EVERY - The Bulletin Magazine

YORK REGION
AUTHOR FINALIST
FOR PREMIER’S
ARTS AWARD
York Region author and poet Barry Dempster has
been selected as one of six finalists for the
Premier’s Award for Excellence in the Arts. The
Premier’s Award recognizes outstanding
achievement and contribution to arts and culture
in Ontario during a significant period of time. Six
finalists are chosen from various arts disciplines and each is given $2,000
with one finalist selected who will receive $35,000 and will name an
emerging artist in their field to receive a prize of $15,000.
Barry Dempster was born in Toronto and educated in child psychology. He is
the author 15 books including a novel, a children's book, two volumes of
short stories and eleven collections of poetry. He has been nominated for the
Governor General's Award for literature twice, for his first book, "Fables for
Isolated Men" (Guernica) and for "The Burning Alphabet" (Brick Books)
which won the Canadian Authors Association Chalmers Award for poetry.
From 1990 to 1997, he was Poetry and Reviews Editor for "Poetry Canada
Review" which quickly became one of Canada's most esteemed literary
magazines. During this time, Dempster became known for his helpful,
supportive letters to budding writers, his astute book reviews and his "New
Voice" discoveries of some of Canada's finest poets. He is currently the
senior acquisitions editor with Brick Books where he has discovered and
edited many of Canada's best emerging poets. He has been on the faculty at
The Banff Centre as mentor for the Writing Studio twice, the Wired Writing
program and the Writing with Style program in fall 2010. He has read across
Canada and Ontario many times, in England and the U.S. and is in constant
demand at author reading series and festivals.
Dempster lives in Holland Landing where he runs a very popular film series
"Southlake Cinemania" which has raised over $100,000
to support literacy in the community. He presents an
annual Poetry Gala to a packed house at the Richmond
Hill Public Library where he presents 5 important new
and established writers. He served on the East
Gwillimbury Library Board for 12 years and was the
chair for 5 during which time a new library was built in
Mount Albert. He has been the Writer-in-Residence at
the Richmond Hill Public Library twice where he has
mentored over 150 writers and attracted large
Continued on page 24... DEMPSTER
Great things are
not done by
impulse, but by
a series of small
things brought
together.
Vincent Van Gogh
www.thebulletinmagazine.com August 2010 | The Bulletin 17