Susan McMaster
Encyclopedia
Susan McMaster is a Canadian
poet
, literary editor
, and spoken word
/performance poet who lives in Ottawa
, Ontario
. She is currently President of the League of Canadian Poets.
Her recent poetry books are Paper Affair: Poems Selected and New (Black Moss
2010), Pith & Wry: Canadian Poetry (Scrivener Press 2010), and Crossing Arcs: Alzheimer's, My Mother, and Me (Black Moss
2010), which was a finalist for the 2010 Acorn-Plantos People's Poetry Prize, the 2010 Ottawa Book Awards, and the 2010 Archibald Lampman Poetry Prize. She is the author of several wordmusic collections, performance poetry
recordings, and scripts; has edited poetry anthologies and series; and was the founding editor of the national feminist and art magazine
Branching Out (1973-). McMaster was an original member of the intermedia
group First Draft, (1981-), with members including Andrew McClure, Colin Morton
, Alrick Huebener, Roberta Huebener, Claude Dupuis, Peter Thomas
, and David Parsons
. Together, they recorded, published, and performed some 40 times across Canada in the 1980s.
Since 1996, she has been the wordsmith in Geode Music & Poetry (formerly SugarBeat), making four spoken word and music recordings with Jennifer Giles on keyboards, Alrick Huebener on bass, Gavin McLintock on sax, and friends, including Dave Broscoe, Jamie Gullikson, Mike Essoudry, Petr Cancura, Mark Molnar, John Higney, Linsey Wellman, Penn Kemp
, Colin Morton
, and Max Middle. She has performed and recorded with SugarBeat and Geode at 50-plus venues, including the Banff Centre
, the National Library
, the Kingston Fringe Jazz Festival, Rasputin's, the Blue Skies Music Festival, the Ottawa Folk Festival, the Elora Music Festival, Artscape, WordBeat, Morningside
, Go
, the National Arts Center Fourth Stage, and the Ottawa International Writers Festival
, and has read and performed at festivals and venues in France and Italy.
McMaster's mid-life memoir The Gargoyle's Ear: Writing in Ottawa (Black Moss
2007) recounts stories from the projects, contacts, and interests that comprise her committed life as a poet. Her millennial book, Waging Peace, collects the poetry, art, and texts from Convergence: Poems for Peace, which presented art-wrapped poems from across Canada to all MPs and Senators in 2001. Her poetry collection Until the Light Bends from Black Moss
Press was shortlisted for the 2005 Archibald Lampman Award for poetry, and the 2005 Ottawa Book Award
for best book of the year. Accompanying the book is her spoken word
CD Until the Light Bends, with Geode Music & Poetry, from Pendas Productions.
Susan came to Ottawa with her family in 1955 and attended First Avenue Public School, Elmdale, Connaught, Lisgar Collegiate (1966), Carleton University
(B.A., English, 1970, and graduate studies, journalism), and Ottawa Teachers' College (Elementary Certificate 1971). While she taught for a few years, Susan has spent most of her paid working career as an editor, notably at the National Gallery of Canada
from 1989-2008 as an editor of some 40 art catalogues and founder of the Gallery magazine Vernissage. She and her husband Ian now spend part of each summer at their cottage in Nova Scotia on the Bay of Fundy. They have two grown daughters, Morel, and Aven (m. to Mark Sundaram), parents of their grandchildren Eric, born 2006, and Edmund, born 2010.
Susan is a member of the League of Canadian Poets
, The Writers' Union of Canada, the Nova Scotia Writers' Federation, PEN
(Canada), the Writers' Trust, SOCAN, Access copyright
, and the Religious Society of Friends
(Quakers).
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...
, literary editor
Editing
Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, visual, audible, and film media used to convey information through the processes of correction, condensation, organization, and other modifications performed with an intention of producing a correct, consistent, accurate, and complete...
, and spoken word
Spoken word
Spoken word is a form of poetry that often uses alliterated prose or verse and occasionally uses metered verse to express social commentary. Traditionally it is in the first person, is from the poet’s point of view and is themed in current events....
