Jeffrey Round is a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

writer, director, playwright, publisher, and songwriter, who has encouraged the development of LGBT literature, particularly in Canada. His published work includes literary fiction, plays, poetry and

mystery novel Mystery is a fiction genre where the nature of an event, usually a murder or other crime, remains mysterious until the end of the story. Often within a closed circle of suspects, each suspect is usually provided with a credible motive and a reas ...

s."Novelist, former model and travel nut Jeffrey Round"
. ''

Xtra! ''Xtra Magazine'' (formerly ''DailyXtra'' and ''Xtra!'') is an LGBTQ-focused digital publication and former print newspaper published by Pink Triangle Press in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The publication is a continuation of the company's former pr ...

'', May 6, 2010.

Background

Jeffrey Round studied theatre, literature, psychology and music at

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the fou ...

, obtaining a degree in English Literature. He also attended the

Humber School for Writers The Humber College Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning, commonly known as Humber College, is a public College of Applied Arts and Technology in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Founded in 1967, Humber has two main campuses: the Humber North c ...

, where he was mentored by writer DM Thomas, as well as

Ryerson Polytechnical Institute Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU or Toronto Met) is a public university, public research university located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The university's core campus is situated within the Garden District, Toronto, Garden District, although i ...

's Film and Television program. In 1991, while working as an editor for Pink Triangle Press, he founded ''

The Church-Wellesley Review ''The Church-Wellesley Review'' () was a Canadian literary magazine.

'', Canada's first annual print journal for LGBT creative writing, published as a supplement in ''Xtra!'' It later became both a reading series and an on-line quarterly, continuing until 2002. The review featured contributions from such notable writers as

Jane Rule Jane Vance Rule (28 March 1931 – 27 November 2007) was a Canadian writer of lesbian-themed works. Her first novel, ''Desert of the Heart'', appeared in 1964, when gay activity was still a criminal offence. It turned Rule into a reluctant m ...

Timothy Findley Timothy Irving Frederick Findley Timothy Findley's
entry in

Shyam Selvadurai Shyam Selvadurai (born 12 February 1965) is a Sri Lankan Canadian novelist. He is most noted for his 1994 novel '' Funny Boy'', which won the Books in Canada First Novel Award and the Lambda Literary Award for Gay Fiction.Paul Chafe"Shyam Selvadu ...

, and introduced writers

Dale Peck Dale Peck (born 1967) is an American novelist, literary critic, and columnist. His 2009 novel, '' Sprout'', won the Lambda Literary Award for LGBT Children's/Young Adult literature, and was a finalist for the Stonewall Book Award in the Children's ...

, Michael V Smith and

Gordon Stewart Anderson Gordon Stewart Anderson (1958 – July 8, 1991) was a Canadian writer, whose novel ''The Toronto You Are Leaving'' was published by his mother 15 years after his death. Anderson was born in Hamilton, Ontario, raised in Sault Ste. Marie and lived ...

among others. From 1995 to 1998, Round directed

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...

's long-running hit ''

The Mousetrap ''The Mousetrap'' is a murder mystery play by Agatha Christie. ''The Mousetrap'' opened in London's West End in 1952 and ran continuously until 16 March 2020, when the stage performances had to be temporarily discontinued during the COVID-1 ...

'' during its twenty-seven record-breaking years at the Toronto Truck Theatre. In 1992 Round founded the multi-media theatre company Best Boys Productions with then-partner and gay activist John Davison. His first full-length stage play, ''Zebra'', about the real-life murder of librarian

Kenneth Zeller Kenneth Zeller (June 5, 1945 – June 1985) was a teacher and librarian in Toronto, who was employed by Davisville Public School, Williamson Road Junior Public School and Western Technical-Commercial School. He was the victim of a homophobic hate ...

