Stacey Madden (born 1982) is a Canadian writer. He is the author of two novels: ''Poison Shy'' (2012) and ''Touching Strangers'' (2017). He has also written articles 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 ...

'', '' Toronto Review of Books'', and ''

Broken Pencil ''Broken Pencil'' was a quarterly Canadian magazine based in Toronto, Canada that profiled zine culture and independent arts and music. It was founded in 1995, and it closed in 2024. History ''Broken Pencil'' was founded in 1995 by Hal Niedzvi ...

'', among other publications. He was born and raised in eastern

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 still lives as of 2019. He has a BA in English from the

University of Toronto The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public university, public research university whose main campus is located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park (Toronto), Queen's Park in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was founded by ...

and an MFA in

creative writing Creative writing is any writing that goes beyond the boundaries of normal professional, journalistic, academic, or technical forms of literature, typically identified by an emphasis on craft and technique, such as narrative structure, character ...

from the

University of Guelph The University of Guelph (abbreviated U of G) is a comprehensive Public university, public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College (1874), the MacDonald I ...

Reviews

Julia Cooper reviewed ''Poison Shy'' for the ''Toronto Review of Books'', concluding that the book "...attempts an existential mapping of desire and revulsion. If it does not quite succeed as a portrait of the modern day

Kafkaesque Franz Kafka (3 July 1883 – 3 June 1924) was a novelist and writer from Prague who was Jewish, Austrian, and Czech and wrote in German. He is widely regarded as a major figure of 20th-century literature. His work fuses elements of real ...

, it nonetheless reminds us of the uglier faces of desire and the painful process of self-transformation." Writing in ''

the National Post The ''National Post'' is a Canadian English-language broadsheet newspaper and the flagship publication of the American-owned Postmedia Network. It is published Mondays through Saturdays, with Monday released as a digital e-edition only.

'', Nicole Dixon gave the book a mixed review, criticizing Madden for his "precious writing" and concluding that the main character's "...awkwardly described encounters with his Dream Girl, his utter passivity and the story’s thin plot are not enough to tempt readers beyond ''Poison Shy''’s first base."

Brett Josef Grubisic Brett Josef Grubisic (born 1963) is a Canadian author, editor, and was a sessional lecturer of the English language at the University of British Columbia until 2022 when they parted ways. Education Grubisic obtained both his bachelor and mast ...

reviewed ''Touching Strangers'' for 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. ...

'', writing, "Despite the blood, anxiety, and expiring bodies, adden'snovel comes across as one-of-a-kind: black comedy grafted with zombie outbreak movie plotting and an oddball marriage-under-duress story." He concluded by describing the book as "engrossing and gross" and as "memorably B-grade." Similarly, a review of the book in ''

Publishers Weekly ''Publishers Weekly'' (''PW'') is an American weekly trade news magazine targeted at publishers, librarians, booksellers, and literary agents. Published continuously since 1872, it has carried the tagline, "The International News Magazine of ...

'' concluded that "...the story has an appealing B-movie merit: sometimes gory, sometimes crude, sometimes funny, sometimes violent, and altogether engrossing".

Books

*''Poison Shy'' ( ECW, 2012) *''Touching Strangers'' (Now or Never, 2017)

References

Living people 1982 births 21st-century Canadian novelists Novelists from Toronto University of Toronto alumni University of Guelph alumni Canadian male novelists 21st-century Canadian male writers {{Canada-writer-stub