/performance poet who lives in Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, 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....
. She is currently President of the League of Canadian Poets.
Her recent poetry books are Paper Affair: Poems Selected and New (Black Moss
Black moss
Black moss may refer to:*Wila , a lichen eaten by First Peoples in North America;*Fat choy , a terrestrial cyanobacteria eaten in Chinese cuisine;...
2010), Pith & Wry: Canadian Poetry (Scrivener Press 2010), and Crossing Arcs: Alzheimer's, My Mother, and Me (Black Moss
Black moss
Black moss may refer to:*Wila , a lichen eaten by First Peoples in North America;*Fat choy , a terrestrial cyanobacteria eaten in Chinese cuisine;...
2010), which was a finalist for the 2010 Acorn-Plantos People's Poetry Prize, the 2010 Ottawa Book Awards, and the 2010 Archibald Lampman Poetry Prize. She is the author of several wordmusic collections, performance poetry
Performance poetry
Performance poetry is poetry that is specifically composed for or during a performance before an audience. During the 1980s, the term came into popular usage to describe poetry written or composed for performance rather than print distribution.-History:...
recordings, and scripts; has edited poetry anthologies and series; and was the founding editor of the national feminist and art magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
Branching Out (1973-). McMaster was an original member of the intermedia
Intermedia
Intermedia was a concept employed in the mid-sixties by Fluxus artist Dick Higgins to describe the ineffable, often confusing, inter-disciplinary activities that occur between genres that became prevalent in the 1960s. Thus, the areas such as those between drawing and poetry, or between painting...
group First Draft, (1981-), with members including Andrew McClure, Colin Morton
Colin Morton
-Life:He grew up in Calgary.His poetry and fiction have appeared in Descant, The Fiddlehead, Arc, Grain, The Malahat Review, Ascent, and The North American Review. He was a member of the performance group First Draft along with Susan McMaster, Andrew McClure, Alrick Huebener, Roberta Huebener,...
, Alrick Huebener, Roberta Huebener, Claude Dupuis, Peter Thomas
Peter Thomas
Peter John Mitchell Thomas, Baron Thomas of Gwydir, PC, QC was a Welsh Conservative politician. He was the first Welshman to become Chairman of the Conservative Party, serving from 1970 to 1972, and the first Conservative politician to serve as Secretary of State for Wales, holding that office...
, and David Parsons
David Parsons
David Joseph Parsons has been the England and Wales Cricket Board's National Spin Bowling Coach since 27 January 2006....
. Together, they recorded, published, and performed some 40 times across Canada in the 1980s.
Since 1996, she has been the wordsmith in Geode Music & Poetry (formerly SugarBeat), making four spoken word and music recordings with Jennifer Giles on keyboards, Alrick Huebener on bass, Gavin McLintock on sax, and friends, including Dave Broscoe, Jamie Gullikson, Mike Essoudry, Petr Cancura, Mark Molnar, John Higney, Linsey Wellman, Penn Kemp
Penn Kemp
Penn Kemp is a Canadian poet, novelist, playwright, and sound poet who lives in London, Ontario. In 2010 Kemp became London's first poet laureate.-Works:...
, Colin Morton
Colin Morton
-Life:He grew up in Calgary.His poetry and fiction have appeared in Descant, The Fiddlehead, Arc, Grain, The Malahat Review, Ascent, and The North American Review. He was a member of the performance group First Draft along with Susan McMaster, Andrew McClure, Alrick Huebener, Roberta Huebener,...
, and Max Middle. She has performed and recorded with SugarBeat and Geode at 50-plus venues, including the Banff Centre
Banff Centre
The Banff Centre, formerly known as The Banff Centre for Continuing Education, is an arts, cultural, and educational institution and conference complex located in Banff, Alberta...
, the National Library
National library
A national library is a library specifically established by the government of a country to serve as the preeminent repository of information for that country. Unlike public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books...
