John Steffler

John Steffler (born November 13, 1947) is a Canadian poet and novelist.

Born in Toronto, Ontario, he was educated at the University of Toronto and the University of Guelph. Since 1975 he has lived in Corner Brook, Newfoundland and Labrador where he taught at Sir Wilfred Grenfell College (a campus of Memorial University of Newfoundland). Steffler currently resides in Montreal, teaching at Concordia University.

His novel "The Afterlife of George Cartwright" (1992) won the 1993 Thomas Head Raddall Award and was nominated for the English-language Fiction category of the 1992 Governor General's Awards.

His books of poetry include "That Night We Were Ravenous" (1998), which won the 1999 Atlantic Poetry Prize.

On December 4, 2006, Steffler became Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate, 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." [ [http://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/poet/index.asp?lang=e Parliamentary Poet Laureate site] ] Steffler's term expires in November 2008.

Bibliography

Poetry

*"An Explanation of Yellow" (1981)
*"The Grey Islands" (1985)
*"The Wreckage of Play" (1988)
*"That Night We Were Ravenous" (1998)
*"The Grey Islands" (2000)
*"Helix" (2002)
*"The Grey Islands, unabridged audio edition" (2007)

Novels

*"The Afterlife of George Cartwright" (1992)

Children's Books

*"Flights of Magic" (1987)

References

External links

* [http://www.library.utoronto.ca/canpoetry/steffler/index.htm John Steffler on the University of Toronto Library Canadian Poets List]
* [http://www.cbc.ca/wordsatlarge/features/feature.php?storyId=386 "At the Foot of a Wall" from "That Night We Were Ravenous", online at CBC Words at Large]
* [http://www.cbc.ca/wordsatlarge/features/feature.php?storyId=269 John Steffler speaks about his appointment as Canada's Parliamentary Poet Laureate, online at CBC Words at Large (audio)]