Susan Musgrave

Susan Musgrave. Courtesy Harbour Publishing.

Susan Musgrave
Born	12 March 1951
Occupation	Author
Genres	Children's Literature

Susan Musgrave (born March 12, 1951) is a Canadian poet and children's writer.

Life

Musgrave was born in Santa Cruz, California to Canadian parents, and raised in Victoria, British Columbia. Growing up a social misfit, she dropped out of school after Grade 10.

She has lived in England, Ireland, Panama and Colombia, as well as various places in Canada. One of her online biographies credits her with unspecified "experiences in public schools, psychiatric institutions, and maximum security penitentiaries across the country."

She lives on Haida Gwaii, British Columbia, where she works as a poet, novelist, columnist, reviewer, editor and non-fiction writer. She teaches creative writing in the University of British Columbia's Optional Residency Master of Fine Arts Program.

Musgrave has been married 3 times. Her earliest marriage was to a lawyer, whom she left for one of his clients, an accused drug smuggler. Her last marriage was to Stephen Reid, a writer, convicted bank robber, and former member of the band of thieves known as the Stopwatch Gang]. Their relationship was chronicled in 1999 in the CBC Television series Life and Times. She has 2 daughters, Charlotte Musgrave (born 1982) and Sophie Musgrave Reid (born 1989). Stephen Reid died on June 12, 2018 on Haida Gwaii.

Musgrave defended Al Purdy's collection of poetry, Rooms for Rent in the Outer Planets: Selected poems, 1962–1996, in Canada Reads|Canada Reads 2006, a nationally broadcast radio "battle of the books" competition.

Recognition

• 1981 – National Magazine Award (Silver)
• 1991 – R.P. Adams Memorial Prize for Short Fiction
• 1994 – bpNichol Poetry Chapbook Award
• 1994 – People’s Choice Poetry Award
• 1996 – Tilden Canadian Literary Award for Poetry
• 1996 – Vicky Metcalf Short Story Editor’s Award

Awards list courtesy Athabasca University.

Publications

Poetry

• Songs of the Sea-Witch. Winlaw, BC: Sono Nis Press, 1970.
• Mindscapes: Poems by Zieroth, Jiles, Musgrave, Wayman (edited by Ann Wall). Toronto: Anansi, 1971.
• Skuld. Frensham, England: Sceptre Press, 1971.
• Birthstone. Rushden, England: Sceptre Press, 1971.
• Equinox. Rushden, England: Sceptre Press, 1972.
• Entrance of the Celebrant. . New York: Macmillan, 1972;
  • London: Fuller d'Arch Smith, 1972.
• Kung. Rushden, UK: Sceptre Press, 1973.
• Grave-Dirt and Selected Strawberries. New York: Macmillan, 1973.
• Against: Poem. Rushden, England: Sceptre Press, 1974.
• Gullband Thought Measles was a Happy Ending. Vancouver, BC: J.J. Douglas, 1974.
• Two Poems. Knotting, England: Sceptre Press, 1975.
• The Impstone. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1976;
  • London: Omphalos Press, 1978.
• Between Friends. Toronto: Dreadnaught Press, 1976.
• For Charlie Beaulieu in Yellowknife Who Told Me To Go Back to the South and Write Another Poem About Indians. Knotting, England: Sceptre Press, 1977.
• Kiskatinaw Songs (with Sean Virgo, illustrated by Douglas Tait). Pharos Press, 1977.
  • (with Sid Robinovitch). Winnipeg, MB: S. Robinovitch, 1980.
• Selected Strawberries and Other Poems. Winlaw, BC: Sono Nis Press, 1977.
• Two Poems for the Blue Moon. Knotting, England: Sceptre Press, 1977.
• Becky Swan's Book. Erin, ON: Porcupine’s Quill, 1978.
• A Man to Marry, A Man to Bury. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1979.
• Conversation During the Omelette aux Fines Herbes. Knotting, UK: Sceptre Press, 1979.
• When My Boots Drive Off in a Cadillac. Toronto: League of Canadian Poets, 1980.
• Taboo-Man. Vancouver, BC: C. Duthie, 1981.
• Tarts and Muggerss: Poems New and Selected. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1982.
• The Plane Put Down in Sacramento. Vancouver, BC: W. Hoffer, 1982.
• Cocktails at the Mausoleum. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1985.
  • revised edition, Beach Holme, 1992.
• In the Small Hours of the Rain (chapbook). Victoria, BC: Reference West, 1991.
• The Embalmer's Art: Poems new and selected. Toronto: Exile Editions, 1991.
• The Spiritualization of Cruelty (six poems with drawings by Pavel Skalnik, limited, lettered and numbered edition). Toronto: Lake Galleries, 1992.
• Forcing the Narcissus. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1994.
• Things That Keep and Do Not Change. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 1999.
• Twenty-eight Uses for Al Purdy’s Ashes. Victoria, BC: Reference West, for the Hawthorne Society, 1999.
• What the Small Day Cannot Hold: collected poems 1970-1985. Victoria, BC: Porcepic Books, 2000.
• The Selected Poems of Susan Musgrave (chosen by Lorna Crozier). Beach Holme, 2000.
• Nothing. Vancouver: Pooka Press, 2004.
• Stopping By the Mailbox on a Snowy Evening. Vancouver: Pooka Press, 2004.
• Canadian Roulette. Vancouver: Pooka Press, 2004.
• When the World is Not Our Home: Selected Poems 1985-2000. Saskatoon, SK: Thistledown Press, 2009.
• The Obituary of Light: Sangan River Meditations. Saskatoon, SK: Thistledown Press, 2009.
• Origami Dove. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, 2011.