, the Kingston Fringe Jazz Festival, Rasputin's, the Blue Skies Music Festival, the Ottawa Folk Festival, the Elora Music Festival, Artscape, WordBeat, Morningside
Morningside
-Places:Morningside may be one of the following place names:Australia*Morningside, QueenslandCanada*Toronto:**Morningside, Toronxto, a neighbourhood in Scarborough**Morningside Avenue , a street in Scarborough...
, Go
Go (radio)
Go! was a Saturday morning entertainment show on the Radio One network of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that ran from 2002 to 2010, hosted by Brent Bambury. The show included interviews, music, live performances, and comedy bits....
, the National Arts Center Fourth Stage, and the Ottawa International Writers Festival
Ottawa International Writers Festival
The Ottawa International Writers Festival is a literary festival which takes place twice annually, in spring and fall, in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The Festival was founded in 1997 by Irish-born Neil Wilson as, according to Wilson, "an excuse to bring over Irish poets and writers," but would expand...
, and has read and performed at festivals and venues in France and Italy.
McMaster's mid-life memoir The Gargoyle's Ear: Writing in Ottawa (Black Moss
Black moss
Black moss may refer to:*Wila , a lichen eaten by First Peoples in North America;*Fat choy , a terrestrial cyanobacteria eaten in Chinese cuisine;...
2007) recounts stories from the projects, contacts, and interests that comprise her committed life as a poet. Her millennial book, Waging Peace, collects the poetry, art, and texts from Convergence: Poems for Peace, which presented art-wrapped poems from across Canada to all MPs and Senators in 2001. Her poetry collection Until the Light Bends from Black Moss
Black moss
Black moss may refer to:*Wila , a lichen eaten by First Peoples in North America;*Fat choy , a terrestrial cyanobacteria eaten in Chinese cuisine;...
Press was shortlisted for the 2005 Archibald Lampman Award for poetry, and the 2005 Ottawa Book Award
Ottawa Book Award
Ottawa Book Award and Prix du livre d'Ottawa is a Canadian literary award presented by the City of Ottawa to the best English and French language books written in the previous year by a living author residing in Ottawa. There are 4 awards each year: English fiction and non-fiction ; French fiction...
for best book of the year. Accompanying the book is her spoken word
Spoken word
Spoken word is a form of poetry that often uses alliterated prose or verse and occasionally uses metered verse to express social commentary. Traditionally it is in the first person, is from the poet’s point of view and is themed in current events....
CD Until the Light Bends, with Geode Music & Poetry, from Pendas Productions.
Susan came to Ottawa with her family in 1955 and attended First Avenue Public School, Elmdale, Connaught, Lisgar Collegiate (1966), Carleton University
Carleton University
Carleton University is a comprehensive university located in the capital of Canada, Ottawa, Ontario. The enabling legislation is The Carleton University Act, 1952, S.O. 1952. Founded as a small college in 1942, Carleton now offers over 65 programs in a diverse range of disciplines. Carleton has...
(B.A., English, 1970, and graduate studies, journalism), and Ottawa Teachers' College (Elementary Certificate 1971). While she taught for a few years, Susan has spent most of her paid working career as an editor, notably at the National Gallery of Canada
National Gallery of Canada
The National Gallery of Canada , located in the capital city Ottawa, Ontario, is one of Canada's premier art galleries.The Gallery is now housed in a glass and granite building on Sussex Drive with a notable view of the Canadian Parliament buildings on Parliament Hill. The acclaimed structure was...
from 1989-2008 as an editor of some 40 art catalogues and founder of the Gallery magazine Vernissage. She and her husband Ian now spend part of each summer at their cottage in Nova Scotia on the Bay of Fundy. They have two grown daughters, Morel, and Aven (m. to Mark Sundaram), parents of their grandchildren Eric, born 2006, and Edmund, born 2010.
Susan is a member of the League of Canadian Poets
League of Canadian Poets
The League of Canadian Poets , a non-profit arts service organization, is the national association of professional publishing and spoken word poets in Canada...
