Ron Smith (Canadian author)
Encyclopedia
Ron Smith is a Canadian
poet
, author
, playwright
, former academic and the founder and current co-publisher of Oolichan Books in Lantzville
, British Columbia
.
, British Columbia. He studied English literature
at University of Leeds
(M.A.
in 1970), and returned to Vancouver Island
in 1971 to teach in the English Department at Malaspina University-College
in Nanaimo
, British Columbia, where he taught English
and creative writing
for 28 years.
Smith also holds a degrees from the University of British Columbia
. He was the Fulbright Chair in Creative Writing at Arizona State University
.
In 1974 he founded the publishing company Oolichan Books in 1974. He requested sponsorship from Malaspina College to set up a literary press and was granted temporary use of facilities at the college. A successful grant application to the Canada Council
in 1975 enabled the press to become an independent publisher. The operation later moved to Smith's present hometown of Lantzville, a small seaside village on Vancouver Island. Smith lives there with his wife, Patricia Smith, also a writer.
From 1988 to 1991 he was the fiction editor for Douglas & McIntyre
. He has been called "instrumental" in helping to start the first aboriginal publishing house, Theytus Books, in 1981.
He is the author of a suite of poems, Seasonal (1984), a long poem, A Buddha Named Baudelaire (1988), two collections of poetry and a collection of fiction, What Men Know About Women (1999).
Smith also reviews books, and he edited the anthology of Canadian West Coast short fiction: Rainshadow Stories from Vancouver Island (1982).
His poetry has been translated and published in Italy
.
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...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
, author
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
, 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...
, former academic and the founder and current co-publisher of Oolichan Books in Lantzville
Lantzville, British Columbia
Lantzville is a coastal community on the east side of Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada along the western shore of Strait of Georgia and immediately north of the City of Nanaimo, British Columbia....
, 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...
.
Bio
Smith was born in VancouverVancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
, British Columbia. He studied English literature
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
at University of Leeds
University of Leeds
The University of Leeds is a British Redbrick university located in the city of Leeds, West Yorkshire, England...
(M.A.
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
in 1970), and returned to Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is a large island in British Columbia, Canada. It is one of several North American locations named after George Vancouver, the British Royal Navy officer who explored the Pacific Northwest coast of North America between 1791 and 1794...
in 1971 to teach in the English Department at Malaspina University-College
Malaspina University-College
Vancouver Island University is a comprehensive, four-year, postsecondary institution serving Vancouver Island and coastal British Columbia. Established in 1969 as Malaspina College, it has grown into an institution that plays an important role in the educational, cultural, and economic life of the...
in Nanaimo
Nanaimo, British Columbia
Nanaimo is a city on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, Canada. It has been dubbed the "Bathtub Racing Capital of the World" and "Harbour City". Nanaimo is also sometimes referred to as the "Hub City" because of its central location on Vancouver Island and due to the layout of the downtown...
, British Columbia, where he taught English
English literature
English literature is the literature written in the English language, including literature composed in English by writers not necessarily from England; for example, Robert Burns was Scottish, James Joyce was Irish, Joseph Conrad was Polish, Dylan Thomas was Welsh, Edgar Allan Poe was American, J....
and creative writing
Creative writing
Creative writing is considered to be any writing, fiction, poetry, or non-fiction, that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, and technical forms of literature. Works which fall into this category include novels, epics, short stories, and poems...
for 28 years.
Smith also holds a degrees from the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
. He was the Fulbright Chair in Creative Writing at Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
.
In 1974 he founded the publishing company Oolichan Books in 1974. He requested sponsorship from Malaspina College to set up a literary press and was granted temporary use of facilities at the college. A successful grant application to the Canada Council
Canada Council
The Canada Council for the Arts, commonly called the Canada Council, is a Crown Corporation established in 1957 to act as an arts council of the government of Canada, created to foster and promote the study and enjoyment of, and the production of works in, the arts. It funds Canadian artists and...
in 1975 enabled the press to become an independent publisher. The operation later moved to Smith's present hometown of Lantzville, a small seaside village on Vancouver Island. Smith lives there with his wife, Patricia Smith, also a writer.
From 1988 to 1991 he was the fiction editor for Douglas & McIntyre
Douglas & McIntyre
Douglas & McIntyre is an independent Canadian publishing company founded in 1971. They are the publishers for such noted authors as Margaret Atwood and Douglas Coupland; poet Lorna Crozier; actress Kim Cattrall; chef John Bishop; and politician Mike Harcourt...
. He has been called "instrumental" in helping to start the first aboriginal publishing house, Theytus Books, in 1981.
He is the author of a suite of poems, Seasonal (1984), a long poem, A Buddha Named Baudelaire (1988), two collections of poetry and a collection of fiction, What Men Know About Women (1999).
Smith also reviews books, and he edited the anthology of Canadian West Coast short fiction: Rainshadow Stories from Vancouver Island (1982).
His poetry has been translated and published in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
.
Anthologies
- Rainshadow: Stories from Vancouver Island. Oolichan (co-editor, 19821982 in literatureThe year 1982 in literature involved some significant events and new books.-Events:*La Bicyclette Bleue by Régine Deforges becomes France's best selling novel ever.-New books:...
)
Poetry
- Seasonal. Sono Nis (19841984 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:*December 19 - Philip Larkin turns down the British Poet Laureateship, and Ted Hughes becomes Poet Laureate....
) - A Buddha Named Baudelaire. Sono Nis (19881988 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* The first annual The Best American Poetry volume is published this year....
) - Enchantment & Other Demons. Oolichan (19951995 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* February 16 — Announcement that 300 poems by S.T...
) - Arabesque e altre poesie, Schifanoia Editore, Italy (20022002 in poetryNationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature .-Events:* After Ghazi al-Gosaibi, the Saudi Arabian ambassador to Britain, publishes a poem praising a suicide bomber who had killed himself and two Israelis after blowing himself up in a supermarket; the...
)