Charleen Hurtubise
IrelandAbout
Charleen Hurtubise is an Irish-American novelist, essayist, and visual artist whose writing explores trauma, identity, reinvention, and the complicated ways people seek safety and belonging. Born in Florida to a French-Canadian father and an Irish mother, she spent much of her childhood in Michigan and her early adult years in Boston before moving to Ireland, where she has lived for more than half her life. Hurtubise holds a graduate degree from Trinity College Dublin and an MFA in creative writing from University College Dublin, where she has also facilitated creative writing seminars. Her short fiction, essays, and poetry have appeared in various publications, and her creative practice encompasses both writing and visual art. Her debut novel, The Polite Act of Drowning, was published in Ireland and the United Kingdom in 2023. Her second novel, Saoirse (2026), is her US debut. Set between Michigan and Ireland, it follows an artist whose carefully constructed new life is threatened when public recognition risks exposing the identity and painful history she has concealed. Hurtubise lives in Dublin with her Irish family, while the landscapes of Donegal continue to inspire her writing and artwork.
