News & Statements

Photo credit: CBC Still Photo Collection

TORONTO, January 27, 2026 – PEN Canada is proud to announce the Joan Leishman Memorial Fund. It is the organization’s first fund dedicated to providing critical assistance and creating opportunities for writers living in exile in Canada. 

Joan Leishman was a remarkable journalist, humanitarian, and cherished mentor to members of the PEN Canada Writers in Exile group. She died in August 2025 in a tragic accident that rocked her family, friends, and everyone at PEN who knew her.

In establishing the Joan Leishman Memorial Fund (JLMF), PEN Canada recognizes that starting a new life in Canada is a daunting challenge, particularly when fleeing persecution in your homeland and struggling to maintain a writing practice. The fund will provide urgent assistance directly to exiled writers and, in special cases, their family members, on a one-time-only basis. The fund may also be used to help certain exiled writers advance their professional careers, for example financial assistance to help cover the cost of academic courses, fees related to writing projects, or occasional awards of merit.

As a journalist, Joan was determined to get at the truth and context of events shaping history. She set up CBC Radio’s first bureau in South Africa and covered Nelson Mandela’s release from prison and subsequent election as President, along with the genocide in Rwanda. She went on to become CBC TV’s bureau chief in Latin America and upon her return to Toronto years later, created documentaries for The National. 

As a volunteer mentor at PEN, Joan was known for her deep empathy and fierce advocacy for members of the Writers in Exile group, who fled to Canada to avoid imprisonment, torture, and death at the hands of repressive regimes. Joan offered some of them temporary refuge in her home, accompanied others to their refugee claim hearings, and organized social outings and educational opportunities for members and their families as they resettled in Canada.

The fund aims to continue her spirit of generosity and care, by offering support and opportunities  to writers living in exile in Canada. 

All donations to the JLMF will only be used to aid successful applicants, and possibly their families, at a future date. For interested writers, an application form with eligibility criteria will be available in mid-2026. 

Donations to the fund can be made on pencanada.ca, at pencanada.ca/advocacy-aid/writers-in-exile/joan-leishman-memorial-fund/. 

Media contact:

Eilish Waller, communications coordinator
ewaller@pencanada.ca