Ian Stephens (1955 – March 22, 1996) was a

Canadian Canadians () 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 their being ''C ...

poet, journalist and musician from

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, best known as one of the major Canadian voices in the

spoken word Spoken word is an oral poetic performance art that is based mainly on the poem as well as the performer's aesthetic qualities. It is a 20th-century continuation of an oral tradition, ancient oral artistic tradition that focuses on the aesthetic ...

movement of the 1990s."AIDS poet cherishes each moment: Ian Stephens reads Thursday at Sneaky Dee's". ''

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. ...

'', March 21, 1995. Most of his work focused on his experiences living with

AIDS The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...

.Lejtenyi, Patrick. "In Memoriam: Five ''Mirror'' cover subjects who have since passed on". ''

Montreal Mirror ''Montreal Mirror'' or just ''Mirror'' was a free English language alternative newsweekly based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada which was distributed every Thursday. It had a circulation of 70,000 and reached a quarter of a million readers per week. ...

'', October 20, 2005. Stephens studied at

Bishop's University Bishop's University () is a small English-language Liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Lennoxville, a borough of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada. The founder of the institution was the Anglican Diocese of Quebec, Anglican Bishop of Quebec ...

and

Concordia University Concordia University () is a Public university, public English-language research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1974 following the merger of Loyola College (Montreal), Loyola College and Sir George Williams Universit ...

."Ian Stephens, poet and singer, dies". ''

Montreal Gazette ''The Gazette'', also known as the ''Montreal Gazette'', is a Canadian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper which is owned by Postmedia Network. It is published in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It is the only English-language daily newspape ...

'', March 24, 1996. In 1984, Stephens released a 45 RPM single with band Disappointed a Few People, titled ''Fuck With Christ'', on

Les Disques Noirs LES or Les may refer to: People * Les (given name) * Les (surname) * L.E.S. (producer), hip hop producer Space flight * Launch Entry Suit, worn by Space Shuttle crews * Launch escape system, for spacecraft emergencies * Lincoln Experimental S ...

, followed in 1986 by album ''Dead in Love'', on

Psyche Industry Records Psyche Industry Records was the leading alternative, punk and hardcore independent record label in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in the beginning of the 1980s. The music label was established in 1984 on Cartier Street by show promoter Dan Webster and ...

. The group disbanded in 1988. In 1992, Stephens released a spoken word CD, ''Wining Dining Drilling'', which featured his poetry with a

punk rock Punk rock (also known as simply punk) is a rock music genre that emerged in the mid-1970s. Rooted in 1950s rock and roll and 1960s garage rock, punk bands rejected the corporate nature of mainstream 1970s rock music. They typically produced sh ...

-influenced musical backing."Ian Stephens: writer first, singer second; Serious songs contain even more serious messages, including a cry against AIDS". ''

'', November 11, 1993. The album included tracks such as "Coroner Wants a Kiss," "Loser w/ a Hard-On," "Sex is Dog," "Queer in Amerika", "I Started to Get Sick in New York" and "The AIDS Guy". He published a book of poetry, ''Diary of a Trademark'', in 1994; the following year, he released an album of the same title, featuring his recitations of many of the pieces in the book. The title track was later included on ''Word Up'', a compilation of spoken word poetry. Stephens was also a regular writer for the ''

'', contributing book reviews and a 1994 cover story, "A Weary State of Grace", on living with AIDS. He had begun writing a novel, although it was not completed before his death. He died in 1996 of AIDS-related

lymphoma Lymphoma is a group of blood and lymph tumors that develop from lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell). The name typically refers to just the cancerous versions rather than all such tumours. Signs and symptoms may include enlarged lymph node ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Stephens, Ian 1955 births 1996 deaths 20th-century Canadian poets Canadian male poets Canadian punk rock musicians Canadian gay writers Musicians from Montreal AIDS-related deaths in Canada Canadian spoken word poets Canadian gay musicians Canadian LGBTQ poets Poets from Montreal 20th-century Canadian male musicians Bishop's University alumni Concordia University alumni 20th-century Canadian male writers 20th-century Canadian LGBTQ people Gay poets