, won the Gay and Lesbian Appeal's "Right to Privacy Award" and was nominated for a Pink Trillium for Best Play. The pair produced five other stage works, including Dawn Rae Downton's ''Blessed'' and Round's ''The Michael Ridler Project (Is it art or still … life?)'', about out gay painter Michael Ridler. In 2002, his short film ''My Heart Belongs to Daddy'' premiered at the Director's View Film Festival in Norwalk, Connecticut. It won awards for Best Canadian Director and Best Use of Music at the Hollywood North Movie Festival, and the Schweppes Prize at what would become the first annual Canadian Film Shorts festival. In 2005, Round was nominated for the KM Hunter Artists Award for Literature for "a body of work" that included fiction, poetry, drama, and literary criticism. Round is the author of two mystery series featuring gay male protagonists. In 2007, Haworth published ''The P'Town Murders'', the first Bradford Fairfax mystery. In 2012, Dundurn Press published the first Dan Sharp mystery, ''Lake On The Mountain'', winner of the 2013

Lambda Literary Award Lambda Literary Awards, also known as the "Lammys", are awarded yearly by Lambda Literary to recognize the crucial role LGBTQ writers play in shaping the world. The Lammys celebrate the very best in LGBTQ literature.The awards were instituted i ...

for Best Gay Mystery. In 2009, with Shane McConnell, Round began Proust & Company, a musical-literary evening at Glad Day Bookshop in Toronto to help raise awareness of the world's oldest existing LGBT bookstore. The event featured a cross-section of Canadian (mostly) LGBT writers and musicians, including poets Maureen Hines, RM Vaughan and Keith Garebian, novelists

Elizabeth Ruth Elizabeth Ruth (born 1968) is a Canadian novelist. Early life and education Elizabeth Ruth was born in Windsor, Ontario, was raised by a single, unmarried mother, and moved frequently while growing up, including living in Detroit, Michigan, in C ...

, John Miller, Storm Grant, Karen X Tulchinsky, and

Zoe Whittall Zoe Whittall (born February 16, 1976) is a Canadian poet, novelist and TV writer.Zoe Whittall ...

, essayist

Michael Rowe Michael Rowe (born 1960) is an American television writer, producer and comedian. He has written for ''Becker (TV series), Becker'', ''The Nanny'', ''Futurama'', ''Paranormal Action Squad'' and ''Family Guy'', as well as writing the episode of ...

, YA author Steven Bereznai, musicians Omel Masalunga, Geri Aniceto, Jamie Thompson and the Urban Flute Project, and others. He served on the jury for the 2011 Dayne Ogilvie Prize, a literary award for emerging LGBT writers in Canada, selecting

Farzana Doctor Farzana Doctor is a Canadian novelist and social worker. Biography Born in Zambia to Dawoodi Bohra Muslim expatriate parents from India, she immigrated to Canada with her family in the early 1970s. She has published three novels to date, and w ...

as that year's winner."Farzana Doctor to receive Dayne Ogilvie Grant". Quill & Quire, June 1, 2011. In 2015, with Michael Erickson of Glad Day Bookshop, Round co-founded and co-named the Naked Heart LGBT Festival of Words, which became Canada's most racially diverse literary event. He has also served as the Ontario Representative for The Writers' Union of Canada. Round has also worked as a producer and writer for Alliance-Atlantis and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. As a songwriter he has composed for, and performed and recorded with, acclaimed Canadian soprano Lilac Caña. In addition, he has written about and credited such diverse cultural figures as Glenn Gould, Janis Joplin, John Lennon, Sylvia Plath, James Dean, Joni Mitchell, Tennessee Williams, Vincent van Gogh, Oscar Wilde, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Anton Webern, Marcel Proust, Gabriel Fauré and William Shakespeare with the shaping of his creative vision. A long-time resident of Toronto, he has also lived in London, England, and Milan, Italy.

Career as an author

Round's first novel, ''A Cage of Bones'', was published by the

Gay Men's Press Gay Men's Press was a publisher of books based in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1979, the imprint was run until 2000 by its founders, then until 2006 by Millivres Prowler. Overview Launched in 1979 by Aubrey Walter, David Fernbach, and Rich ...

in the UK. Based on Round's experiences as a fashion model in Italy and England, the book topped bestseller lists around the world. A comic mystery, ''The P-Town Murders'', first in the Bradford Fairfax series, was published by Haworth Books in the US in 2007. Both titles were listed on

AfterElton TheBacklot.com (TheBacklot), founded in January 2005 as AfterElton.com (AfterElton), was a culture website that focused on the portrayal of gay and bisexual men in the media and was the companion site of AfterEllen.com (AfterEllen). TheBacklot was ...

