Stan Persky (born 19 January 1941) 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, media commentator and

philosophy Philosophy (from , ) is the systematized study of general and fundamental questions, such as those about existence, reason, knowledge, values, mind, and language. Such questions are often posed as problems to be studied or resolved. Some ...

instructor.

Early life

Persky was born in

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. Its largest metropolitan areas include the Chicago metropolitan area, and the Metro East section, of Greater St. Louis. Other smaller metropolita ...

. As a teenager, he made contact with and received encouragement from

Jack Kerouac Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Of French-Canadian a ...

Allen Ginsberg Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he began friendships with William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of the Beat Gener ...

and other writers of the

Beat Generation The Beat Generation was a literary subculture movement started by a group of authors whose work explored and influenced American culture and politics in the post-war era. The bulk of their work was published and popularized by Silent Generatio ...

. Persky served in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

, and then settled in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

in the early 1960s, becoming part of a group of writers that included

Jack Spicer Jack Spicer (January 30, 1925 – August 17, 1965) was an American poet often identified with the San Francisco Renaissance. In 2009, ''My Vocabulary Did This to Me: The Collected Poetry of Jack Spicer'' won the American Book Award for poetry. H ...

, Robert Duncan,

Robin Blaser Robin Francis Blaser (May 18, 1925 – May 7, 2009) was an author and poet in both the United States and Canada. Personal background Born in Denver, Colorado, Blaser grew up in Idaho, and came to Berkeley, California, in 1944. There he met Jack ...

and

George Stanley Colonel George Francis Gillman Stanley (July 6, 1907September 13, 2002) was a Canadian historian, author, soldier, teacher, public servant, and designer of the Canadian flag. Early life and education George F.G. Stanley was born in Calgary, Alb ...

Life during university

In 1966, Persky moved to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

, Canada, and attended the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a public university, public research university with campuses near Vancouver and in Kelowna, British Columbia. Established in 1908, it is British Columbia's oldest university. The university ranks a ...

, receiving degrees 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 ...

and

sociology Sociology is a social science that focuses on society, human social behavior, patterns of Interpersonal ties, social relationships, social interaction, and aspects of culture associated with everyday life. It uses various methods of Empirical ...

. He studied with anthropologist Michael Kew, political philosopher Bob Rowan, and sociologist Roy Turner, and briefly studied as a graduate student with Rowan's teacher, political philosopher Joseph Tussman in the Experimental Program at the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

. He became a Canadian citizen in 1972. During the 1960s and '70s, he was prominent as a student and civic activist, was an early staff member of the ''

Georgia Straight ''The Georgia Straight'' is a free Canadian weekly news and entertainment newspaper published in Vancouver, British Columbia, by Overstory Media Group. Often known simply as ''The Straight'', it is delivered to newsboxes, post-secondary schools, ...

'', a free alternative newspaper, and co-founder with Dennis Wheeler of the "Georgia Straight Writing Supplement", which eventually became New Star Books.

Career after university

After university, Persky worked at Vancouver Mental Patients Association and the

Canadian Broadcasting Corporation The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (french: Société Radio-Canada), branded as CBC/Radio-Canada, is a Canadian public broadcaster for both radio and television. It is a federal Crown corporation that receives funding from the government. ...

before becoming a college instructor in the sociology department at

Northwest Community College Coast Mountain College (CMTN) is an accredited, publicly-funded post-secondary educational institution that serves the communities of British Columbia's northwest region. CMTN offers field schools, college access, trades, university credit, healt ...

Terrace Terrace may refer to: Landforms and construction * Fluvial terrace, a natural, flat surface that borders and lies above the floodplain of a stream or river * Terrace, a street suffix * Terrace, the portion of a lot between the public sidewalk a ...

. He subsequently taught briefly at

Malaspina College Vancouver Island University (abbreviated as VIU, formerly known as Malaspina University-College and earlier as Malaspina College) is a Canadian public university serving Vancouver Island and coastal British Columbia. Malaspina College began in 196 ...

Nanaimo Nanaimo ( ) is a city on the east coast of Vancouver Island, in British Columbia, Canada. As of the Canada 2021 Census, 2021 census, it had a population of 99,863, and it is known as "The Harbour City." The city was previously known as the "H ...

, and

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a public research university in British Columbia, Canada, with three campuses, all in Greater Vancouver: Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, and Vancouver. The main Burnaby campus on Burnaby Mountain, located from ...

Burnaby Burnaby is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada. Located in the centre of the Burrard Peninsula, it neighbours the City of Vancouver to the west, the District of North Vancouver across the confluence of the Burrard I ...

. From 1983 to 2016, he was a professor at

Capilano University Capilano University (CapU) is a teaching-focused public university based in North Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, located on the slopes of the North Shore Mountains, with programming that also serves the Sea-to-Sky Corridor and the Sunshin ...

in North Vancouver, first in political studies and then in philosophy. Since 1990, Persky has resided part-time in Vancouver and in

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. He is the author or editor of some 20 books and has worked as a media commentator for the CBC, a literary columnist for ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of approximately 2 million in 2015, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on weekdays and Saturdays, although it ...

'' and ''

The Vancouver Sun The ''Vancouver Sun'', also known as the ''Sun'', is a daily broadsheet newspaper based in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. The newspaper is currently published by the Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network. Published si ...

