Gabriel Osson is a poet, novelist and painter. Born in Port-au-Prince (Haiti), he lives in Toronto.
Retired from the Ontario Ministry of Education where he served for ten years. Previously, he was a manager at the College Boréal in Toronto preceded a long career in private enterprise in addition to having been a consultant in organizational development.
He devotes himself full time to writing. He gives lectures and leads writing workshops for different audiences, whether retirees or high school students in French-language schools in Ontario during the Mordus des mots tour. Very involved in the Toronto Francophonie, Gabriel sits on various boards of directors: the Association of Authors and Authors of French Ontario (AAOF) of which he is the president; and the Toronto Radio Cooperative as a director. He also hosts the weekly Franco Découvertes on Toronto’s francophone radio station, CHOQ FM.
Passionate about the environment Gabriel also sits on the board of directors of the Trees That Feed Foundation, which plants trees in different countries.
Wanting to serve the children of his country of origin, he chairs the Haiti Futur-Canada Association, which aims to install interactive digital whiteboards with solar panels in rural schools in Haiti.
As a painter, he participated in numerous exhibitions and his paintings are found in several private collections.
His most recent publications are:
- Les voix du chemin (Terre d’Accueil, 2021) Released June 2021
- Le jour se lèvera – Roman (David, 2020)
- Poèmes de la résistance: Collective (Prise de paroles, 2019)
- Hubert, le restavèk – Roman (David, 2017)
- J’ai marché sur les étoiles, sept leçons apprises sur le chemin de Compostelle. (September 2015, reissue 2019).
- Envolées – Poems (2009, 2015, 2017 and 2019)
- Haiti, I love you: Collective (Vermilion, 2010)
- Les muses s’amusent en l’an 2000: Collective (AAOF, 2000)
Distinctions:
His first novel, Hubert, le restavèk, published by Éditions David earned him a finalist for the Christine Dumitriu-van-Saanen Prize in 2017. This first novel brought Gabriel Osson to travel Ontario, invited him to the Salon du livre de Brussels, Paris, Haiti, Quebec.
His second novel, Le jour se lèvera, published by Éditions David, earned him the Alain-Thomas Prize in 2021.
He received a grant from the CAO to write his third novel, which he has just completed.
He received a grant from the ACC for the recording of a CD of poetry accompanied by music. The release is scheduled for October 2021.
