Alexander MacLeod (writer)

{{short description| Canadian writer and academic}}

{{Use Canadian English|date=February 2025}}

{{Use mdy dates|date = February 2025}}

{{Infobox writer

| name = Alexander MacLeod

| birth_name =

| image =

| birth_date = {{birth year and age |1972}}

| birth_place = Inverness, Nova Scotia, Canada

| death_date =

| death_place =

| occupation = Writer of short stories

| period = 2010s–present

| spouse =

| notableworks = Light Lifting (2010)

| education =

| alma_mater = University of Windsor (BA)
University of Notre Dame (MFA)
McGill University (PhD)

| relatives = Alistair MacLeod (father)

}}

Alexander MacLeod is a Canadian writer and professor of English, Creative Writing and Atlantic Canada Studies at Saint Mary's University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His debut short story collection Light Lifting was a shortlisted nominee for the 2010 Scotiabank Giller Prize{{cite web|last1=Wagner|first1=Vit|title=Dark horses dominate Giller field|url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/article/870824--dark-horses-dominate-giller-field?bn=1|publisher=Toronto Star|date=5 October 2010}} and the 2011 Frank O'Connor International Short Story Award.{{cite web|last1=Walsh|first1=Caroline|title=Two Irish authors make awards shortlist|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/weekend/2011/0709/1224300361201.html|publisher=The Irish Times|date=9 July 2011}}{{cite web|last1=Flood|first1=Alison|title=Strong showing for Irish writers on Frank O'Connor shortlist|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/jul/12/irish-writers-frank-o-connor-shortlist|work=The Guardian|date=9 July 2011}} It won the Margaret and John Savage First Book Award in the 2011 Atlantic Book Awards.{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/books/alexander-macleod-1.4760924|title=Alexander MacLeod|publisher=CBC Books|date=27 June 2018}} In 2019, he won an O. Henry Award for his short story, "Lagomorph", which was first published in Granta.{{cite web|last1=van Koeverden|first1=Jane|title=Canadians Alexander MacLeod, Souvankham Thammavongsa & John Keeble win O. Henry Prize|url=https://www.cbc.ca/books/canadians-alexander-macleod-souvankham-thammavongsa-john-keeble-win-o-henry-prize-1.5139126|publisher=CBC News|date=17 May 2019}}

The son of Canadian novelist and short-story writer Alistair MacLeod{{cite web|title=Alexander MacLeod: Small town, big honours|url=https://vancouversun.com/story_print.html?id=3625677&sponsor=|publisher=Vancouver Sun|date=5 October 2010}}{{Dead link|date=May 2019|bot=InternetArchiveBot|fix-attempted=yes}} and of his wife, Anita MacLellan, he was born in Inverness, Nova Scotia in 1972 and raised in Windsor, Ontario, where his father taught at the University of Windsor. MacLeod completed an undergraduate degree at the University of Windsor. He earned a first graduate degree at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana in 1997University of Notre Dame, Commencement Exercises, 1997. https://archives.nd.edu/Commencement/1997-05-18_Commencement.pdf and later completed a PhD at McGill University in Montreal.{{Cite web |last=University of Dame |date=2011-11-30 |title=Reading: Alexander MacLeod |url=https://al.nd.edu/events/2011/11/30/reading-alexander-macleod/ |access-date=2024-02-25 |website=College of Arts & Letters, University of Notre Dame |language=en}}

MacLeod served as a judge for the 2015 Scotiabank Giller Prize.{{cite web|last1=Medley|first1=Mark|title=The Giller Prize expands its jury to five people|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books-and-media/the-giller-prize-expands-its-jury-to-five-people/article22442102/|publisher=The Globe and Mail|date=14 January 2015}}

MacLeod is also a former national level track and field runner and competed for the University of Windsor.{{cite web|url=http://web2.uwindsor.ca/athletics/trackfield/records.htm|title=Lancer Indoor Track and Field Women's Records|publisher=Windsor Lancers|date=27 January 1998}} Subsequent to his competitive running career, MacLeod captained both the 2009{{cite web|url=https://results.raceroster.com/en-US/results/unstructured/gwffphwtqrzbtbjb?id=unstructured_147|title=Cabot Trail Relay TEAM Results|publisher=Race Roster|date=23 May 2009}} and 2010{{cite web|url=https://results.raceroster.com/en-US/results/unstructured/667q5ddyfnkkx67f?id=unstructured_237|title=Cabot Trail Relay TEAM Results|publisher=Race Roster|date=29 May 2010}} Cabot Trail Relay winning teams, the Dennis Fairall Grey Hairs.{{cite web|last1=Duff|first1=Bob|title=Lancers track legacy lives on|work=windsorstar |url=https://windsorstar.com/sports/lancers-track-legacy-lives-on|publisher=Windsor Star|date=13 March 2011}}

His second short story collection Animal Person was published in 2022.{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/books/66-works-of-canadian-fiction-to-watch-for-in-spring-2022-1.6283875|title=66 works of Canadian fiction to watch for in spring 2022|publisher=CBC Books|date=11 January 2022}}