's Top 100 Greatest Gay Books in 2008. In 2009, Cormorant Books released ''Death In Key West'', the second Fairfax mystery. ''The Honey Locust'', Round's literary novel about the Bosnian war, followed in the same year and was nominated for a

ReLit Award The ReLit Awards are Canadian literary prizes awarded annually to book-length works in the novel, short-story and poetry categories."Three indie writers honoured by ReLit Awards". ''The Globe and Mail'', July 19, 2007. Founded in 2000 by Newfoundla ...

for Literature. In 2012, Dundurn Press published ''Lake on the Mountain'', first in the Dan Sharp mystery series, which won the Lambda Literary Award for Best Gay Mystery in 2013. The series, which focuses on gay private investigator Dan Sharp, continued with ''Pumpkin Eater'' (2014), ''The Jade Butterfly'' (2015) and ''After the Horses'' (2015), the latter garnering Round his second Lambda nomination. In 2014, Round's poetry collection, ''In the Museum of Leonardo da Vinci'', was published by Tightrope Books. It too received a ReLit nomination, this time for poetry. The book is dedicated to his father, who died before its publication. Also in 2014, Round published ''Vanished in Vallarta'', the third Bradford Fairfax mystery, under his own publishing imprint, which in 2008 published the revised second edition of ''A Cage of Bones'' after retrieving the rights from GMP. In 2016, Dundurn published Round's ''Endgame'', a total rewriting and recreation of Agatha Christie's bestselling mystery And Then There Were None. It became one of Dundurn's bestselling US titles, bringing Round new accolades from such writers as

Joan Barfoot Joan Louise Barfoot (born May 17, 1946) is a Canadian novelist. She has published 11 novels, including ''Luck'' (2005), which was a nominee for the 2005 Scotiabank Giller Prize, and ''Critical Injuries'' (2001), which was longlisted for the 2002 Ma ...

, who, in her IFP review of June 15, 2016, called him one of Dame Agatha's "putative heirs." In 2016, Round signed a three-book deal with Dundurn to continue his successful run of Dan Sharp mysteries. These include ''The God Game'', ''Shadow Puppet'' and ''Collateral''. There are numerous other projects in the works, including ''Bon Ton Roulez'', the fourth volume in the Bradford Fairfax series.

Theatre work

In 1992, Round co-founded Best Boys Productions, an experimental theatre company, together with John Davison. The company was in operation for five years and produced, among other works, Round's Right to Privacy Award-winning play, ''Zebra'', about the murder of Toronto librarian Kenneth Zeller in High Park in 1985. At the same time, Round was the stage director for

's ''The Mousetrap'', Canada's longest-running stage production, at the Toronto Truck Theatre.

Film work

Round wrote and directed the short film ''My Heart Belongs to Daddy'' in 2003. He has also released two documentary films, ''BLOSSOM: A Portrait of Lilac Caña'' (2009) and ''Driving With Rusty'' (2010), a film about the late Rusty Ryan.

Bibliography

Novels

*''A Cage of Bones'' (

GMP GMP may refer to: Finance and economics * Gross metropolitan product * Guaranteed maximum price * Guaranteed Minimum Pension Science and technology * GNU Multiple Precision Arithmetic Library, a software library * Granulocyte-macrophage progenit ...

, 1997, ) *''The P'Town Murders: A Bradford Fairfax Murder Mystery'' (

Haworth Press Haworth Press was a publisher of scholarly, academic and trade books, and approximately 200 peer-reviewed academic journals. It was founded in 1978 by the publishing industry executives Bill Cohen and Patrick Mcloughlin. The name was taken from ...

2007, ) *''The P-Town Murders: A Bradford Fairfax Murder Mystery'' (

Cormorant Books Cormorant Books Inc is a Canadian book publishing company."Two houses under ...

, 2008, ) *''Death in Key West: A Bradford Fairfax Murder Mystery'' (Cormorant Books, 2009, ) *''The Honey Locust'' (Cormorant Books, 2009, ) *''Lake on the Mountain: A Dan Sharp Mystery'' (

Dundurn Press Dundurn Press is one of the largest Canadian-owned book publishing companies of adult and children's fiction and non-fiction. The company publishes Canadian literature, history, biography, politics and arts. Dundurn has about 2500 books in print, ...

