Charlene Carr

{{Infobox writer

| name = Charlene Carr

| image = Charlene Carr.jpg

| image_size =

| alt = Image of Charlene Carr

| caption = Carr in 2022

| birth_date =

| birth_place =

| occupation = Writer

| nationality =

| citizenship =

| education =

| alma_mater =

| genre = Fiction

| notable_works = {{Plainlist|

Hold My Girl (2023)
We Rip the World Apart (2024)

}}

| awards = Dartmouth Book Award for Fiction (2025)

| signature =

| signature_alt =

| website = {{URL|https://www.charlenecarr.com/}}

}}

Charlene Carr is a Canadian writer based in Nova Scotia. Carr's novel We Rip the World Apart was the winner of the Dartmouth Book Award for Fiction at the Atlantic Book Awards in 2025.

Biography

Carr was raised in Toronto as the youngest of four children, and is based in Nova Scotia.{{Sfnmp|TheMall Magazine|2024|CBC Books|2024b}} She graduated from Crandall University with a Bachelor of Arts in English, followed by Dalhousie University with a Master of Arts in English, and finally the University of King's College with a Bachelor of Journalism.{{Sfnmp|Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia|}}

Carr's first novel with a major publisher, Hold my Girl (2023) was variously published by HarperCollins, Sourcebooks Landmark, and Welbeck Publishing. The book was shortlisted for the Thomas Raddall Atlantic Fiction Award and the Dartmouth Book Award, and was an Amazon Editor's pick for best literature and fiction.{{Sfnmp|Brewer|2025}} Hold my Girl was also optioned for a television adaptation in 2022 by the production company Blink49 Studios.{{Sfnmp|David|2022|Patrick|2023}} Following the release of Hold my Girl, Carr was listed amongst "6 Black Canadian writers to watch" by CBC Books in February 2023.{{Sfnmp|Patrick|2023}}

In 2025, Carr's novel We Rip the World Apart (2024) was the winner of the Dartmouth Book Award for Fiction at the Atlantic Book Awards.{{Sfnmp|CBC Books|2025|Quill & Quire|2025}}

Publications

{{cite book |last=Carr |first=Charlene |date=2014 |title=Where There is Life |url= |location=St. John's, NL |publisher=Coastal Lines |isbn=978-0-9939-2381-4 |OCLC=995579439 |ref=none}}
{{cite book |last=Carr |first=Charlene |author-mask=1 |date=2014 |title=Skinny Me |url= |location=St. John's, NL |publisher=Coastal Lines |isbn=978-0-9939-2388-3 |OCLC=995485355 |ref=none}}
{{cite book |last=Carr |first=Charlene |author-mask=1 |date=2015 |title=Beneath the Silence |url= |location=St. John's, NL |publisher=Coastal Lines |isbn=978-0-9939-2386-9 |OCLC=995535858 |ref=none}}
{{cite book |last=Carr |first=Charlene |author-mask=1 |date=2016 |title=Behind Our Lives: A Tale of Life and Love in Three Parts |url= |location=St. John's, NL |publisher=Coastal Lines |isbn=978-1-9882-3205-8 |OCLC=966404532 |ref=none}}
{{cite book |last=Carr |first=Charlene |author-mask=1 |date=2016 |title=Before I Knew You: A Novella Full of Thought, Heart, and Hope |url= |location=St. John's, NL |publisher=Coastal Lines |isbn=978-1-9882-3204-1 |OCLC=1017753612 |ref=none}}
{{cite book |last=Carr |first=Charlene |author-mask=1 |date=2023 |title=Hold My Girl: A Novel |url= |location=Naperville, Illinois |publisher=Sourcebooks Landmark |isbn=978-1-7282-7041-8 |OCLC=1356458157 |ref=none}}{{Sfnmp|Wigston|2023|Carr|2023|CBC Books|2023a|CBC Radio|2023}}
{{cite book |last=Carr |first=Charlene |author-mask=1 |date=2024 |title=We Rip the World Apart |url= |location=Toronto, ON |publisher=HarperCollins |isbn=978-1-4434-6836-7 |OCLC=1394915707 |ref=none}}{{Sfnmp|CBC Books|2023c|Lawlor|2024|CBC Radio|2024|CBC Books|2024a|Wigston|2024|Brewer|2025}}

