Bill Gaston
Encyclopedia
Bill Gaston is a Canadian
novelist, playwright
and short story
writer.
Gaston grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba
, Toronto, Ontario
, and North Vancouver
, British Columbia
.
His story collection Mount Appetite (2002) was nominated for the 2002 Giller Prize and the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize
. Gaston received a second Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize nomination for his novel Sointula (2004). He was the recipient of the inaugural Timothy Findley Award
in 2003.
Gaston currently teaches creative writing at the University of Victoria
. He previously served as director of the creative writing program at the University of New Brunswick
, and as editor of The Fiddlehead
.
He is married to Dede Gaston, who writes as Dede Crane, is the author of several novels including the nationally acclaimed Sympathy, which was a finalist for the Victoria Butler Book Prize, and the teen novel The 25 pains of Kennedy Baines. Her most recent books are The Cult of Quick Repair, a collection of stories and (as co-editor) Great Expectations, a collection of essays about the experience of giving birth. Her first published story was short-listed for the CBC Literary Award, and she has since published stories in numerous literary journals, as well as reviewing books for The Globe and Mail, The Shambhala Sun, and The Times Colonist. Her latest teen novel will be out in the spring of 2009.
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, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
and short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
writer.
Gaston grew up in Winnipeg, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
, Toronto, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, and North Vancouver
North Vancouver, British Columbia
There are two municipalities in the Greater Vancouver region of British Columbia, Canada, that use the name North Vancouver. These are:*The City of North Vancouver...
, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
.
His story collection Mount Appetite (2002) was nominated for the 2002 Giller Prize and the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize
Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize
The Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize, established in 1985 as one of the BC Book Prizes, is awarded annually to the best work of fiction by a resident of British Columbia, Canada....
. Gaston received a second Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize nomination for his novel Sointula (2004). He was the recipient of the inaugural Timothy Findley Award
Timothy Findley Award
The Timothy Findley Award was a Canadian literary award, presented each year from 2002 to 2007 by the Writers' Trust of Canada in memory of the writer Timothy Findley...
in 2003.
Gaston currently teaches creative writing at the University of Victoria
University of Victoria
The University of Victoria, often referred to as UVic, is the second oldest public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It is a research intensive university located in Saanich and Oak Bay, about northeast of downtown Victoria. The University's annual enrollment is about 20,000 students...
. He previously served as director of the creative writing program at the University of New Brunswick
University of New Brunswick
The University of New Brunswick is a Canadian university located in the province of New Brunswick. UNB is the oldest English language university in Canada and among the first public universities in North America. The university has two main campuses: the original campus founded in 1785 in...
, and as editor of The Fiddlehead
The Fiddlehead
The Fiddlehead is a Canadian literary magazine, published four times annually at the University of New Brunswick.The journal was established in 1945 by Alfred Bailey as an in-house publication for the Bliss Carman Poetry Society; it was converted into a general literary magazine in 1952...
.
He is married to Dede Gaston, who writes as Dede Crane, is the author of several novels including the nationally acclaimed Sympathy, which was a finalist for the Victoria Butler Book Prize, and the teen novel The 25 pains of Kennedy Baines. Her most recent books are The Cult of Quick Repair, a collection of stories and (as co-editor) Great Expectations, a collection of essays about the experience of giving birth. Her first published story was short-listed for the CBC Literary Award, and she has since published stories in numerous literary journals, as well as reviewing books for The Globe and Mail, The Shambhala Sun, and The Times Colonist. Her latest teen novel will be out in the spring of 2009.
Novels
- Tall Lives (1990)
- The Cameraman (1994)
- Bella Combe Journal (1996)
- The Good Body (2000)
- Sointula (2004)
- The Order of Good Cheer (2008)
Short stories
- Deep Cove Stories (1989)
- North of Jesus' Beans (1994)
- Sex is Red (1998)
- Mount Appetite (2002)
- Gargoyles (2006) (nominated for the 2006 Governor General's Award for fiction2006 Governor General's AwardsThe shortlisted nominees for the 2006 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit were announced on October 16. Winning titles were announced on November 21...
)