Biography
McCaslin lives in Fort Langley, British Columbia. She received an M.A. in English (thesis: Edgar Allan Poe) at Simon Fraser University, 1973; and a Ph.D. in English (dissertation: Vernon Watkins) at University of British Columbia, 1984. She taught English and Creative Writing at Douglas College in British Columbia from 1984 to 2007. She is a retired Faculty Emerita who has authored fourteen volumes of poetry. Her most recent volume is ''Painter, Poet, Mountain: After Cézanne'' (Quattro Books, 2016). Her previous volume, Demeter Goes Skydiving ( University of Alberta Press, 2011), was shortlisted for the BC Book Prize and the winner of theLiterary awards (selected)
*The Burnaby Writers' Society Annual Poetry Contest, Oct. 1995, first-place winner. *Mother Tongue Press's Annual Chapbook Competition, 1997, for ''Letters to William Blake.'' (judged by P.K. Page) *Burnaby Writers' Society Poetry Competition, 2005, first-place winner. *The second annual poetry contest sponsored by Presence: an International Journal of Spiritual Direction, grand prize poetry winner, 2006. *First place winner in the 18th Annual Literary Writes Poetry Competition of the Federation of BC Writers, 2006. *Finalist for the Dorothy Livesay Award (BC Book Prize, 2012) for ''Demeter Goes Skydiving'' (University of Alberta Press, 2011). *Alberta Book Publishing Award (The Robert Kroetsch Poetry Award) for ''Demeter Goes Skydiving'' (University of Alberta Press), 2012.Works
Poetry
*''Conversing with Paradise.'' Vancouver, B.C.: Golden Eagle Press, 1986. *''Locutions.'' Victoria, B.C.: Ekstasis Editions, 1995. *''Light Housekeeping.'' Victoria, B.C.: Ekstasis Editions, 1997. *''Veil/Unveil.'' Toronto: The Saint Thomas Poetry Series, 1997. *''Into the Open.'' Port Moody, B.C.: Golden Eagle Press, 1999. *''Flying Wounded.'' Gainesville, Florida: The University Press of Florida, 2000. *''The Altering Eye''. Ottawa, Ontario: Borealis Press, 2000. *''Common Longing: The Teresa Poems and A Canticle for Mary and Martha.'' New York: Mellen Poetry Press, 2001. *''At the Mercy Seat.'' Vancouver, B.C.: Ronsdale Press, 2003. *''A Plot of Light.'' Lantzville, B.C.: Oolichan Books, 2004. *''Lifting the Stone.'' Hamilton, Ontario: Seraphim Editions, Oct. 2007. *''Demeter Goes Skydiving.'' University of Alberta Press, 2011. *''The Disarmed Heart.'' Toronto, Ontario: The St. Thomas Poetry Series, 2014. *''Painter, Poet, Mountain: After Cézanne.'' Toronto, Ontario: Quattro Books, 2016. *''Into the Open: Poems New and Selected.'' Toronto, Ontario: Inanna Publications, 2017. *''Heart Work.'' Victoria, B.C.: Ekstasis Editions, 2020.Non-fiction
*''Arousing the Spirit: Provocative Writings.'' Kelowna, British Columbia: Copperhouse, an imprint of Wood Lake Books, 2011.Chapbooks (selected)
*''Letters to William Blake.'' Salt Spring Island: Mother Tongue Press, 1997. First-place winner of the Mother Tongue Chapbook competition for 1997, judged by P.K. Page. *''Oracular Heart.'' The Hawthorne Poetry Series. Victoria, B.C.: Reference West, 1999. *''Persephone Tours the Underground.'' North Vancouver, B.C.: The Alfred Gustav Press, 2009. *''effortful / effortless: after Cézanne.'' North Vancouver, B.C.: The Alfred Gustav Press, 2015. *''Cosmic Egg.'' North Vancouver, B.C.: The Alfred Gustav Poetry Press, 2021.Children's books
*''Thinking About God.'' Mystic, Connecticut: Twenty-Third Publications, 1994.Editor of poetry anthologies
*''A Matter of Spirit: Recovery of the Sacred in Contemporary Canadian Poetry.'' Victoria, B.C.: Ekstasis Editions, 1998. *''Poetry and Spiritual Practice: Selections from Contemporary Canadian Poets.'' Toronto: The St. Thomas Poetry Series, 2002.References
1947 births Living people Canadian women poets 20th-century Canadian poets 21st-century Canadian poets Writers from British Columbia 20th-century Canadian women writers 21st-century Canadian women writers {{Canada-poet-stub