, The Writers' Union of Canada, the Nova Scotia Writers' Federation, PEN
International PEN
PEN International , the worldwide association of writers, was founded in London in 1921 to promote friendship and intellectual co-operation among writers everywhere....
(Canada), the Writers' Trust, SOCAN, Access copyright
Access Copyright
Access © or Access Copyright is the operating name of a Canadian business corporation whose official registration name is The Canadian Copyright Licensing Agency...
, and the Religious Society of Friends
Religious Society of Friends
The Religious Society of Friends, or Friends Church, is a Christian movement which stresses the doctrine of the priesthood of all believers. Members are known as Friends, or popularly as Quakers. It is made of independent organisations, which have split from one another due to doctrinal differences...
(Quakers).
Selected publications
- Branching Out Magazine (first Canadian feminist and arts periodical), founding editor. Edmonton, 1973–75, editor 1975-80 Sharon Batt.
- Pass this way again (with Andrew McClure and Claude Dupuis, 1983). (Underwhich Editions, 1983).
- Dark Galaxies. (OuroborosOuroborosThe Ouroboros is an ancient symbol depicting a serpent or dragon eating its own tail. The name originates from within Greek language; οὐρά meaning "tail" and βόρος meaning "eating", thus "he who eats the tail"....
, 1986). - North/South (with Andrew McClure and Colin MortonColin Morton-Life:He grew up in Calgary.His poetry and fiction have appeared in Descant, The Fiddlehead, Arc, Grain, The Malahat Review, Ascent, and The North American Review. He was a member of the performance group First Draft along with Susan McMaster, Andrew McClure, Alrick Huebener, Roberta Huebener,...
). (Underwhich Editions, 1987). - Dangerous Graces: Women's Poetry on Stage (editor). (Balmuir Publishing, 1987).
- Wordmusic (audiotape, with Andrew McClure and Colin MortonColin Morton-Life:He grew up in Calgary.His poetry and fiction have appeared in Descant, The Fiddlehead, Arc, Grain, The Malahat Review, Ascent, and The North American Review. He was a member of the performance group First Draft along with Susan McMaster, Andrew McClure, Alrick Huebener, Roberta Huebener,...
, and Paula Quick, Lynne Simpson, and Yasmine Malinowksi from Open Score). (First Draft, 1986). Reissued with additional tracks by Penn Kemp, Max Middle, and Linsey Wellman as 1981 Wordmusic 2007. - The Hummingbird Murders. (Quarry Press, 1992). ISBN 1-55082-048-6.
- Learning to Ride. (Quarry Press, 1994). ISBN 1-55082-104-0.
- Dangerous Times. (audiotape, with SugarBeat Music & Poetry, 1996).
- Uncommon Prayer. (Quarry Press, 1997). ISBN 1-55082-196-2.
- Siolence: Poets on Women, Violence and Silence (editor). (Quarry Press, 1997).
- SugarBeat Music & Poetry. (CD, with Alrick Huebener and Jennifer Giles). (SugarBeat Music & Poetry, 1998).
- Geode Music & Poetry. (CD, with AH and JG, and Geode Music & Poetry, 2000). ISBN 0-9687191-0-4.
- Waging Peace: Poetry and Political Action, editor. (Penumbra Press, 2002). ISBN 1-894131-37-1.
- La Deriva del Pianeta/World Shift, translations into Italian by Ada Donati. (Schifanoia Editore, 2003). ISBN 88-87882-30-4.
- Until the Light Bends (Black MossBlack mossBlack moss may refer to:*Wila , a lichen eaten by First Peoples in North America;*Fat choy , a terrestrial cyanobacteria eaten in Chinese cuisine;...
, 2004). Finalist: Ottawa Book Awards; Lampman-Scott Award. ISBN 0-88753-397-3. - Until the Light Bends: Geode Music & Poetry. (CD, with AH and JG Pendas Productions, 2004). ISBN 0-920820-70-0.
- The Gargoyle's Left Ear: Writing in Ottawa. (Black MossBlack mossBlack moss may refer to:*Wila , a lichen eaten by First Peoples in North America;*Fat choy , a terrestrial cyanobacteria eaten in Chinese cuisine;...