Recognition

Atlantic Book Awards: Dartmouth Book Award for Fiction (2025){{Sfnmp|CBC Books|2025|Quill & Quire|2025}}

References

=Citations=

=Sources=

{{cite news |author= |date=10 October 2024 |title=Meet the 2025 CBC Short Story Prize readers |url=https://www.cbc.ca/books/literaryprizes/meet-the-2025-cbc-short-story-prize-readers-1.7331311 |work=CBC Books |location= |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |ref={{Sfnref|CBC Books|2024b}} |access-date=10 June 2025}}
{{cite web |author= |date= |title=Charlene Carr Biography |url=https://writers.ns.ca/member/charlene-carr/ |website=writers.ns.ca |location= |publisher=Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia |ref={{Sfnref|Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia|}} |access-date=10 June 2025}}
{{cite news |author= |date=9 June 2025 |title=Charlene Carr and David Huebert among winners of 2025 Nova Scotia and Atlantic Book Awards |url=https://www.cbc.ca/books/charlene-carr-and-david-huebert-among-winners-of-2025-nova-scotia-and-atlantic-book-awards-1.7554424 |work=CBC Books |location= |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |ref={{Sfnref|CBC Books|2025}} |access-date=10 June 2025}}
{{cite news |author= |date=2 June 2025 |title=2025 Nova Scotia Book Awards winners announced |url=https://quillandquire.com/omni/2025-nova-scotia-book-awards-winners-announced/ |work=Quill & Quire |location=Toronto, ON |publisher=St. Joseph Media |ref={{Sfnref|Quill & Quire|2025}} |access-date=10 June 2025}}
{{cite news |last=Carr |first=Charlene |date=24 January 2023 |title=Charlene Carr's new novel inspired by real-life fear: What if her daughter wasn't biologically her own? |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/books/article-charlene-carrs-new-novel-inspired-by-real-life-fear-what-if-her/ |url-access=subscription |work=The Globe and Mail |location= |publisher= |access-date=10 June 2025}}
{{cite news |author= |date=26 January 2024 |title=Charlene Carr explores Black and biracial identity in the Maritimes with her novel We Rip the World Apart |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thenextchapter/charlene-carr-explores-black-and-biracial-identity-in-the-maritimes-with-her-novel-we-rip-the-world-apart-1.7096281 |work=CBC Radio |location= |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |ref={{Sfnref|CBC Radio|2024}} |access-date=10 June 2025}}
{{cite news |last=Wigston |first=Nancy |date=1 February 2023 |title=Issues of race, class, IVF propel writer Charlene Carr's Nova Scotia-based thriller 'Hold My Girl' |url=https://www.thestar.com/entertainment/books/issues-of-race-class-ivf-propel-writer-charlene-carr-s-nova-scotia-based-thriller-hold/article_607f947e-b71a-53e6-8f96-155ea3c5b34c.html |work=The Toronto Star |location=Toronto, ON |publisher= |access-date=10 June 2025}}
{{cite news |author= |date=3 February 2023 |title=Hold My Girl by Charlene Carr |url=https://www.cbc.ca/books/hold-my-girl-by-charlene-carr-1.6735932 |work=CBC Books |location= |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |ref={{Sfnref|CBC Books|2023a}} |access-date=10 June 2025}}
{{cite news |author= |date=24 January 2024 |title=We Rip the World Apart by Charlene Carr |url=https://www.cbc.ca/books/we-rip-the-world-apart-by-charlene-carr-1.7049609 |work=CBC Books |location= |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |ref={{Sfnref|CBC Books|2024a}} |access-date=10 June 2025}}
{{cite news |author= |date=7 December 2023 |title=Charlene Carr's next novel explores motherhood, race and secrecy over 3 generations — read an excerpt now |url=https://www.cbc.ca/books/charlene-carr-s-next-novel-explores-motherhood-race-and-secrecy-over-3-generations-read-an-excerpt-now-1.7049765 |work=CBC Books |location= |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |ref={{Sfnref|CBC Books|2023c}} |access-date=10 June 2025}}
{{cite news |author= |date=24 February 2023 |title=What makes someone a mother? That's the question at the heart of Charlene Carr's thriller Hold My Girl |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/thenextchapter/what-makes-someone-a-mother-that-s-the-question-at-the-heart-of-charlene-carr-s-thriller-hold-my-girl-1.6759250 |work=CBC Radio |location= |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |ref={{Sfnref|CBC Radio|2023}} |access-date=10 June 2025}}
{{cite news |last=Patrick |first=Ryan B. |date=2 February 2023 |title=6 Black Canadian writers to watch in 2023 |url=https://www.cbc.ca/books/6-black-canadian-writers-to-watch-in-2023-1.6733159 |work=CBC Books |location= |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation |access-date=10 June 2025}}
{{cite news |last=Wigston |first=Nancy |date=1 February 2024 |title='Moves us to anger, brings us to tears': Sweeping family saga set against the large canvas of Canadian racism |url=https://www.toronto.com/things-to-do/books/moves-us-to-anger-brings-us-to-tears-sweeping-family-saga-set-against-the-large/article_9d1f5b82-4fe1-56d6-bf75-3fe8ffa75191.html |work=The Toronto Star |location=Toronto, ON |publisher= |access-date=10 June 2025 |via=Toronto.com}}
{{cite news |last=Lawlor |first=Allison |date=7 June 2024 |title=THE BOOK SHELF: Charlene Carr explores Black and biracial identity with her novel |url=https://www.saltwire.com/atlantic-canada/the-book-shelf-charlene-carr-explores-black-and-biracial-identity-with-her-novel-100970753 |url-access=subscription |work=PNI Atlantic News |location= |publisher=Postmedia Network |access-date=10 June 2025}}
{{cite news |last=Brewer |first=Robert Lee |date=28 January 2025 |title=Charlene Carr: Get the First Draft Done |url=https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-fiction/charlene-carr-get-the-first-draft-done |work=Writers Digest |location= |publisher= |access-date=10 June 2025}}
{{cite news |author= |date=7 March 2024 |title=From Scholar to Story Weaver: The Enchanting Journey of Charlene |url=https://themallmagazine.ca/black-atlantic-women/from-scholar-to-story-weaver-the-enchanting-journey-of-charlene/ |work=TheMall Magazine |location=Dieppe, NB |publisher=The Mall Communication |ref={{Sfnref|TheMall Magazine|2024}} |access-date=10 June 2025}}
{{cite news |last=David |first=Greg |date=20 January 2022 |title=Blink Studios acquires the rights to Canadian author Charlene Carr’s upcoming novel 'Hold My Girl' for television series adaptation |url=https://www.tv-eh.com/2022/01/20/blink-studios-acquires-the-rights-to-canadian-author-charlene-carrs-upcoming-novel-hold-my-girl-for-television-series-adaptation/ |work=TV, eh? |location= |publisher= |access-date=10 June 2025}}

