Susan Musgrave

Susan Musgrave
Born (1951-03-12) March 12, 1951 (age 73)
Santa Cruz, California
OccupationAuthor, poet
GenrePoetry, fiction, children's literature
Spouse
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(m. 1986; died 2018)​

Susan Musgrave (born March 12, 1951) is a Canadian poet and children's writer. She was born in Santa Cruz, California, to Canadian parents, and lives in British Columbia, dividing her time between Sidney and Haida Gwaii. She has been nominated several times for Canada's Governor General literary awards.[1]

Musgrave left school at 14, and had her first works published at 16.[1] In 1986, at a wedding held in prison,[1] she married Stephen Reid, a writer, convicted bank robber and former member of the infamous band of thieves known as the Stopwatch Gang. Their relationship was chronicled in 1999 in the CBC series The Fifth Estate.[2]

Musgrave defended Al Purdy's collection of poetry, Rooms for Rent in the Outer Planets: Selected Poems, 1962–1996, in Canada Reads 2006, a nationally broadcast radio "battle of the books" competition.[3]

She teaches creative writing in the University of British Columbia's optional residency Master of Fine Arts program.[4]

Musgrave's archives are held by the William Ready Division of Archives and Research Collections at McMaster University.[5]

Her book Exculpatory Lilies was shortlisted for the 2023 Griffin Poetry Prize.[6]

  1. ^ a b c "Susan Musgrave". Britannica. November 3, 2019. Retrieved November 3, 2019.
  2. ^ "My Friend the Bank Robber". The Fifth Estate. CBC. Archived from the original on 2013-10-23. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  3. ^ "End of the road for Boyden on 'Canada Reads'". CBC. April 20, 2006. Archived from the original on October 16, 2006. Retrieved December 12, 2022.
  4. ^ "Susan Musgrave". Creative Writing. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  5. ^ "Susan Musgrave fonds | McMaster University Library". library.mcmaster.ca. Retrieved 2024-10-08.
  6. ^ CBC Books (June 8, 2023). "American poet Roger Reeves wins $130K Griffin Poetry Prize for best poetry book in the world". CBC.ca. Archived from the original on December 21, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2023.