Brian Brett (April 28, 1950 – January 17, 2024) was a Canadian poet, journalist, editor and novelist.Brian Brett
in

The Canadian Encyclopedia ''The Canadian Encyclopedia'' (TCE; ) is the national encyclopedia of Canada, published online by the Toronto-based historical organization Historica Canada, with financial support by the federal Department of Canadian Heritage and Society of Com ...

. Brett wrote and published extensively, starting in the late 1960s, and he worked as an editor for several publishing firms, including the Governor-General's Award-winning Blackfish Press. He also wrote a three-part memoir of his life in British Columbia.

Early life

Brian Brett was born in

British Columbia British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...

. He grew up with a rare

endocrine The endocrine system is a messenger system in an organism comprising feedback loops of hormones that are released by internal glands directly into the circulatory system and that target and regulate distant organs. In vertebrates, the hypotha ...

disorder,

Kallmann syndrome Kallmann syndrome (KS) is a hereditary, genetic disorder that prevents a person from starting or fully completing puberty. Kallmann syndrome is a form of a group of conditions termed hypogonadotropic hypogonadism. To distinguish it from other fo ...

, which prevented his body from entering

puberty Puberty is the process of physical changes through which a child's body matures into an adult body capable of sexual reproduction. It is initiated by hormonal signals from the brain to the gonads: the ovaries in a female, the testicles i ...

; he later wrote a memoir about the effect this has had on his life. Brett attended

Simon Fraser University Simon Fraser University (SFU) is a Public university, public research university in British Columbia, Canada. It maintains three campuses in Greater Vancouver, respectively located in Burnaby (main campus), Surrey, British Columbia, Surrey, and ...

between 1969 and 1974, studying literature.

Career

Brett began writing in the 1960s. In the early 1970s, he worked as a freelance journalist and critic for ''

The Globe and Mail ''The Globe and Mail'' is a Newspapers in Canada, Canadian newspaper printed in five cities in Western Canada, western and central Canada. With a weekly readership of more than 6 million in 2024, it is Canada's most widely read newspaper on week ...

'', the ''

Toronto Star The ''Toronto Star'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper. It is owned by Toronto Star Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary of Torstar Corporation and part of Torstar's Daily News Brands (Torstar), Daily News Brands division. ...

'', 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, and is the larg ...

'', ''The New Reader'', ''

Books in Canada ''Books in Canada'' was a monthly magazine that reviewed Canadian literature, published in print form between 1971 and 2006. In its heyday it was the most influential literary magazine in Canada. Foundation One of the co-founders of ''Books in Ca ...

'', and the ''

Victoria Times-Colonist The ''Times Colonist'' is an English-language daily newspaper in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. It was formed by the September 2, 1980 merger of the ''Victoria Daily Times'', established in 1884, and the ''British Colonist'' (later the ' ...

''. He was a poetry critic and columnist for Vancouver's ''

The Province ''The Province'' is a daily newspaper published in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format in British Columbia by Pacific Newspaper Group, a division of Postmedia Network, alongside the ''Vancouver Sun'' broadsheet newspaper. Together, they ...

''. He also wrote articles for many other newspapers in Canada, and his essays appeared in many magazines. For ten years he wrote a monthly newspaper column called CultureWatch for the ''

Yukon News ''Yukon News'' a weekly newspaper in Whitehorse, Yukon. It publishes Wednesday and Friday and is owned by Black Press. History The newspaper was founded in 1960. Until the late 1970s, it was printed weekly until the late 1970s. It currently pr ...

''. Brett inaugurated the B.C. Poetry-in-the-Schools program, which for several years introduced students to world poetry. He has presented many writing workshops across Canada. Brett was a member of P.E.N. International and the

Federation of BC Writers The Federation of BC Writers is the largest writers organization in British Columbia, Canada. Its stated goals are to foster the art and profession of writing in British Columbia; to generate a sense of community among British Columbia writers; to p ...

, and the

Writers' Union of Canada The Writers’ Union of Canada (TWUC) is the national organization of professionally published writers. TWUC was founded in 1973 to work with governments, publishers, booksellers, and readers to improve the conditions of Canadian writers. TWUC adv ...

. He embarked on a national reading tour organized by the League of Canadian Poets, of which he was also a member. Brett gave readings of his work on

CBC Radio CBC Radio is the English-language radio operations of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. The CBC operates a number of radio networks serving different audiences and programming niches, all of which (regardless of language) are outlined below ...

as well at universities, Harbourfront, Vancouver International Writers Festival, Saltwater Festival, Sechelt Writers' Festival, Wordfest: Banff Calgary International Writers Festival, the

Winnipeg International Writers Festival The Winnipeg International Writers Festival is a Winnipeg, Manitoba based organization that puts together an annual literary festival known as THIN AIR. The festival program runs for a week each fall, and there are also several off-season events reg ...

, National Book Festival, and the Canada Council. In May 2005, Brett became chair of the Writers' Union of Canada. In 2004 Brett published a book, ''Uproar's Your Only Music'', about his struggles with

."Book review: Author Brian Brett shows beak form"
. Candace Fertile, ''Vancouver Sun'', 10.30.2015 In November 2009, Brett won Canada's

Writers' Trust Non-Fiction Prize The Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction is a Canadian literary award, presented annually by the Writers' Trust of Canada to the best work of non-fiction Non-fiction (or nonfiction) is any document or content (media), media conte ...

for ''Trauma Farm: A Rebel History of Rural Life''. The book describes a typical day in the life of his farm, with insight into the natural history of farming. In 2016, the Writers' Trust of Canada awarded Brett the Matt Cohen Lifetime Award to honour his body of work.