=Articles=

{{cite web |interviewer-last=Byggdin |interviewer-first=K.R. |interviewer-link=K.R. Byggdin |date= |title=Author spotlight: Charlene Carr |url=https://writers.ns.ca/author-spotlights/author-spotlight-charlene-carr/ |website=writers.ns.ca |location= |publisher=Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia |access-date=10 June 2025 |ref=none}}
{{cite news |interviewer-last=Phifer |interviewer-first=Hannah |date=16 February 2024 |title=In ‘We Rip the World Apart,’ Charlene Carr Examines a Family Torn by Racial Violence |url=https://everythingzoomer.com/zed-book-club/2024/02/16/in-we-rip-the-world-apart-charlene-carr-examines-a-family-torn-by-racial-violence/ |work=Everything Zoomer |location= |publisher=ZoomerMedia |access-date=10 June 2025 |ref=none}}

=Audio and video=

{{cite AV media |people= |interviewer-last=Taggart |interviewer-first=Tamara |interviewer-link=Tamara Taggart |date=4 April 2023 |title=The untold stories of women's health: Charlene Carr |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hnAkuN2FTaQ |trans-title= |format=Podcast |work=Telus Talks |type= |language= |location= |publisher=Telus Communications |access-date=10 June 2025 |via=YouTube.com}}