, 2007). ISBN 978-0-88753-443-0 - Crossing Arcs: Alzheimer's, My Mother, and Me. (Black MossBlack mossBlack moss may refer to:*Wila , a lichen eaten by First Peoples in North America;*Fat choy , a terrestrial cyanobacteria eaten in Chinese cuisine;...
, 2009, 2d printing 2010). Finalist: Acorn-Plantos Peoples' Poetry Award; Ottawa Book Awards; Archibald Lampman Award for Poetry. ISBN 978-0-88753-462-1 - Paper Affair: Poems Selected & New. (Black MossBlack mossBlack moss may refer to:*Wila , a lichen eaten by First Peoples in North America;*Fat choy , a terrestrial cyanobacteria eaten in Chinese cuisine;...
, 2010). ISBN 978-0-88753-468-3 - Pith & Wry: Canadian Poetry, editor. (Scrivener Press, 2010). ISBN 978-1-896350-41-7.
Selected anthologies
- Celebrating Canadian Women. Ed. Greta Hofmann Nemiroff (Fitzhenry & WhitesideFitzhenry & WhitesideFitzhenry & Whiteside is a Canadian book publishing company, located in Markham, Ontario. It publishes trade titles in children's and young adult fiction, textbooks, reference, history, biography, photography, sports and poetry....
, 1989). - A Room at the Heart of Things. Ed. Elisabeth HarvorElisabeth HarvorErica Elisabeth Arendt Harvor is a Canadian novelist and poet who lives in Ottawa, Ontario.Born in Saint John, New Brunswick, the daughter of Danish immigrants who made pottery by hand, Harvour grew up in Saint John and on the Kingston Peninsula. She married Stig Harvor in 1957. The couple had...
(Vehicule, 1999). - Crossing Boundaries: An International Anthology of Women's Experiences in Sport. Eds. Susan J. Bandy, Anne S. Darden. (Human Kinetics, 1999).
- Line by Line: An Anthology of Canadian Poetry. Ed. and with drawings by Heather SpearsHeather SpearsHeather Spears is a Canadian poet, novelist, and artist living in Denmark. Educated at the University of British Columbia and the Vancouver School of Art, Spears emigrated to Denmark in 1962 where she also studied at the University of Copenhagen....
(Ekstasis Editions, 2002). - Nth. Eds. Carolyn Creed, Fred WahFred WahFrederick James Wah is a Canadian poet, novelist, and scholar.Wah was born in Swift Current, Saskatchewan, but grew up in the interior of British Columbia. His Canadian-born father was raised in China, the son of a Chinese father and a Scots-Irish mother. Fred Wah's mother was a Swedish-born...
(Sage Hill Fall Poetry Colloquium, 2003). - The Lunar Plexus. Aut. Penn KempPenn KempPenn Kemp is a Canadian poet, novelist, playwright, and sound poet who lives in London, Ontario. In 2010 Kemp became London's first poet laureate.-Works:...
(PsychoSpace Sounds, Pendas Productions, 2002). ISBN 1-894715-01-2. - Two Lips. Aut. Penn Kemp (PsychoSpace Sounds, Pendas Productions, 2001). ISBN 0-920820-35-2.
- Re:Generations: Canadian Women Poets in Conversation. Eds. Barbara GodardBarbara GodardBarbara Godard was a Canadian critic, translator, editor, and academic. She held the Avie Bennett Historica Chair of Canadian Literature and was Professor of English, French, Social and Political Thought and Women's Studies at York University. She published widely on Canadian and Quebec cultures...
, Di BrandtDi BrandtDi Brandt is an award-winning Canadian poet and literary critic. Despite the similarity of their names, she should not be confused with poet Dionne Brand.-Biography:...
(Black Moss Press, 2005). ISBN 0-88753-393-0.
External links
- http://www.library.utoronto.ca/canpoetry
- http://www.poets.ca
- http://web.ncf.ca/smcmaster (home)