Stuart Ross
Encyclopedia
Stuart Ross is a Canadian
fiction
writer
, poet
, editor, and creative-writing instructor.
Ross was born in Toronto
's north end in 1959 and grew up in the Borough of North York. He began writing at a very young age and was first published at age 16 by Books by Kids (now Annick Press
). This book, The Thing in Exile, also contained work by teen writers Steven Feldman and Mark Laba. Ross attended Alternative Independent Study Program
for high school. He went on to self-publish dozens of books and chapbooks through his Proper Tales Press imprint. As his books began to emerge from larger literary publishing houses, he has continued his Proper Tales Press project.
Ross has been active in the Toronto literary scene since the mid-1970s. He is co-founder, with Nicholas Power, of the Toronto Small Press Book Fair, which has been operating since 1987 under various directorships. This fair, the first of its kind in Canada, inspired similar events in Vancouver
, Ottawa
, and Hamilton
. Ross is a founding member of the Meet the Presses collective, which formed in 2006 to promote small-press publishing in the Toronto area.
He was the 2002 "Writer in Residence" for the Writers’ Circle of Durham Region, the 2003 "Poet in Residence" for the Ottawa International Writers Festival
, and the 2005 Electronic Writer in Residence for the Toronto Public Library
's RAMP website for teens. He is currently Queen's University (Kingston)'s writer in residence. Stuart has been the fiction and poetry editor for This Magazine
since 2004 and Editor since 2007 for Mansfield Press, where he has his own imprint: "a stuart ross book."
His own magazines have included Mondo Hunkamooga: A Journal of Small Press Reviews (later subtitled A Journal of Small Press Stuff), Peter O'Toole (a magazine of one-line poems), Dwarf Puppets on Parade (a magazine of writing with restrictions), Who Torched Rancho Diablo? (poetry and fiction), Syd & Shirley, a magazine of Canadian and American poetry, and "HARDSCRABBLE", a poetry magazine.
Although primarily known as a poet, Ross has also published fiction and personal essays. His column "Hunkamooga" appeared in Word: Toronto's Literary Calendar from 2001 to 2005, and moved to the Vancouver-based literary magazine sub-Terrain in 2006.
As an editor, Ross' was responsible for 2004 anthology Surreal Estate: 13 Canadian Poets Under the Influence. In 2003, he issued the chapbook anthology My Lump in the Bed: Love Poems for George W. Bush. In 2007, Ross was the editor for the Insomniac Press
book Why Are You So Sad? Selected Poems of David W. McFadden, and in 2010 for the Insomniac Press book Why Are You So Long and Sweet? Collected Long Poems of David McFadden. With Stephen Brockwell, he is the editor of the Mansfield Press poetry anthology Rogue Stimulus: The Stephen Harper Holiday Anthology for a Prorogued Parliament.
His 2009 short-story collection, Buying Cigarettes for the Dog, was shortlisted for the Alberta Readers' Choice Award and the Alberta Book Awards, and won the 2010 ReLit Award for Short Fiction.
In 2010, Ross was the Writer-in-Residence at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.
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...
fiction
Fiction
Fiction is the form of any narrative or informative work that deals, in part or in whole, with information or events that are not factual, but rather, imaginary—that is, invented by the author. Although fiction describes a major branch of literary work, it may also refer to theatrical,...
writer
Writer
A writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
, 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...
, editor, and creative-writing instructor.
Ross was born in Toronto
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...
's north end in 1959 and grew up in the Borough of North York. He began writing at a very young age and was first published at age 16 by Books by Kids (now Annick Press
Annick Press
Annick Press is a Canadian book publishing company that was founded in Toronto in 1975 by Anne Millyard and Rick Wilks. Rick Wilks became the sole owner in 2000. A second editorial office was opened in Vancouver by Colleen MacMillan in 1999...
). This book, The Thing in Exile, also contained work by teen writers Steven Feldman and Mark Laba. Ross attended Alternative Independent Study Program
Avondale Secondary Alternative School
Avondale Secondary Alternative School is a public alternative school in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It teaches grades 9 through 12. ASAS and its family schools, Avondale Elementary School and Avondale Alternative Elementary School, are part of the Toronto District School Board.-History:Avondale's...
for high school. He went on to self-publish dozens of books and chapbooks through his Proper Tales Press imprint. As his books began to emerge from larger literary publishing houses, he has continued his Proper Tales Press project.
