Esta Spalding
Encyclopedia
Esta Alice Spalding is a Canadian
author, screenwriter and poet
who won the Pat Lowther Award
in 2000 for Lost August. Born in Boston, Massachusetts
to Phillip Spalding and Linda Spalding
, she grew up in Hawaii
and currently resides in Guelph
, Ontario
.
In 1997, Spalding relocated to Vancouver
, British Columbia
, where she worked as an executive story editor and writer on CBC's
prime-time drama Da Vinci's Inquest
. She also worked as a writer and executive story editor on all three seasons of The Eleventh Hour, a prime-time drama about investigative journalists on CTV
. Both series were highly critically acclaimed and repeatedly won Gemini awards for Best Series.
Spalding adapted Barbara Gowdy's
novel Falling Angels into a 2003 feature film
that was directed by Scott Smith
. The movie premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival
and played at Sundance Film Festival
, and garnered many awards and nominations, including a Genie nod
for Best Writing for Spalding. That year, she also co-wrote (with Deepa Mehta
) the script adaptation of Carol Shields
' Republic of Love
, which Mehta directed. Her 2007 original movie of the week, In God's Country broke records for viewership on CTV. She and Tassie Cameron
co-wrote the script for Would Be Kings
, a movie of the week that premiered on CTV in 2008 to great critical acclaim and for which they were nominated for the Gemini award for Best Writing. Most recently, she was a writer and story consultant on the CBS/CTV hit series Flashpoint
.
Spalding and her mother Linda Spalding
co-wrote a novel, Mere, which was published in 2001.
She is a contributing editor to the literary magazine Brick
.
She has a B.A from University of Chicago
and an M.A.
from Stanford University
.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
author, screenwriter and poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
who won the Pat Lowther Award
Pat Lowther Award
The Pat Lowther Memorial Award is an annual award presented by the League of Canadian Poets to the year's best book of poetry by a Canadian woman. It is presented in honour of poet Pat Lowther, who was murdered by her husband in 1975. Each winner receives an honorarium of $1000.-Winners:*1981 - M...
in 2000 for Lost August. Born in Boston, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
to Phillip Spalding and Linda Spalding
Linda Spalding
Linda Spalding is a Canadian writer and editor. Born in Topeka, Kansas, the daughter of Jacob Alan Dickinson and Edith Senner, she lived in Mexico and Hawaii before moving to Toronto, Ontario in 1982....
, she grew up in Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
and currently resides in Guelph
Guelph
Guelph is a city in Ontario, Canada.Guelph may also refer to:* Guelph , consisting of the City of Guelph, Ontario* Guelph , as the above* University of Guelph, in the same city...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
.
In 1997, Spalding relocated to Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, where she worked as an executive story editor and writer on CBC's
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, commonly known as CBC and officially as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian crown corporation that serves as the national public radio and television broadcaster...
prime-time drama Da Vinci's Inquest
Da Vinci's Inquest
Da Vinci's Inquest is a Canadian dramatic television series that aired on CBC Television from 1998 to 2005. Seven seasons of thirteen episodes each were filmed for a total of ninety-one episodes....
. She also worked as a writer and executive story editor on all three seasons of The Eleventh Hour, a prime-time drama about investigative journalists on CTV
CTV television network
CTV Television Network is a Canadian English language television network and is owned by Bell Media. It is Canada's largest privately-owned network, and has consistently placed as Canada's top-rated network in total viewers and in key demographics since 2002, after several years trailing the rival...
. Both series were highly critically acclaimed and repeatedly won Gemini awards for Best Series.
Spalding adapted Barbara Gowdy's
Barbara Gowdy
Barbara Gowdy, CM is a Canadian novelist and short story writer. Born in Windsor, Ontario, she is the long-time partner of poet Christopher Dewdney and resides in Toronto.-Literary career:...
novel Falling Angels into a 2003 feature film
Falling Angels (film)
Falling Angels is a 2003 independent film by Scott Smith, based on the novel of the same name by Barbara Gowdy and adapted for the screen by poet and author Esta Spalding. It is the second feature film by Scott Smith, writer, producer and director of Rollercoaster...
that was directed by Scott Smith
Scott Smith
Scott Smith is a politician in Manitoba, Canada. He was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba from 1999 to 2007, and was a cabinet minister in the government of Gary Doer...
. The movie premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival is a publicly-attended film festival held each September in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. In 2010, 339 films from 59 countries were screened at 32 screens in downtown Toronto venues...
and played at Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
, and garnered many awards and nominations, including a Genie nod
Genie Award for Best Adapted Screenplay
The Genie Award for Best Screenplay is awarded by the Academy of Canadian Cinema and Television to the best Canadian screenplay.The award's presentation has not always been consistent — in some years, a single award for Best Screenplay has been presented, while in other years separate awards have...
for Best Writing for Spalding. That year, she also co-wrote (with Deepa Mehta
Deepa Mehta
Deepa Mehta, LLD is a Genie Award-winning Indian-born Canadian film director and screenwriter, most known for her Elements Trilogy, Fire , Earth , and Water , among which Earth was submitted by Indian government for Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film...
) the script adaptation of Carol Shields
Carol Shields
Carol Ann Shields, CC, OM, FRSC, MA was an American-born Canadian author. She is best known for her 1993 novel The Stone Diaries, which won the U.S. Pulitzer Prize for Fiction as well as the Governor General's Award in Canada.-Biography:Shields was born in Oak Park, Illinois...
' Republic of Love
The Republic of Love
The Republic of Love is a 2003 Canada/United Kingdom romantic comedy film drama directed by Deepa Mehta. It is based on the novel of the same name by Carol Shields and starring Bruce Greenwood and Emilia Fox. It premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2003...
, which Mehta directed. Her 2007 original movie of the week, In God's Country broke records for viewership on CTV. She and Tassie Cameron
Tassie Cameron
Tassie Cameron is a Gemini Award-winning Canadian screenwriter who has contributed to numerous television shows and films. She is currently the head writer and executive producer on the ABC/Global Television Network series Rookie Blue...
co-wrote the script for Would Be Kings
Would Be Kings
Would Be Kings is a Canadian 4-hour television mini-series directed by David Wellington which aired on CTV on January 27 and January 28, 2008.- Plot :...
, a movie of the week that premiered on CTV in 2008 to great critical acclaim and for which they were nominated for the Gemini award for Best Writing. Most recently, she was a writer and story consultant on the CBS/CTV hit series Flashpoint
Flashpoint (TV series)
Flashpoint is a Canadian police drama television series that debuted on July 11, 2008, on CTV in Canada and ran on CBS in the United States for its first three and a half seasons. In 2011, Ion Television began airing new episodes of the series in the United States...
.
Spalding and her mother Linda Spalding
Linda Spalding
Linda Spalding is a Canadian writer and editor. Born in Topeka, Kansas, the daughter of Jacob Alan Dickinson and Edith Senner, she lived in Mexico and Hawaii before moving to Toronto, Ontario in 1982....
co-wrote a novel, Mere, which was published in 2001.
She is a contributing editor to the literary magazine Brick
Brick (magazine)
Brick is a Canadian literary magazine published twice a year out of Toronto, Ontario.The magazine publishes book reviews, poetry, memoirs, fiction, essays and interviews with both Canadian and international writers. It was founded in London, Ontario By Stan Dragland and Jean McKay in 1977 and was...
.
She has a B.A from University of Chicago
University of Chicago
The University of Chicago is a private research university in Chicago, Illinois, USA. It was founded by the American Baptist Education Society with a donation from oil magnate and philanthropist John D. Rockefeller and incorporated in 1890...
and an M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
from Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
.