Teaching at Trinity College

Since 2017, Leanne has been teaching at the University of Toronto through the First Year Foundations program and the Trinity College Writing Centre. The winner of U of T’s 2023 Teaching Excellence Award, Leanne teaches seminar courses in Disability Arts and BIPOC literature that build connections between academic research and creative writing.

As a doctoral student in Social Justice Education at OISE, Leanne’s courses are built upon a foundation of community practice, inspired by her previous teaching experience in psychiatric wards and cultural centres across Toronto. Leanne also founded Trinity’s BIPOC Writing Circle in 2020, which offers creative writing workshops and field trips for racialized students and allies across the university. You can read more about her on-campus programs below.

Trinity College, an old brick building with an ornate copper roof, is surrounded by green trees in the springtime.
Two small green plants sprout from the ground with the sun hitting their leaves.

TRN 194: Literature & Wicked Problems

Wicked problems are inequities so deeply entrenched within dominant societal beliefs that potential “solutions” often reveal additional systemic barriers and overlapping violence. In this class, it is important not just to understand the ableism present in our society, but also to question how disability has come to be framed as a problem itself.

Through our reading and writing practice in TRN 194, we will reflect on how disabled storytellers are pushing back against harmful stereotypes and reductive narrative expectations, while highlighting the rich tapestry of disability literature.

TRN 196: Joy & Resistance in Diverse Storytelling

In contemporary literature from Black, Indigenous and People of Colour (BIPOC) authors across Canada and Turtle Island, there is a resurgence in diasporic stories that capture the joy and resistance of carving space for community against the mechanisms of the state. In this course, we will explore how BIPOC literature has intersected with social problems and activist movements, reading short creative pieces and critical essays from both emerging and established voices.

In addition to examining these texts in relation to scholarly frameworks, current events, and community knowledge, we will also emphasize elements of storytelling that can be applied to our own artistic work. Creative writing prompts will be a foundational part of our time together, and there will be plenty of opportunities to share – or internally reflect on – your writing process.

A twisted log lies on the edge of the Scarborough Bluffs beach, while the sun sets over the waves in the background.
A person wearing a grey sweater writes in a notebook placed on a wooden table beside a cup of tea.

BIPOC Writing Circle

Since September 2020, Trinity's BIPOC Writing Circle has been providing space for racialized students to share their experiences, build their creative practices and connect with each other. For 3 weeks of the month, we meet virtually to write in response to literature by BIPOC authors. In our final monthly meeting, we meet in-person for a field trip or hands-on workshop, opening up our space to allies across the university.

This program is run by Leanne Toshiko Simpson and Zoe Imani Sharpe. We hope that by making BIPOC literature part of Trinity's culture and providing mentorship for racialized students, we can support the next generation of emerging writers.

A group of smiling U of T students stand in front of a white tent at Toronto's Word on the Street literary festival.
A book of poetry titled "Reminders on the Path" by Sheniz Janmohamed is surrounded by found leaves, stones and sticks from our fall poetry walk.
Two rows of smiling students stand in front of a colourful bookshelf in Glad Day Bookshop, the world's oldest queer bookstore.