John Steffler
Encyclopedia

Biography

Born in 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....

, Steffler was educated at 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...

 and the University of Guelph
University of Guelph
The University of Guelph, also known as U of G, is a comprehensive public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College, the Macdonald Institute, and the Ontario Veterinary College...

. Since 1975 he has lived in Corner Brook
Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador
Corner Brook is a city located on the west coast of the island of Newfoundland in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada....

, Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...

 where he taught at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College (a campus of Memorial University of Newfoundland
Memorial University of Newfoundland
Memorial University of Newfoundland, is a comprehensive university located primarily in St...

). Steffler currently resides in Montreal, teaching at Concordia University.

His novel The Afterlife of George Cartwright (1992) won the 1993 Thomas Head Raddall Award
Thomas Head Raddall Award
The Thomas Head Raddall Award is a Canadian literary award, presented annually by the Writers' Trust of Canada and the Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia, to the best work of adult fiction published in the previous year by a writer from the Atlantic provinces...

 and was nominated for the English-language Fiction category of the 1992 Governor General's Awards
1992 Governor General's Awards
Each winner of the 1992 Governor General's Awards for Literary Merit received $10,000 and a medal from the Governor General of Canada. The winners were selected by a panel of judges administered by the Canada Council for the Arts.-Fiction:Winner:...

.

His books of poetry include That Night We Were Ravenous (1998), which won the 1999 Atlantic Poetry Prize
Atlantic Poetry Prize
The Atlantic Poetry Prize is a Canadian literary award, presented annually by the Writers' Federation of Nova Scotia, to the best work of poetry published by a writer from the Atlantic provinces.-Winners:*1998 - Carmelita McGrath, To the New World...

.

On December 4, 2006, Steffler became Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate
Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate
-Role:According to the laureate's official Web site: "The Poet’s role is to encourage and promote the importance of literature, culture and language in Canadian society...

, a position intended to "encourage and promote the importance of literature, culture and language in Canadian society. Federal legislators created the position in 2001 to draw Canadians’ attention to poetry, both spoken and written, and its role in our lives." Steffler's term expired in November 2008.

Poetry

  • An Explanation of Yellow. Ottawa: Borealis Press, 1981.
  • The Grey Islands. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1985.
  • The Wreckage of Play. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1988.
  • That Night We Were Ravenous. Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1998.
  • The Grey Islands. London, ON: Brick Books, 2000.
  • Helix: new and selected poems. Montreal : Signal Editions, 2002.
  • The Grey Islands, unabridged audio edition (2007)
  • Lookout. Plattsburgh, NY: McClelland and Stewart, 2010. ISBN 9780771082672 (shortlisted for the 2011 Griffin Poetry Prize
    Griffin Poetry Prize
    The Griffin Poetry Prize is Canada's most generous poetry award. It was founded in 2000 by businessman and philanthropist Scott Griffin. The awards go to one Canadian and one international poet who writes in the English language....

    )

Novels

  • The Afterlife of George Cartwright
    George Cartwright (trader)
    George Cartwright , trader, explorer, born in Marnham, England, died unmarried in nearby Mansfield, England....

    . Toronto: McClelland and Stewart, 1992. New York: Henry Holt & Co., 1993.

Anthologies

  • Coastlines: The Poetry of Atlantic Canada, ed. Anne Compton, Laurence Hutchman, Ross Leckie and Robin McGrath (Goose Lane Editions, 2002)


Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy Canadian Poetry Online.

External links

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