Personal life and death

Brett lived on his farm on

Salt Spring Island Salt Spring Island or Saltspring Island is one of the Gulf Islands in the Strait of Georgia between mainland British Columbia, Canada, and Vancouver Island. The island was initially inhabited by various Salishan peoples before being settled ...

."Brian Brett pens memoir about his pet African grey parrot Tuco"
''North by Northwest · CBC News''. Dec 20, 2015 He took

testosterone Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone and androgen in Male, males. In humans, testosterone plays a key role in the development of Male reproductive system, male reproductive tissues such as testicles and prostate, as well as promoting se ...

to mitigate the effects of Kallmann syndrome, which included pain and osteoporosis. Brett died on January 17, 2024, at the age of 73.

Bibliography

*''Fossil Ground at Phantom Creek'' - 1976 *''Smoke Without Exit'' - 1984 *''Evolution in Every Direction'' - 1987 *''The Fungus Garden'' - 1988 *''Tanganyika'' - 1991 *''Poems: New and Selected'' - 1993 *''Allegories of Love and Disaster'' - 1993 *''The Colour of Bones in a Stream'' - 1998 *''Coyote'' - 2003 *''Uproar's Your Only Music'' - 2004 *''Trauma Farm: A Rebel History of Rural Life'' - 2009 *''The Wind River Variations'' - 2012 *''Tuco: The Parrot, the Others, and a Scattershot World'' - 2015

Discography

*''Night Directions for the Lost- The Talking Songs of Brian Brett'' Tongue & Groove Records - 2003 *''Talking Songs'' by Scattered Bodies - 2014

Anthologies

*''Poems from Planet Earth'', (Poetry), Leaf Press, Winter 2013 *''In The Flesh, Twenty Writers Explore the Body'', (Essays) Brindle & Glass, ed. by Lynne Van Luven & Kathy Page, 2011 *''Measure of the Year'', (introduction), by Roderick Haig-Brown, Touchwood Editions, 2011 *''The Heart Does Break: Canadian Writers on Grief and Mourning'', (Essays) Random House. Ed. By George Bowering and Jean Baird. Random House. 2009 *''Open Wide Wilderness: Canadian Nature Poems'', Wilfrid Laurier Press, ed. by Nancy Holmes. 2009 *''A Verse Map of Vancouver'' ed. By George McWhirter, Anvil Press, 2009. *''Wild Rivers of the Yukon's Peel Watershed: A Traveller's Guide'' (Poetry & Prose), Juri Peepre and Sarah Locke, 2008. *''Writing The West Coast'', Ronsdale Press, 2008. *''Three Rivers: The Yukon's Great Boreal Wilderness'' Harbour Publishing, 2005. *''Rendezvous With The Wild'' Houghton Mifflin, 2004. *''The Eye In The Thicket'' (Natural History Essays) Thistledown Books 2002. *''Mocambo Nights'', ed. by Patrick Lane, Ekstasis Editions, 2001. *''Lost Classics'' ed. by Ondaatje, Spalding, Redhill (Essays) Anchor Classics, 2001. *''In The Clear'' (Fiction & Poetry) Thistledown Books, 1998. *''What is Already Known'' (Fiction & Poetry) Thistledown Books, 1995. *''How I Learned To Speak Dog'' (Poetry & Prose) Douglas & McIntyre. *''Witness To Wilderness'' (Poetry & Prose), Arsenal Pulp Press, 1994. *''Because You Loved Being A Stranger'', (Poems) ed. by Susan Musgrave, Harbour Publishing, 1994. *''Myths & Voices'' (Short Stories), White Pine Press, U.S.A.,1993. *''The Last Map Is The Heart'' (Short Stories), Thistledown Books, 1989. *''15 Years In Exile'', Exile, 1992. *''Vancouver Poetry'' (Poetry), Polestar Press, 1986. *''For Rexroth'' (Poetry), The Ark, 1980. *''Western Windows'' (Poetry & Prose), Commcept Publishing Ltd., 1977. *''A Government Job At Last'' (Poetry), MacLeod Books, 1977.

References

External links

*
Brian Brett fonds
at University of Victoria, Special Collections * Archives of Blackfish Pres
(Blackfish Press, R11707)
are held at

Library and Archives Canada Library and Archives Canada (LAC; ) is the federal institution tasked with acquiring, preserving, and providing accessibility to the documentary heritage of Canada. The national archive and library is the 16th largest library in the world. T ...

. Brian Brett is one of the founders of the magazine with Allan Safarik {{DEFAULTSORT:Brett, Brian 1950 births 2024 deaths Canadian male novelists 21st-century Canadian memoirists Simon Fraser University alumni Poets from Vancouver 20th-century Canadian novelists 21st-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian poets 20th-century Canadian male writers Canadian male poets 21st-century Canadian poets Articles containing video clips 21st-century Canadian male writers Canadian male non-fiction writers Novelists from Vancouver