Biography

Short Bio

Patrick M. Pilarski is the co-editor of DailyHaiku, an international journal of contemporary English-language haiku, and has served as poetry editor for its sister publication, DailyHaiga. His first full-length collection, Huge Blue, was released in 2009 by Leaf Press, and he is the author of two chapbooks: Contemplating Vows (2011, with Nicole Pakan) and Five Weeks (2007). Patrick's poetry has appeared in journals and anthologies across North America, Europe, Australia, and Japan, recently including The Fiddlehead, The Antigonish Review, Literary Review of Canada, The New Quarterly, filling Station, Carousel, Modern Haiku, and on CBC Radio One as part of the CBC Poetry Face-off. Patrick has served on the organizing committee for the Edmonton Poetry Festival, and as Vice President of the League of Canadian Poets. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Alberta.

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Additional Information

Patrick has been actively writing and performing for over ten years. His poetry has made numerous public appearances, including WordFest, the CBC Poetry Face-off, The Roar: Spoken Word Festival, Planet Earth Poetry, the 44th Avenue Troubadour Series, and the Edmonton Poetry Festival, and has been translated into Japanese, French, and German. Recently, his short-form work was featured in the anthologies Take Five: Best Contemporary Tanka, Volume 2 (Baltimore, MET Press, 2010), contemporary haibun, Volume 11 (Winchester, Red Moon Press, 2010), and he was awarded 2nd Prize in the 2009 Mainichi International Haiku Contest. Other projects include five complete but neglected novels. Patrick is an active member of the League of Canadian Poets, Writers Guild of Alberta, Haiku Society of America, Tanka Society of America, Haiku Canada, and the Edmonton Stroll of Poets Society.

A supporter of spoken verse and live theatre, Patrick regularly performs at the Raving Poets, The Poets Haven, and The Edmonton International Fringe Festival. Acting highlights include appearances as KoKo in The Mikado (Sherard), Perchik in Fiddler on the Roof (ELOPE), and Chase in Finer Noble Gases (Basic Acid Theatre). He has produced and acted with Edmonton's Basic Acid Theatre.

For more information on Patrick's research, please visit:
http://www.ualberta.ca/~pilarski/


Books & Chapbooks

Books:

Huge Blue: Western Canadian Travel Sketches. Lantzville, BC; Leaf Press (2009, poetry). 104pp. ISBN 978-1-926655-02-4.

Chapbooks:

Contemplating Vows (with Nicole Pakan). 
Edmonton, AB: Katabatic Books (2011, poetry). 28pp. ISBN 978-0-9868871-0-9.

Five Weeks. Edmonton, AB; self-published (2007, poetry). 48pp. ISBN 978-1-4303-2050-0.

As Editor:

Found in Translation: an Anthology of Translations from the 2010 Edmonton Poetry Festival. Edmonton, AB; Edmonton Poetry Festival Society (2010, chapbook). 32pp. ISBN 978-0-9866101-0-3.


Writing Affiliations

League of Canadian Poets (full member)
Writers Guild of Alberta (member)
Haiku Society of America (member)
Tanka Society of America (member)
Haiku Canada (member)
Edmonton Stroll of Poets Society (member)
The Edmonton Poetry Festival Society (member)


Professional and Volunteer Service

League of Canadian Poets:
      Vice President (2011–2012)
      Membership Appeals Committee (2011–2012)
      Nominating Committee Chair (2011–2012)
      Alberta/NWT Representative (2010–2011)
      Membership Committee, Print Poetry (2010–2011)
DailyHaiku: Co-Editor (2007-present)
DailyHaiga: Poetry Editor (2009-present)
Edmonton Poetry Festival:
      Organizing Committee Member (2010)
      Event Organizer (2008–2010)
Basic Acid Theatre: Managing Producer (2005–2009)
The Roar: Spoken Word Festival: Event Organizer (2007)

The Rasp and the Wine Reading Series: Associate Director (2005–2006)

Vainer Musical Productions: Producer (2002)


Publication History

Poetry, reviews, and articles have appeared or are forthcoming in the following journals and periodicals:

42opus, Acorn (USA), The Antigonish Review, Asahi Haikuist Network (International Herald Tribune / Asahi Shimbun Newspaper, Japan), Atlas Poetica (USA), blood ink, BluePrintReview (Germany), blue skies poetry, bottle rockets (USA), Branch Magazine, Carousel, contemporary haibun online, Chrysanthemum (Austria), CV2, DailyHaiku, DailyHaiga, Eucalypt (Australia), fait accomplit, The Fiddlehead, filling Station, Frogpond (USA), Haibun Today, Haiku Canada Review, The Heron's Nest, Literary Review of Canada, Lynx, The Mainichi Daily News (Japan), Matrix Magazine, Misunderstandings Magazine, Modern English Tanka (USA), Modern Haibun & Tanka Prose (USA), Modern Haiku (USA), Monday's Poem, The New Quarterly, Notebook Magazine, Other Voices, paper wasp (Australia), Prairie Fire, The Prairie Journal, PRISM international, Prune Juice (USA), Quills Canadian Poetry Magazine, RATTLE (USA), red lights (USA), Ribbons (USA), Roadrunner Haiku Journal, The Rose & Thorn, SEE Magazine, Shamrock Haiku Journal (Ireland), Simply Haiku, Spire, The Toronto Quarterly, tinywords, Vallum, Wisteria (USA), White Lotus (USA), and the World Haiku Review.