Ross has been active in the Toronto literary scene since the mid-1970s. He is co-founder, with Nicholas Power, of the Toronto Small Press Book Fair, which has been operating since 1987 under various directorships. This fair, the first of its kind in Canada, inspired similar events in Vancouver
Vancouver
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,...
, 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...
, and Hamilton
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
. Ross is a founding member of the Meet the Presses collective, which formed in 2006 to promote small-press publishing in the Toronto area.
He was the 2002 "Writer in Residence" for the Writers’ Circle of Durham Region, the 2003 "Poet in Residence" for 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 the 2005 Electronic Writer in Residence for the Toronto Public Library
Toronto Public Library
Toronto Public Library is a public library system based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It is the largest public library system in Canada and in 2008, had averaged a higher...
's RAMP website for teens. He is currently Queen's University (Kingston)'s writer in residence. Stuart has been the fiction and poetry editor for This Magazine
This Magazine
This Magazine is an independent alternative Canadian political magazine. It was launched "by a gang of school activists" in 1966 as This Magazine is About Schools, a journal covering political issues in the education system...
since 2004 and Editor since 2007 for Mansfield Press, where he has his own imprint: "a stuart ross book."
His own magazines have included Mondo Hunkamooga: A Journal of Small Press Reviews (later subtitled A Journal of Small Press Stuff), Peter O'Toole (a magazine of one-line poems), Dwarf Puppets on Parade (a magazine of writing with restrictions), Who Torched Rancho Diablo? (poetry and fiction), Syd & Shirley, a magazine of Canadian and American poetry, and "HARDSCRABBLE", a poetry magazine.
Although primarily known as a poet, Ross has also published fiction and personal essays. His column "Hunkamooga" appeared in Word: Toronto's Literary Calendar from 2001 to 2005, and moved to the Vancouver-based literary magazine sub-Terrain in 2006.
As an editor, Ross' was responsible for 2004 anthology Surreal Estate: 13 Canadian Poets Under the Influence. In 2003, he issued the chapbook anthology My Lump in the Bed: Love Poems for George W. Bush. In 2007, Ross was the editor for the Insomniac Press
Insomniac Press
Insomniac Press is a Canadian independent book publisher.Founded in 1992 and based in London, Ontario, Insomniac began as a publisher of poetry chapbooks. The company has since evolved into a publisher of a wide variety of fiction, poetry and non-fiction work by emerging Canadian writers...
book Why Are You So Sad? Selected Poems of David W. McFadden, and in 2010 for the Insomniac Press book Why Are You So Long and Sweet? Collected Long Poems of David McFadden. With Stephen Brockwell, he is the editor of the Mansfield Press poetry anthology Rogue Stimulus: The Stephen Harper Holiday Anthology for a Prorogued Parliament.
His 2009 short-story collection, Buying Cigarettes for the Dog, was shortlisted for the Alberta Readers' Choice Award and the Alberta Book Awards, and won the 2010 ReLit Award for Short Fiction.
In 2010, Ross was the Writer-in-Residence at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario.
Selected bibliography
- The Pig Sleeps. Contra Mundo Books, 1991. (with Mark Laba)
- The Mud Game. The Mercury Press, 1995. (with Gary BarwinGary BarwinGary Barwin is a Canadian writer, composer, and performer who lives in Hamilton, Ontario. He writes in a range of genres including poetry, fiction, visual and concrete poetry, music for live performers and computers, text & sound works, and writing for children and young adults...
) - The Inspiration Cha-Cha. ECW Press, 1996.
- Henry Kafka and Other Stories. The Mercury Press, 1997.
- Farmer Gloomy’s New Hybrid. ECW Press, 1999.
- Razovsky at Peace. ECW Press, 2001.
- Hey, Crumbling Balcony! Poems New & Selected. ECW Press, 2003.
- Surreal Estate: 13 Canadian Poets Under the Influence. The Mercury Press, 2004. (editor)
- Confessions of a Small Press Racketeer. Anvil Press, 2005.
- Robots at Night. Proper Tales Press, 2005.
- I Cut My Finger. Anvil Press, 2007.
- Dead Cars in Managua. DC Books, 2008.
- Rogue Stimulus: The Stephen Harper Holiday Anthology for a Prorogued Parliament. Mansfield Press, 2010. (editor, with Stephen Brockwell)
- Buying Cigarettes for the Dog. Freehand Books, 2009.
- Snowball, Dragonfly, Jew. ECW Press, 2011.