

M i s c e l l a n e o u s

2020 Key Note Speaker at the Wordbridge Conference
2019 Text from The Time Traveller published at the short story dispenser at the central public library, Calgary
Audio production of flash fiction “The Tattoo” published by Antilang Magazine
2014 poem in anthology „A City Map in Verse and Visual“ by Dymphny Dronyk & Kris Demeanor, Calgary
2011 -Juror for Northrhine-Westfalia project “Culture & School”
2009 -Juror for the Reading Competition of the German Bookseller Association
2008 -freelance consultant for original English Young Adult Fiction novels for Frankfurt Fischer Verlag / Random House
2003 Juror at the Victoria International Filmfestival, BC., Canada
2002 Tonight Show w/ Jay Leno uses material I sent them
1998/99 Co-Editor, Lyric, “Filling Station Magazine”, Canada
Reading at Pages Bookstore, Calgary invited by Peter Oliva (Writer in Residence)
1994-97 Culture Journalist (film, music, theatre) for monthly magazine and radio, Editor in Chief Radio Northrhine-Westfalia
1993 Founding member of the German Social Beat literature movement

D o c e n t / I n s t r u c t o r

2014/15 – first docent in Germany for Young Adult Fiction at a University of Education, Karlsruhe
2012 – year long YA novel writing project for cultural department of the Bayer AG
2008 – „Scriptwriting Germany vs. USA“ lecture in english at the Academy for International Education, Düsseldorf
2004-2007 instructor at several highschools for film, radio & creative writing, also workshops at Young Adult Faires in Cologne and throughout the province of Northrhine-Westfalia

M e m b e r   o f

Wordbridge Writers’ Conference (board)
LIFS – Lethbridge Independent Film Society
Allied Arts Council of Lethbridge
WGA, Writers’ Guild of Alberta
AMAAS, Alberta Media Arts Alliance Society
Lethbridge Folk Club
SOCAN, Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada

C o n t a c t

over BlueSky @thorstennesch.bsky.social – Facebook @thorstennesch – Instagram @thorstennesch – Youtube English – Youtube deutsch