'', and has written for ''

The Body Politic ''The Body Politic'' was a Canadian monthly magazine, which was published from 1971 to 1987.

'', ''

This Magazine ''This Magazine'' is an independent alternative Canadian political magazine. History and profile The magazine was launched "by a gang of school activists" in April 1966 as ''This Magazine Is About Schools'', a journal covering political issues ...

'', ''New Directions'', '' Saturday Night'', ''Sodomite Invasion Review'', ''

Books in Canada ''Books in Canada'' was a monthly magazine that reviewed Canadian literature, published in print form between 1971 and 2008. In its heyday it was the most influential literary magazine in Canada. Foundation One of the co-founders of ''Books in Ca ...

'' and most recently ''

The Tyee The Tyee is an independent online daily news source primarily based in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was founded in November 2003 as an alternative to "corporate media". Articles in The Tyee focus on politics, culture, and life. The Tyee was f ...

''. He is also a frequent contributor to ''Dooney's Cafe''.Articles by Stan Persky a
''Dooney's Cafe''
/ref> Stan Persky is a long-time Vancouver public intellectual and literary activist. His most recent publications are ''Reading the 21st Century: Books of the Decade, 2000–2009'' (Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's, 2011), ''Post-Communist Stories: About Cities, Politics, Desires'' (Toronto: Cormorant, 2014) and ''Letter from Berlin: Essays 2015-2016'' (Toronto: Dooney's, 2017).

Awards

Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize The Hubert Evans Non-Fiction Prize, established in 1985, is awarded annually as the BC Book Prize for the best non-fiction book by a resident of British Columbia, Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three ...

– 1990 (nomination) *

– 2006 (winner) *

Lieutenant Governor's Award for Literary Excellence The Lieutenant Governor's Award for Literary Excellence is administered by the BC Book Prizes and recognizes a writer who has contributed significantly to the development of literary excellence in British Columbia, as well as having written a substa ...

– 2010

Bibliography

*''Lives of the French Symbolist Poets'' (San Francisco: White Rabbit Press, 1967) *''Wrestling the Angel'' (Vancouver: Talonbooks, 1977) *''Son of Socred'' (Vancouver:

New Star Books New Star Books is an independent Canadian publishing company located in Vancouver, British Columbia. New Star publishes between six and eight new titles each year, their list includes literary fiction, experimental poetry, and socially-critical non ...

, 1979) *''The House That Jack Built'' (Vancouver: New Star Books, 1980) *''At the Lenin Shipyard: Poland and the Rise of the Solidarity Trade Union'' (Vancouver: New Star Books, 1981) *''The Solidarity Sourcebook'' (Vancouver: New Star Books, 1982; edited with Henry Flam) *''Flaunting It: A Decade of Gay Journalism from The Body Politic'' (Vancouver: New Star Books, 1982; edited with Ed Jackson) *''Bennett II'' (Vancouver: New Star Books, 1983) * ''America, the Last Domino: U.S. Foreign Policy in Central America Under Reagan'' (Vancouver: New Star Books, 1984) *''The Supreme Court of Canada Decision on Abortion'' (Vancouver: New Star Books, 1988; edited with Shelagh Day) *''Fantasy Government: Bill Vander Zalm and the Future of Social Credit'' (Vancouver: New Star Books, 1989) *''Buddy's: Meditations on Desire'' (Vancouver: New Star Books, 1989; 1991) *''Mixed Media, Mixed Messages'' (Vancouver: New Star Books, 1991) *''Then We Take Berlin: Stories from the Other Side of Europe'' (Toronto: Knopf Canada, 1995; Toronto: Vintage Canada, 1996); U.S. title: ''Boyopolis: Sex And Politics In Gay Eastern Europe'' (Woodstock, N.Y.: Overlook, 1996)) *''Autobiography of a Tattoo'' (Vancouver: New Star Books, 1997) *''Delgamuukw: The Supreme Court of Canada Decision on Aboriginal Title'' (Vancouver: David Suzuki Foundation and Greystone, 1998; edited with commentary) *''On Kiddie Porn: Sexual Representation, Free Speech and the Robin Sharpe Case'' (Vancouver: New Star Books, 2001; with John Dixon) *''The Short Version: An ABC Book'' (Vancouver: New Star Books, 2005) *''Topic Sentence: A Writer's Education'' (Vancouver: New Star Books, 2007) *''Robin Blaser'' (Vancouver: New Star Books, 2010; with Brian Fawcett) *''Reading the 21st Century: Books of the Decade, 2000–2009'' (Montreal and Kingston: McGill-Queen's, 2011) *''Post-Communist Stories: About Cities, Politics, Desires'' (Toronto: Cormorant, 2014) *''Letter from Berlin: Essays 2015-2016'' (Toronto: Dooney's, 2017) *Thomas Marquard and Brian Fawcett (eds.), ''Let's Keep Doing This: Writings in Honour of Stan Persky'' (Toronto: Dooney's, 2018)

External links

*
Records of Stan Persky are held by Simon Fraser University's Special Collections and Rare Books

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Persky, Stan 1941 births American emigrants to Canada Capilano University faculty Canadian gay writers Journalists from British Columbia Canadian LGBT journalists Living people Philosophy academics University of British Columbia alumni Writers from Vancouver