Gordon Kirkland
Encyclopedia
Gordon Kirkland was born October 12, 1953 in Toronto
, Ontario
is an award-winning Canadian author
, humorist, and writing instructor. Kirkland, best known for his collections of short humorous essay
s, has branched out to start writing full length novel
s.
In August 1990, Kirkland suffered a serious spinal cord injury in an automobile accident. During his recuperation and rehabilitation, he turned to comedy as a therapy.
s in 1994. He maintained the column until moving on to other literary pursuits in 2007. His books include Justice Is Blind – And Her Dog Just Peed In My Cornflakes (1999, Harbour Publishing
) and Never Stand Behind A Loaded Horse (2004, Thistledown Press.) In order to maintain a regular publishing schedule, Kirkland turned to the services of AuthorHouse
, in order to self-publish each of his next three books, When My Mind Wanders It Brings Back Souvenirs in 2005, I Think I May Be Having One OF Those Decades in 2006, and I May Be Big But I Didn’t Cause That Solar Eclipse in 2007. He published his 6th book, Holly Jolly Frivolity in December 2009, to coincide with his holiday stage show
of the same name.
Each of his first three books received the Stephen Leacock Award of Merit for Humour http://www.leacock.ca/WINNERS/shortlist2005.html as finalists for the Leacock Medal.
His latest book is his first full-length novel, Crossbow, a mystery with darkly comedic overtones.
In September of 2011 he will release his next novel, The Plight Before Christmas, a story about the disasters that befall a family during the holiday season in the early 1960s.
Between his books, syndicated column
, and numerous articles for consumer
and trade magazines, Kirkland has amassed several thousand publication credits.
’s BookTelevision
in which 12 Canadian writers were locked in a big-box bookstore
in Edmonton, Alberta for 72 hours, each with the task of completing a full novel. During the taping, Kirkland wrote the arc of Crossbow, a full length comedic mystery he is currently seeking representation for. In addition, he is a frequent guest on television talk shows such as CITY-TV's Breakfast Television in Vancouver.
. As Reader's Digest
said in a 2006 profile, he speaks to his audiences if talking to old friends.
Toronto
Toronto is the provincial capital of Ontario and the largest city in Canada. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from...
, 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....
is an award-winning Canadian 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:...
, humorist, and writing instructor. Kirkland, best known for his collections of short humorous essay
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
s, has branched out to start writing full length novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
s.
Early life and education
Kirkland attended three elementary schools, Indian Road Crescent in Toronto, George Bailey in Maple, Ontario, and Joseph Gibson, also in Maple. His high school education took place in London, Ontario. He spent two years at A.B. Lucas and three at Oakridge. He went on to study education and English at York University in Toronto, where he was mentored by Canadian literary personalities including Irving Layton, Dennis Lee, Eli Mandell, and many others. Leaving University, he pursued a number of writing related careers, before becoming a full time author and entertainer in 1994.In August 1990, Kirkland suffered a serious spinal cord injury in an automobile accident. During his recuperation and rehabilitation, he turned to comedy as a therapy.
Literary career
Kirkland began writing a weekly humor column for newspaperNewspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s in 1994. He maintained the column until moving on to other literary pursuits in 2007. His books include Justice Is Blind – And Her Dog Just Peed In My Cornflakes (1999, Harbour Publishing
Harbour Publishing
Harbour Publishing is a Canadian independent book publisher.The company was founded in 1974 by Howard and Mary White, and is based in Pender Harbour, a small town on British Columbia's Sunshine Coast. It is one of a few publishers on the Sunshine Coast, including "tmi Publications", Summerwild...
) and Never Stand Behind A Loaded Horse (2004, Thistledown Press.) In order to maintain a regular publishing schedule, Kirkland turned to the services of AuthorHouse
AuthorHouse
AuthorHouse, formerly known as 1stBooks, is a self-publishing company based in the United States. AuthorHouse uses print on demand business model and technology.-History:...
, in order to self-publish each of his next three books, When My Mind Wanders It Brings Back Souvenirs in 2005, I Think I May Be Having One OF Those Decades in 2006, and I May Be Big But I Didn’t Cause That Solar Eclipse in 2007. He published his 6th book, Holly Jolly Frivolity in December 2009, to coincide with his holiday stage show
Stage Show
Stage Show was a popular music variety series on American television originally hosted on alternate weeks by big band leaders and brothers Tommy and Jimmy Dorsey. Produced by Jackie Gleason, the CBS-TV show included the first national television appearances by Elvis Presley.The series began as a...
of the same name.
Each of his first three books received the Stephen Leacock Award of Merit for Humour http://www.leacock.ca/WINNERS/shortlist2005.html as finalists for the Leacock Medal.
His latest book is his first full-length novel, Crossbow, a mystery with darkly comedic overtones.
In September of 2011 he will release his next novel, The Plight Before Christmas, a story about the disasters that befall a family during the holiday season in the early 1960s.
Between his books, syndicated column
Syndicated columnist
This list of syndicated columnists comprises columnists whose recurring columns are published in multiple periodical publications .*Ghaith Abdul-Ahad*Yasmin Alibhai-Brown*Timothy Garton Ash*Lucius Beebe*Max Boot...
, and numerous articles for consumer
Consumer
Consumer is a broad label for any individuals or households that use goods generated within the economy. The concept of a consumer occurs in different contexts, so that the usage and significance of the term may vary.-Economics and marketing:...
and trade magazines, Kirkland has amassed several thousand publication credits.
Television
Kirkland was one of the stars of the 3-Day Novel Contest television series 3-Day Novel Contest aired in the Fall of 2009 on CanadaCanada
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...
’s BookTelevision
BookTelevision
BookTelevision is a Canadian, English-language, Category A specialty channel that broadcasts programming relating to books, literature, and various media...
in which 12 Canadian writers were locked in a big-box bookstore
Big-box store
A big-box store is a physically large retail establishment, usually part of a chain. The term sometimes also refers, by extension, to the company that operates the store...
in Edmonton, Alberta for 72 hours, each with the task of completing a full novel. During the taping, Kirkland wrote the arc of Crossbow, a full length comedic mystery he is currently seeking representation for. In addition, he is a frequent guest on television talk shows such as CITY-TV's Breakfast Television in Vancouver.
Stage
He often appears on stage delivering his stories to appreciative audiences across North AmericaNorth America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. As Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest
Reader's Digest is a general interest family magazine, published ten times annually. Formerly based in Chappaqua, New York, its headquarters is now in New York City. It was founded in 1922, by DeWitt Wallace and Lila Bell Wallace...
said in a 2006 profile, he speaks to his audiences if talking to old friends.