Michael Helm is a Canadian

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

 novelist. He was born in Eston

Eston, Saskatchewan

-External links:*...

, Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan is a prairie province in Canada, which has an area of . Saskatchewan is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, and on the south by the U.S. states of Montana and North Dakota....

, and received degrees in literature from the University of Saskatchewan

University of Saskatchewan

The University of Saskatchewan is a Canadian public research university, founded in 1907, and located on the east side of the South Saskatchewan River in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. An "Act to establish and incorporate a University for the Province of Saskatchewan" was passed by the...

 and the University of Toronto

University of Toronto

The University of Toronto is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, situated on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution of higher learning in Upper Canada...

. Helm currently teaches in the Department of English at York University

York University

York University is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is Canada's third-largest university, Ontario's second-largest graduate school, and Canada's leading interdisciplinary university....

 in Toronto.

His most recent novel, Cities of Refuge, was shortlisted for the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize

Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize

The Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize is a Canadian literary award presented by Rogers Communications and the Writers' Trust of Canada after an annual juried competition between publishers who submit entries....

, longlisted for the Giller Prize, and named a Globe & Mail Best Book of the Year and a Now Magazine

NOW (magazine)

Now is a free weekly newspaper in Toronto, Canada. It was first printed on September 10, 1981 by Michael Hollett and Alice Klein. Now is an alternative weekly mixing arts and entertainment news with political coverage....

Top Ten of 2010. His debut novel

Debut novel

A debut novel is the first novel an author publishes. Debut novels are the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to publish in the future...

, The Projectionist (1997), was nominated for the Giller Prize and the Trillium Book Award

Trillium Book Award

The Trillium Award is given annually by the government of the Province of Ontario and is open to books in any genre: fiction, non-fiction, drama, children's books, and poetry. Anthologies, new editions, re-issues and translations are not eligible. Three jury members per language judge the...

. His second novel, In the Place of Last Things (2004) was a finalist for the regional Commonwealth Prize for Best Book and the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction Prize. Helm's essays on fiction, poetry, and the visual arts have appeared in various magazines, including Brick

Brick (magazine)

Brick is a Canadian literary magazine published twice a year out of Toronto, Ontario.The magazine publishes book reviews, poetry, memoirs, fiction, essays and interviews with both Canadian and international writers. It was founded in London, Ontario By Stan Dragland and Jean McKay in 1977 and was...

, where he serves as an editor.