Work has also been selected for / anthologized in:

Take Five: Best Contemporary Tanka (MET Press, 2009, 2010), Home and Away (House of Blue Skies, 2009), contemporary haibun (Red Moon Press, 2009, 2010, 2011), seed packets: an anthology of flower haiku (bottle rockets press, 2009), The Unseen Wind: British Haiku Society Haibun Anthology 2009 (BHS, 2010), One Hundred Droplets (Magnapoets, 2009), While The Light Holds (Magnapoets, 2009), kitchen window: the paper wasp jack stamm anthology 2008 (paper wasp, 2009), The Edmonton Stroll of Poets Anthology (Edmonton Stroll of Poets Society, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010), The Killer Blinks Chapbook Anthology (Edmonton Stroll of Poets Society, 2007, 2008), in the clear dawn sky (Haiku Canada, 2009), Shape Shifting (Haiku Canada, 2010), A Travel-Worn Satchel: the 2009 Haiku Society of America Members' Anthology (Deep North / Haiku Society of America, 2009), and dandelion clocks: the 2008 Haiku Society of America Members' Anthology (Haiku Society of America, 2008).


Selected Awards

2012 Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival Haiku Invitational, Canada Section — Sakura Award.

2010 Sundress Best of Net Awards for Poetry — finalist.
2010 Vancouver Cherry Blossom Festival Haiku Invitational, Canada Section — honourable mention.

13th Mainichi International Haiku Contest, 2009 — 2nd Prize.
2009 TSA International Tanka Contest — honourable mention.
2008 paper wasp jack stamm haiku award — finalist.


Selected Recent Publications

RATTLE (USA) : Iss. 35, June 2011 (1 poem)

Matrix Magazine : Iss. 88, 2011 (2 poems)

PRISM international : Iss. 49:2, Winter 2011 (1 poem)

Prairie Fire : Vol. 31, No. 4, 2011 (2 poems)

The Fiddlehead : Iss. 243, Spring 2010 (3 poems)

Carousel : Iss. 25, March 2010 (1 poem)

Vallum : Iss. 7:1, 2009 (1 poem)

Other Voices : Vol. 22.1, Fall 2009 (2 poems)

Home and Away : House of Blue Skies, 2009 (3 poems)

CV2 : Vol. 32:2, Fall 2009 (2 poems)

The Prairie Journal : Iss. 53, 2009 (1 poem)

The New Quarterly : Iss. 112, 2009 (3 poems)

filling Station : Iss. 46, Fall 2009 (1 poem)

42opus : Vol. 9:3, Sept. 17 and 23, 2009 (1 poem & 1 poem)

Literary Review of Canada : Vol. 17:5, June 2009 (1 poem)

Take Five: Best Contemporary Tanka : MET Press, 2009 (1 poem)

contemporary haibun, Volume 10 : Red Moon Press, 2009 (1 poem)

The Antigonish Review : Iss. 156, Winter 2009 (2 poems)

Modern Haiku (USA) : Vol. 40:1, Winter-Spring 2009 (1 poem)

Frogpond (USA) : Vol. XXXI, No. 3, Fall 2008 (2 poems)


Press Information

The following is a list of all official images, press releases, and other related documents. They are provided in JPG or PDF format and can be downloaded by right-clicking on the links.

Author Photos

Photo by Linda Pilarski   Photo by Nicole Pakan   Photo by Linda Pilarski
Photo by Eugene Pilarski   Photo by Linda Pilarski

Pilarski and Pakan from Contemplating Vows. Photo credit: r. edwards
Photo credit: r. edwards photography

Book Photos

Contemplating Vows - Front Cover  Huge Blue - Front Cover
Five Weeks - Front Cover  Huge Blue by Patrick M. Pilarski  
  Huge Blue by Patrick M. Pilarski   Five Weeks Cover in Flowers

For additional high-resolution headshots and other promotional photos or material, please use the site contact form and list your application, size, and content requirements.


Media Releases

2009-Aug-28: Huge Blue Launch Announcement and Backgrounder. (PDF) (html) (photos)

2008-Nov-12: Patrick M. Pilarski's new book Huge Blue to be published by Leaf Press. (PDF)

2007-Jul-17: Engineering Student Announces New Chapbook of Poetry. (PDF)


In the News

The following is a list of selected media coverage regarding Patrick and his projects. Where available by copyright agreement, images and full-story PDF files will be provided.

22 Sept. 2009: The Gateway:
Between lab coats and the literary

16 Sept. 2009: Edmonton Examiner:
Tech savvy poet an engineer of ideas: Patrick Pilarski to release the nature-inspired Huge Blue tomorrow

17 August 2007: Stony Plain Reporter / Spruce Grove Examiner:
• Science, art co-exist in poet's work
• Book revised and edited in an Edmonton teahouse

25 July 2007: CBC Radio One (RadioActive):
• Pre-launch Interview and haiku reading

20 July 2007: University of Alberta Podcast:
Friday Review takes a poetic turn

18 July 2007: University of Alberta ExpressNews:
Rhythm and algorithms mix in grad student’s poetic mind

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