Meet Emira Tufo, CBC/QWF's new writer-in-residence

CBC Montreal is proud to announce writer Emira Tufo will be the 2019 CBC/Quebec Writers' Federation writer-in-residence.

Formerly a litigator, Emira Tufo is now legal counsel at one of Montreal's universities, making time for something else she really loves: writing about her city.

Though Montreal is not her hometown, Tufosays she "fell deeply in love" with the city when she first arrivedhere 10 years ago.

"I arrived one August with a Lonely Planet guide that took me as far as Cagibi, the Foufounes Electriques and Schwartz's. The rest, I discovered on my own, and I fell deeply in love. Although I had previously travelled far and wide and found great pleasure in motion, I did not want to budge."

Escape from Sarajevo

Tufo's previous "far and wide" travels includeescaping wartime Sarajevo, completing her studies at Stanford University in California and spending several years working in Kosovo for the United Nations.

"Throughout this decade and a half, I nurtured a singular dream: that of one day living in what I imagined to be a real city: somewhere culturally rich, unconventional, maybe a bit bohemian, somewhere that loves life," Tufo says.

"For me, that's Montreal."

She knew she was here to stay. Tufo earned her law degree from McGill University and became a member of the Quebec Bar in 2013.

As she began discovering her new home, she launched a weekly blog, Montreal Murmurs, where she delves into "the curious, the funny and the furious aspects of life in Canada's most mischievous city."

She has also written for publications including The Globe & Mailand is currently working on a memoir called Moving Montreal.

As CBC's 2019 writer-in-residence, Tufo plans to invite Montrealers to see their city through new eyes her eyes and follow her on a virtual tour of the city's most magical spaces.

This year's finalists

Tufo was one of three finalists. The other two writers were:

• Kate Shaw, who has called Montreal home since 2013 her first "adult home." She is a creative nonfiction andmicrofictionwriter and has had her works appear in online publications. She's led various writing workshops and volunteered with Literacy Quebec. Shaw is currently working on a collection of stories that explores relationships.

• Carolyne Van Der Meer, who's been working as a professional writer for more than 25 years. She began her career as a journalist in Ottawabefore becoming a writer and poet. Her work has appeared in more than 100 publications. She published her first book, Motherlode: A Mosaic of Dutch Wartime Experience,in 2014. She also wrote Journeywoman, a collection of poetry, in 2017.

4thyear for writer-in-residence gig

2019 marks the fourth year forCBC/QWFwriter-in-residence program, which is open to emerging and established writers in the greater Montreal region.

The selected writer produces a series of nonfiction blog posts published on theCBCMontreal website and makes guest appearances on bothCBCRadio andCBCTV.

Past winners are MoniquePollak, SarahLolleyand Joshua Levy.