Micheline Maylor (born in 1970) 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 ...

poet A poet is a person who studies and creates poetry. Poets may describe themselves as such or be described as such by others. A poet may simply be the creator ( thinker, songwriter, writer, or author) who creates (composes) poems (oral or writte ...

academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of secondary education, secondary or tertiary education, tertiary higher education, higher learning (and generally also research or honorary membershi ...

critic A critic is a person who communicates an assessment and an opinion of various forms of creative works such as art, literature, music, cinema, theater, fashion, architecture, and food. Critics may also take as their subject social or governmen ...

and

editor Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written, photographic, visual, audible, or cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing process can involve correction, condensation, orga ...

Early life

Maylor was born in

Windsor, Ontario Windsor is a city in southwestern Ontario, Canada, on the south bank of the Detroit River directly across from Detroit, Michigan, United States. Geographically located within but administratively independent of Essex County, it is the souther ...

Voyageur The voyageurs (; ) were 18th and 19th century French Canadians who engaged in the transporting of furs via canoe during the peak of the North American fur trade. The emblematic meaning of the term applies to places (New France, including the ' ...

Metis, and English

ancestry An ancestor, also known as a forefather, fore-elder or a forebear, is a parent or (recursively) the parent of an antecedent (i.e., a grandparent, great-grandparent, great-great-grandparent and so forth). ''Ancestor'' is "any person from whom ...

. She moved to Calgary, Alberta and was raised as a

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

by artist parents.

Education

Maylor holds a BA from the

University of Calgary The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...

(honours with a specialty in

creative writing Creative writing is any writing that goes outside the bounds of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary ...

and a minor in

anthropology Anthropology is the scientific study of humanity, concerned with human behavior, human biology, cultures, societies, and linguistics, in both the present and past, including past human species. Social anthropology studies patterns of behavi ...

). She earned a master's degree from

Lancaster University Lancaster University (legally The University of Lancaster) is a public university, public research university in Lancaster, Lancashire, Lancaster, Lancashire, England. The university was established in 1964 by royal charter, as one of several pla ...

UK (distinction in creative writing/Can-Lit). She was awarded the International Research Scholarship and the Overseas Research Scholarship. She was awarded a Ph.D from

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

(Late 20th century Canadian literature and creative writing).

Career

Poetry

Maylor's first book, ''Full Depth: The Raymond Knister Poems'' was long listed for the

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 ...

and inspired by living in John Knister's ancestral home. Her Chapbook, ''Starfish'', an elegiac long poem written on the death of her best friend, sold out in 2007. Her third collection, ''Whirr and Click,'' was short-listed for the

Pat Lowther Award The Pat Lowther Memorial Award is an annual award presented by the League of Canadian Poets to the year's best book of poetry by a Canadian woman.Douglas Glover writes, "Micheline Maylor writes poems with dash and élan, attack poems, full of desire, heart, dangerous men and revenge." Her fourth collection, ''Little Wildheart'', published by the

University of Alberta Press University of Alberta Press (UAlberta Press) is a publishing house and a division of the University of Alberta that engages in academic publishing. Overview UAlberta Press is situated in the Rutherford Library on the University of Alberta campu ...

, was short-listed for the Robert Kroetsch award for experimental poetry and deals with the question: What does it mean to be human?

Quill and Quire ''Quill & Quire'' is a Canadian magazine about the book and publishing industry. The magazine was launched in 1935 and has an average circulation of 5,000 copies per issue, with a publisher-claimed readership of 25,000. ''Quill & Quire'' reviews ...

gave it a starred review calling it "a charming quirk", and

The Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. The newspaper is the country's largest daily newspaper by circulation. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part ...

described it as: "poems that crackle with lyric energy". Micheline Maylor's anthology, ''Drifting Like a Metaphor,'' introduces Calgary poets of promise who have the ability to make connections that work to pull together language, image, and emotion. Her criterion was that the poets are not yet published in book form, but are able to make story and voice work to create an emotional reaction through many forms and styles. Any of the twelve poets showcased in this anthology could easily become the next great voice or future poet laureate of Calgary. Maylor has published her fifth book, ''"The Bad Wife"'' which was long listed for the Raymond Souster Award (2022). and Short Listed for the

Robert Kroetsch Robert Paul Kroetsch (June 26, 1927 – June 21, 2011)

Best Poetry Award Her poetry has been published in over 85 journals in five countries. Influences come from

Don Coles Donald L. Coles (April 12, 1927 – November 29, 2017) was a Canadian poet and novelist. He won the 1993 Governor General's Award for English poetry for his collection ''Forests of the Medieval World'' and the Trillium Book Award in 2000 for his co ...