, 2012 ) *''Pumpkin Eater: A Dan Sharp Mystery'' (Dundurn Press, 2014 ) *''Vanished in Vallarta: A Bradford Fairfax Murder Mystery'' (Rounder Publications, 2014 ) *''The Jade Butterfly: A Dan Sharp Mystery'' (Dundurn Press, 2015 ) *''After the Horses: A Dan Sharp Mystery'' (Dundurn Press, 2015 ) *''Endgame'' (Dundurn Press, 2016 ) *''The God Game: A Dan Sharp Mystery'' (Dundurn Press, 2018 )

Poetry

*''for our mothers'' (The New Quarterly, Vol. X, no. 4, Winter 1991) *''Turn'' (The Antigonish Review, No. 85-85, 1991) *''time and the nature of being; vacation incident'' (Nexus, Vol. 5, no.1, Spring 1992) *''new song/old rag and bone'' (Ammonite, Issue 5, March 1992) *''Barque of Metaphor'' (The White Rose, Issue 24) *''Wednesday Morning Launderette'' (LiNQ, Vol. 19, no. 2, 1992) *''winter garden'' (Ariel, Vol. 24, No. 3, July 1993) *''Aria'' (The Prairie Journal of Canadian Literature, Issue No. 20) *''Autumn Lessons'' (The Prairie Journal of Canadian Literature, Issue No. 34) *''Friends; Father'' (The New Quarterly, Vol. XVII, no. 3, Fall 1997) *''Arrangements'' (Paperplates, Vol. 4 no. 1 Spring 2000 (web)) *''Burning, remembering – 6 Dec '91'' ((EX)CITE Journal of Contemporary Writing, Premiere Issue, Spring 2001) *''Small Furies'' (Canadian Literature, No. 182, Autumn 2004) *Six poems: ''Humpback, Dissolve, Flown, Beggar, midstream, Bloor Line, North Beach CA'' (Maple Tree Literary Supplement (Issue #2) edited by Amatoritsero Ede) *''The One In The Mirror (for Trent Hurry)'' (Q Review, Dec 2010) *''Rebel (On reviewing Nicholas Ray's Rebel Without a Cause)'' (I found It at the Movies: An Anthology of Film Poems, Coach House Books, Ruth Roach Pierson, editor, 2014) *In the Museum of Leonardo da Vinci (Tightrope Books, 2014)

Anthologies

*"A Perfect Time to Be in Paris" in ''Bend Sinister'' (

Peter Burton Peter Ray Burton (4 April 1921 – 21 November 1989) was an English film and television actor. Early life Peter Ray Burton, was born in Bromley, Kent, to Frederick Ray Burton and Gladys Maude (née Frazer). Career He is perhaps best known fo ...

, ed. GMP-UK, 2002.) *"Queen for a Day" in ''Bent on Writing'' (

, ed. Canadian Scholars Press, 2002) *"Isle of Women" in ''A Casualty of War: The Arcadia Book of Gay Short Stories'' (

, ed. Arcadia Books, 2008) *"Don Juan and the Queen of the Gypsies" in ''Don Juan and Men'' ( Caro Soles, ed. MLR Press, 2009) *"This Is Not Your Country" in ''Boy Crazy'' ( Richard Labonté, ed.

Cleis Press Cleis Press is an American independent publisher of books in the areas of sexuality, erotica, feminism, gay and lesbian studies, gender studies, fiction, and human rights. The press was founded in 1980 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It later moved to S ...

, 2009) *"Mouse" in ''Men of the Mean Streets'' (G. Herren/J.D. Redman, eds. Bold Strokes, 2011) *"Rebel (On reviewing Nicholas Ray's Rebel Without a Cause)" in ''I found It at the Movies: An Anthology of Film Poems'' (Ruth Roach Pierson, ed.

Coach House Books Coach House Books is an independent book publishing company located in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Coach House publishes experimental poetry, fiction, drama and non-fiction. The press is particularly interested in writing that pushes at the boundar ...

, 2014) *"Speak My Language" in ''Speak My Language and Other Stories'' (Torsten Hojer, ed. Little Brown UK, 2015)

Filmography

*''My Heart Belongs to Daddy'' (2003) *''BLOSSOM: A Portrait of Lilac Caña'' (2009) *''Driving With Rusty'' (2010)

References

External links

Jeffrey Round
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Round, Jeffrey Canadian male novelists Canadian mystery writers Canadian gay writers Writers from Toronto Writers from Greater Sudbury Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Dalhousie University alumni Lambda Literary Award winners Canadian documentary filmmakers LGBT film directors 20th-century Canadian poets Canadian male poets 20th-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian novelists Canadian LGBT poets Canadian LGBT novelists 21st-century Canadian poets Canadian male screenwriters 20th-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian male writers 21st-century Canadian screenwriters Canadian documentary film directors Film directors from Ontario