Fiction

• The Charcoal Burners. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart (Totem Books), 1981.
• The Dancing Chickens. Toronto: Methuen, 1987.
• Cargo of Orchids. Toronto: Vintage, 2001.

Non-fiction

• Great Musgrave. . Scarborough, ON: Prentice-Hall, 1989.
• Musgrave Landing: Musings on the writing life. Toronto: Stoddart, 1994.
• Your in Canada Now…: A memoir of sorts. Saskatoon, SK: Thistledown Press, 2005.

Juvenile

• Gullband (poetry; illustrated by Rikki Ducornet). Vancouver, BC: J.J. Douglas Ltd., 1974.
• Hag Head (poetry; illustrated by Carol Evans). Toronto: Clarke, Irwin, 1980.
• Kestrel and Leonardo (poetry; illustrated by Linda Rogers). Victoria, BC: Reference West, for the Hawthorne Society, 1990.
• Dreams are More Real than Bathtubs (illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay).. Victoria, BC: Orca Book Publishers, 1998.

Edited

• Clear Cut Words: Writers for Clayoquot. Victoria, BC: Reference West, for the Hawthorne Society, 1993.
• Because You Loved Being a Stranger: 55 Poets Celebrate Patrick Lane. Madeira Park, BC: Harbour Publishing, 1994.
• Nerves Out Loud: Critical Moments in the Lives of Seven Teen Girls. Toronto: Annick Press, 2001.
• You Be Me: Friendship in the Lives of Teen Girls. Toronto: Annick Press, 2002.
• The Fed Anthology: Brand New Fiction and Poetry from the Federation of BC Writers. Vancouver: Anvil Press, 2003.
• Certain Things About My Mother: Daughters Speak. Toronto: Annick Press, 2003.
• Perfectly Secret: The Hidden Lives of Seven Teen Girls. Toronto: Annick Press, 2004.

Susan Musgrave

Susan Musgrave reads from Silver Mercies

Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy Athabasca University.

Audiobooks

• The Charcoal Burners (cassette). Vancouver: Library Services Branch, 1981.
• Cargo of Orchids (CD). Toronto: CNIB, 2002.

Except where noted, discographical information courtesy WorldCat.

See also

• List of Canadian poets

External links

Poems

• Susan Musgrave at Canadian Poetry Online (profile & 6 poems)

Audio / video

• Susan Musgrave at YouTube

Books

• Susan Musgrave at Amazon.com

About

• Susan Musgrave at Canadian Women Poets
• Susan Musgrave at English-Canadian Writers
• Susan Musgrave at WIER (Writers In Electronic Residence)
• Susan Musgrave Official website
• The Questionless Books Interview, Open Book Toronto.