Jeffery Donaldson Jeffery William Donaldson is a Canadian poet and critic. Born in Toronto, Ontario, Donaldson was educated at Victoria College, University of Toronto. He teaches American literature, poetry, and creative writing and literary criticism in the En ...

, Douglas Glover, Patrick Lane, George Elliot Clark, Richard Harrison, and

Jan Zwicky Janine Louise Zwicky (born 10 May 1955) is a Canadian philosopher, poet, essayist, and musician. She was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2022. Life and career Zwicky received her BA from the University of Calgary and earned her PhD at the U ...

Editor

Maylor is the co-founder of the non-profit Freefall Literary Society where she was the editor-in-chief from 2006-2016 and is now consulting editor, before shifting to Frontenac House Press. She currently edits the Quartet poetry series for which the authors have been shortlisted or have won: The Goldie Award for best Lesbian poetry book in North America; The Gerald Lampert Award for best first book; The

Pat Lowther Award The Pat Lowther Memorial Award is an annual award presented by the League of Canadian Poets to the year's best book of poetry by a Canadian woman.Billy-Ray Belcourt Billy-Ray Belcourt is a poet, scholar, and author from the Driftpile Cree Nation. Belcourt's works encompass a variety of topics and themes, including decolonial love, grief, intimacy and queer sexuality, and the role of Indigenous women in so ...

published by

Frontenac House Frontenac House is an independent publishing house located in Okotoks, Alberta, Canada, founded in 2000 by Rose and David Scollard. The publishing house focuses on poetry, but has reached into other genres as well, including fiction, photography ...

, which won the prestigious 2018

Griffin Poetry Prize The Griffin Poetry Prize is Canada's most generous poetry award. It was founded in 2000 by businessman and philanthropist Scott Griffin. Before 2022, the awards went to one Canadian and one international poet who writes in the English language. ...

, and The Most Significant Book of Poetry in English by an Emerging Indigenous Writer
Indigenous Voices Awards
(2018), and the

Robert Kroetsch Robert Paul Kroetsch (June 26, 1927 – June 21, 2011)

City of Edmonton Book Prize (2018). It was also short listed for the

Gerald Lampert Memorial Award The Gerald Lampert Memorial Award is made annually by the League of Canadian Poets to the best volume of poetry published by a first-time poet. It is presented in honour of poetry promoter Gerald Lampert Gerald Lampert (c. 1924 - April 29, 1978) w ...

(2018), and the

Raymond Souster Award The Raymond Souster Award is a Canadian literary award, presented by the League of Canadian Poets to a book judged as the best work of poetry by a Canadian poet in the previous year."Local poet wins national prize". ''Telegraph-Journal'', June 12, 2 ...

(2018). Maylor was the editor of the award-winning "Ruba'iyat For the Time of Apricots" b
Basma Kavanagh
published by

, which won the Robert Kroetsch Award for Poetr
awarded
by th
Book Publisher's Association of Alberta
on Sept 13, 2019. She is a regular poetry reviewer at

Teaching and mentoring

She held a teaching position and has won awards at

Mount Royal University Mount Royal University (MRU) is a public university in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. History Mount Royal University was founded by Alberta provincial charter by the Arthur Sifton government on December 16, 1910 and officially opened on September 8 ...

. where she won the Faculty Award for Excellence in Teaching by Mount Royal Faculty Association. She also has held a teaching position at

The University of Calgary The University of Calgary (U of C or UCalgary) is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The University of Calgary started in 1944 as the Calgary branch of the University of Alberta, founded in 1908, prior to being ins ...

. She retired in 2022. Following the tradition of many Canadian Writers, she is a long-time member of the

League of Canadian Poets The League of Canadian Poets (LCP), founded in 1966, is a national non-profit arts service organization based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The organization acts as the national association of professional and aspiring poets in Canada. The League co ...

