Photo Credit:
Photo credit
©Belle Ancell
Jane Munro
BIO
Biography

Jane Munro is a Canadian poet, writer and educator. 

Jane Munro’s eighth poetry collection is False Creek (Harbour Publishing, 2022). It follows her prose memoir, Open Every Window (Douglas & McIntyre, 2021), and Glass Float, (Brick Books, 2020).

Her sixth poetry collection Blue Sonoma (Brick Books) won the 2015 Griffin Poetry Prize.  

A Sally Port (Espresso Chapbooks) - short prose pieces about her childhood - came out in 2018.

Her previous books include Active Pass (Pedlar Press), Point No Point (McCLelland & Stewart) and Grief Notes & Animal Dreams (Brick Books).

She is a member (with Jan Conn, Mary di Michele, and Susan Gillis) of the collaborative poetry group Yoko’s Dogs who have published Whisk (Pedlar Press), Rhinoceros (Gaspereau), and Caution Tape (Collusion Books, 2021).

As well as working as a writer, Jane has been employed as a professor of Creative Writing at several universities in BC, done educational planning, research and administration, taught many informal writing workshops, and read her poetry to audiences in a wide variety of venues across Canada. She has also given readings in Ireland, the USA, Italy, India and Egypt.

For more than twenty years, she has studied (in Canada and in India) and practiced Iyengar Yoga. 

​In 2012, she moved back to Vancouver – where she grew up and raised her children – after spending twenty years living at Point No Point in a rural area on the coast of Vancouver Island. Although BC has been her home base, she has lived in the USA and Turkey, traveled extensively in India and in Europe, and been to South Africa and Egypt. 

Born (Patricia Jane Southwell) in Chilliwack, BC, she was educated at UBC (undergraduate, M.F.A., Ed.D.), Indiana University (B.A.), and SFU (M.A.). 

Jane Munro is a member of The Writers’ Union of Canada, League of Canadian Poets, Federation of British Columbia Writers, and the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild.

ADDRESS
City: VANCOUVER, Province/Territory: British Columbia
EMAIL
GENRE
Poetry, Memoir
LANGUAGES
English
PUBLICATIONS
Publications
Title
Open Every Window
Publisher
Douglas & McIntyre
Year
2021
Title
Glass Float
Publisher
Brick Books
Year
202o
Title
Caution Tape (Yoko's Dogs)
Publisher
Colusion Books
Year
2021
Title
A Sally Port
Publisher
Espresso
Year
2018
Title
Rhinosceros (Yoko's Dogs)
Publisher
Gaspereau Press
Year
2016
Title
Blue Sonoma
Publisher
Brick Books
Year
2014
Title
Whisk (Yoko's Dogs)
Publisher
Pedlar Press
Year
2013
Title
Active Pass
Publisher
Pedlar Press
Year
2010
Title
After the Fire (CD)
Publisher
Jane Munro
Year
2010
Title
Point No Point
Publisher
McClelland & Stewart
Year
2006
Title
Grief Notes & Animal Dreams
Publisher
Brick Books
Year
1995
Title
The Trees Just Moved Into A Season Of Other Shapes
Publisher
Quarry Press
Year
1986
Title
Daughters
Publisher
Fiddlehead Poetry Books
Year
1982
AWARDS
Awards
Name
Griffin Poetry Prize
Publication
Blue Sonoma
Year
2015
Name
Bliss Carman Poetry Award
Publication
"Master your hands and your feet, your words and your thoughts"
Year
2007
Name
Wedemeyer Award (NUCEA) for best book-length scholarly publication (international) in the field of distance education and independent study.
Publication
The Educator Learner Relationship in Distance Education and Dropout
Year
1992
Name
Pat Lowther Memorial Award, finalist
Publication
Daughters
Year
1983
Name
Macmillan Prize for Poetry (UBC)
Publication
Daughters
Year
1978
PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS AND WORKSHOPS
Presentation details
Audience Size
Audience size
I've read poetry to very large audiences, but - if the presentation is interactive - I prefer to engage with a smaller group.
Presentation Genre
Poetry, Memoir
Presentation Length
I can be flexible.
Presentation Description
Presentation description

I've read and talked about poetry in many venues, to a wide variety of audiences.

I've taught informal short and longer courses on writing poetry. I could also do talks and short courses on writing memoir.

My memoir is valuable to care-givers for people with dementia. I cared for my husband who had Alzheimer's Disease. I could participate in panels or discussions on this topic.

 

Presentation Fee(s)
Variable, but I expect to be paid what I might earn in honoraria from The Writers Union for doing similar work.
Workshop details
Audience Size
ideally, 8 - 16; maximum 20
Intended Audience
ideally, adult and/or university students; could teach secondary school students
Workshop Length
variable - a class (one or two hours), half a day, one day, a weekend, a week - I can be flexible
Workshop Description
Workshop description

I've taught workshops on many different topics. In 2023.I taught workshops on "Our Planet, Our Poems, Your Work Now," and "Our Home On Native Land."

I could create a writing workshop to meet a group's specific needs. 

 

Workshop Fee(s)
Variable, but I expect to be paid what I might earn in honoraria from The Writers Union for doing similar work.
School presentation details
Audience Size
a class
Intended Audience
grades 4 - 12
Presentation Length
variable - an hour, half a day
Presentation Description
Presentation description

My presentation would be designed, in consultation with the teacher, to suit the needs and interests of student participants and the course curriculum.

Presentation Fee(s)
Variable, but I expect to be paid what I might earn in honoraria from The Writers Union for doing similar work.
Programs & Interests
Interested in participating Union’s Ontario Writers-in-the-Schools program:
All members are eligible for the Union’s Ontario Writers-in-the-Schools program. Are you interested in participating in this pro
Yes
Interested in participating in the Northern Ontario WITS program:
The Union’s Northern Ontario Writers-in-the-Schools program funds in-person visits to northern Ontario schools when possible. Ar
No