Michael V. Smith is 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 ...

novelist, poet and filmmaker, originally from

Cornwall, Ontario Cornwall is a city in Eastern Ontario, Canada, situated where the provinces of Central Canada, Ontario and Quebec and the U.S. state of New York (state), New York converge. It is Ontario's easternmost city. Although it is the seat of the United ...

"Community Hero of the Year: Three introductions to Michael V Smith
. ''

Xtra! West ''Xtra Vancouver'' (), formerly ''Xtra! West'', was a gay bi-weekly newspaper, published by Pink Triangle Press in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Printed on newsprint in Tabloid (newspaper format), tabloid format from its establishment in ...

'', May 23, 2007. and now living in

Kelowna Kelowna ( ) is a city on Okanagan Lake in the Okanagan, Okanagan Valley in the British Columbia Interior, southern interior of British Columbia, Canada. It serves as the head office of the Regional District of Central Okanagan. The name Kelowna ...

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 ...

. His

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to pu ...

, ''Cumberland'', was nominated for the

Books in Canada First Novel Award The Amazon Canada First Novel Award, formerly the Amazon.ca First Novel Award and the Books in Canada First Novel Award, is a Canadian literary award, co-presented by Amazon.ca and ''The Walrus'' to the best first novel in English published the p ...

in 2002. He has also been a nominee for the Journey Prize and the inaugural winner of the Dayne Ogilvie Prize, and has published two books of poetry, ''What You Can't Have'' and ''Body of Text'', and a memoir, ''My Body Is Yours''. Smith, openly

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...

, is a graduate of the

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

's Creative Writing program. He has also made a number of short films, several of which have garnered awards from the

Inside Out Film and Video Festival The Inside Out Film and Video Festival (formerly, Inside Out Lesbian and Gay Film and Video Festival), also known as the Inside Out LGBT or LGBTQ Film Festival, is an annual Canadian film festival, which presents a program of LGBT-related film. Th ...

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

, Ontario. He teaches at the

Okanagan Campus in the interdisciplinary Faculty of Creative and Critical Studies. He served on the jury of the 2012 Dayne Ogilvie Prize, selecting Amber Dawn as that year's winner. Smith also formerly performed as a

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses Drag (entertainment), drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate Femininity, female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have ...

, under the stage name Miss Cookie LaWhore."‘Losing my lesbian hetero virginity’"
''

Daily Xtra ''Xtra Magazine'' (formerly ''DailyXtra'' and ''Xtra!'') is an LGBTQ-focused digital publication and former print newspaper published by Pink Triangle Press in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The publication is a continuation of the company's former p ...

'', March 30, 2005.

Bibliography

Novels

* ''Cumberland'' (2002, ) * ''Progress'' (2011, )

Poetry

* ''What You Can't Have'' (2007, ) * ''Body of Text'' (2008, ) * ''Bad Ideas'' (2017, )

Memoir

* ''My Body Is Yours'' (2015 )

References

External links

Michael V. Smith
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Michael V. Canadian male novelists 21st-century Canadian poets 21st-century Canadian novelists Canadian male short story writers Canadian gay writers Poets from Vancouver Living people People from Cornwall, Ontario Canadian LGBTQ poets Canadian LGBTQ novelists Gay memoirists Canadian male poets 21st-century Canadian short story writers 21st-century Canadian male writers Canadian male non-fiction writers Year of birth missing (living people) 21st-century Canadian memoirists Gay poets Gay novelists 21st-century Canadian LGBTQ people Poets from Ontario Novelists from Ontario Novelists from Vancouver