Appointments

On 25 April 2016 Micheline Maylor was sworn in as Calgary's first female Poet Laureate for a two-year term, and as such acts as an ambassador of the arts to the citizens of Calgary. The Calgary Poet Laureate produces literary work that is reflective of Calgary's landscape, cityscape and/or civic identity and that may raise awareness of local issues and is an initiative of the Calgary, an initiative of the Calgary Arts Development Authority She was appointed as Author in Residence for the

Calgary Public Library The Calgary Public Library (CPL) is a distributed library system featuring 21 branch locations including the Central Library. It is the second most used system in Canada (after the Toronto Public Library) and the sixth most used library system in ...

on 26 April 2016. She is the Author in Residence at the Alexandra Writers Centre Society in 2017 and will be the Author in Residence at the Saskatchewan Writer's Guild Retreat in November 2019 Maylor was elected to the Senate of the

for a three-year term commencing in September, 2017. Maylor was also a member of the Calgary Institute of Humanities Advisory Board. Maylor was appointed as a member of the

Distinguished Faculty Academy in May 2018 as a result of receiving the

2018 Distinguished Faculty Award for Contract Faculty.

Awards

* Short List Petra Kenny Award for poetry 2007 * Flair Foundation Creativity grant for

Banff Centre Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, formerly known as The Banff Centre (and previously The Banff Centre for Continuing Education), located in Banff, Alberta, was established in 1933 as the Banff School of Drama. It was granted full autonomy as ...

2010 * 3rd place

Geist ''Geist'' () is a German noun with a significant degree of importance in German philosophy. Its semantic field corresponds to English ghost, spirit, mind, intellect. Some English translators resort to using "spirit/mind" or "spirit (mind)" to he ...

post card story contest 2013 * Short List

Pat Lowther Award The Pat Lowther Memorial Award is an annual award presented by the League of Canadian Poets to the year's best book of poetry by a Canadian woman.Mount Royal University Mount Royal University (MRU) is a public university in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. History Mount Royal University was founded by Alberta provincial charter by the Arthur Sifton government on December 16, 1910 and officially opened on September 8 ...

Faculty Association Excellence in Teaching 2015 * Short List

Robert Kroetsch Robert Paul Kroetsch (June 26, 1927 – June 21, 2011)

Innovative Poetry Award 2016 *Long List for the

Pat Lowther Patricia Louise Lowther (born Patricia Louise Tinmuth) (July 29, 1935 – September 24, 1975) was a Canadian poet. Born in Vancouver, British Columbia, she grew up in the neighboring city of North Vancouver. Life Lowther's first published poem ...

Poetry Award 2017 *Long List for the

Raymond Souster Raymond Holmes Souster (January 15, 1921 – October 19, 2012) was a Canadian poet whose writing career spanned over 70 years. More than 50 volumes of his own poetry were published during his lifetime, and he edited or co-edited a dozen volumes ...

Poetry 2017 *

2018 Distinguished Faculty Award for Contract Faculty
Alberta Magazine Publishers Association
Volunteer of the Year 2020
Lois Hole Award for Editorial Excellence
- For Quartet 2019 - Frontenac House (Editor) 2020 *Book Publisher’s Association of Alberta, Robert Kroetsch Award for Poetry, Best poetry book published in Albert
2021

Selected bibliography

Books

* 2021 - The Bad Wife (University of Alberta Press) * 2018 – Drifting Like a Metaphor (Frontenac House Ed. Micheline Maylor) * 2017 – Little Wildheart (University of Alberta Press) * 2013 – Whirr and Click (Frontenac House Ed. Rose Scollard) * 2011 – Starfish (Rubicon Press Ed. Jenna Butler) * 2007 – Full Depth: The Raymond Knister poems (Wolsak and Wynn Ed. Maria Jacobs)

Anthologies

* Shy (University of Alberta Press) 2013. * Poems for Planet Earth (Leaf Press) 2013 * Freshwater Pearls (Recliner Books) 2011 * Home and Away (House of Blue Skies) 2009

References

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Maylor, Micheline 1970 births Living people Alumni of Lancaster University Canadian women poets Chapbook writers University of Calgary alumni Writers from Windsor, Ontario Poets Laureate of Calgary 20th-century Canadian poets 21st-century Canadian poets 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian women writers