Robin Clarkson Hardy (July 12, 1952 – October 28, 1995) was a Canadian journalist and author."Robin Hardy Papers 1964-2001".

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second-largest public library in the United States behind the Library of Congress a ...

, Manuscripts and Archives Division. Born in Halifax,

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada, located on its east coast. It is one of the three Maritime Canada, Maritime provinces and Population of Canada by province and territory, most populous province in Atlan ...

and raised in

Winnipeg Winnipeg () is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Manitoba. It is centred on the confluence of the Red River of the North, Red and Assiniboine River, Assiniboine rivers. , Winnipeg h ...

Manitoba Manitoba is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada at the Centre of Canada, longitudinal centre of the country. It is Canada's Population of Canada by province and territory, fifth-most populous province, with a population ...

and

Ottawa Ottawa is the capital city of Canada. It is located in the southern Ontario, southern portion of the province of Ontario, at the confluence of the Ottawa River and the Rideau River. Ottawa borders Gatineau, Gatineau, Quebec, and forms the cor ...

Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...

, Hardy studied creative writing at the

University of Alberta The University of Alberta (also known as U of A or UAlberta, ) is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. It was founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta, and Henry Marshall Tory, t ...

and took a law degree at

Dalhousie University Dalhousie University (commonly known as Dal) is a large public research university in Nova Scotia, Canada, with three campuses in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Halifax, a fourth in Bible Hill, Nova Scotia, Bible Hill, and a second medical school campus ...

before settling in

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 ...

, where he was a staff writer and editor of '' The Body Politic'', a noted early Canadian

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 ...

magazine. He also produced radio documentaries for

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 ...

, contributed to publications including ''

NOW Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * Na ...

'', ''

Canadian Forum The ''Canadian Forum'' was a literary, cultural and political publication and Canada's longest running continually published political magazine (1920–2000). History and profile ''The Canadian Forum'', A Monthly Journal of Literature and Public ...

'' and ''

Fuse Fuse or FUSE may refer to: Devices * Fuse (electrical), a device used in electrical systems to protect against excessive current ** Fuse (automotive), a class of fuses for vehicles * Fuse (hydraulic), a device used in hydraulic systems to protec ...

'', and was an activist for and the first paid staff member of the Coalition for Lesbian and Gay Rights in Ontario. He moved to

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

in 1984, where he was an editor for Cloverdale Press and a founding member of

Publishing Triangle The Publishing Triangle, founded in 1988 by Robin Hardy, is an American association of gay men and lesbians in the publishing industry. They sponsor an annual National Lesbian and Gay Book Month, and have sponsored the annual Triangle Awards prog ...

."Robin Hardy, Writer, 43"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', November 3, 1995. He also wrote numerous young adult, science fiction, mystery and horror novels, primarily under

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen name may be used to make the author's na ...

s; ''Call of the Wendigo'' (1994) was the only novel he published under his own name. He was also a freelance contributor to publications including ''

The Advocate An advocate is a professional in the field of law. The Advocate, The Advocates or Advocate may also refer to: Magazines * The Advocate (magazine), ''The Advocate'' (magazine), an LGBT magazine based in the United States * ''The Harvard Advocate' ...

'', ''

Village Voice ''The Village Voice'' is an American news and culture publication based in Greenwich Village, New York City, known for being the country's first alternative newsweekly. Founded in 1955 by Dan Wolf, Ed Fancher, John Wilcock, and Norman Ma ...

'' and '' Penthouse'' in this era. He also wrote poetry throughout his life, although this was never published as a book, and submitted a short story, "Ghosts", to the annual CBC Literary Competition. He relocated to

Tucson Tucson (; ; ) is a city in Pima County, Arizona, United States, and its county seat. It is the second-most populous city in Arizona, behind Phoenix, Arizona, Phoenix, with a population of 542,630 in the 2020 United States census. The Tucson ...

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

in 1993. On October 28, 1995, Hardy died in a

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

accident in Arizona's

Tonto National Forest The Tonto National Forest, encompassing , is the largest of the six national forests in Arizona and is the ninth largest national forest in the United States. The forest has diverse scenery, with elevations ranging from 1,400 feet (427 m) in ...

. His unfinished non-fiction manuscript ''The Landscape of Death: Gay Men, AIDS and the Crisis of Desire'' was completed by David Groff, and was published in 1999 under the title ''Crisis of Desire: AIDS and the Fate of Gay Brotherhood''. The book was a shortlisted nominee in the Gay Studies category at the 12th Lambda Literary Awards. Many of his papers and manuscripts are held by the archives of the

. Along with

Scott Symons Hugh Brennan Scott Symons (July 13, 1933 – February 23, 2009), known professionally as Scott Symons, was a Canadian writer.Norman Elder Norman Sam Elder (July 17, 1939 – October 15, 2003) was a Canadian explorer, exotic animal owner, writer, artist, Olympic equestrian and one of Toronto's eccentrics. He was the owner of the Norman Elder Museum at 140 Bedford Road in the Annex ...

, he was the subject of a chapter in Ian Young's 2013 book ''Encounters with Authors: Essays on Scott Symons, Robin Hardy, Norman Elder''."‘Encounters with Authors: Essays on Scott Symons, Robin Hardy, Norman Elder’ by Ian Young"

Lambda Literary Foundation The Lambda Literary Foundation (also known as Lambda Literary) is an American LGBTQ literary organization whose mission is to nurture and advocate for LGBTQ writers, elevating the impact of their words to create community, preserve their legaci ...

, August 26, 2013.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hardy, Robin 1952 births 1995 deaths Canadian male novelists Canadian mystery writers Canadian horror writers Canadian science fiction writers 20th-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian poets 20th-century Canadian male writers Canadian male poets Canadian writers of young adult literature Journalists from Manitoba Journalists from Nova Scotia Journalists from Toronto Poets from Ottawa Poets from Toronto Writers from Winnipeg Canadian LGBTQ journalists Canadian LGBTQ rights activists Canadian LGBTQ novelists Canadian LGBTQ poets Canadian gay writers Canadian male short story writers Canadian book editors Canadian magazine journalists Canadian magazine editors Canadian radio producers Writers from New York City Canadian emigrants to the United States Accidental deaths in Arizona Canadian male non-fiction writers 20th-century Canadian short story writers 20th-century Canadian LGBTQ people Gay poets Gay novelists Poets from Halifax, Nova Scotia Poets from Manitoba Novelists from Toronto Novelists from Ottawa