Biography

Rob Taylor was born in Port Moody, BC, and currently lives in Vancouver with his wife, Marta. He has been writing poetry since 2003, and his poems have appeared in more than forty journals, magazines and anthologies. He recently won the 2010 Alfred G. Bailey Prize for his first full-length poetry manuscript.

Rob has released two chapbooks of poems. The first, splattered earth, about his travels in China, was released in March 2006. His second, Child of Saturday, based on his time spent living in Ghana in 2006-07, followed in November 2008. A third chapbook, Lyric, is due out in Fall 2010 from The Alfred Gustav Press.

In 2004 he co-founded Simon Fraser University's student poetry zine High Altitude Poetry, and in 2007 he co-founded One Ghana, One Voice, Ghana's first online literary magazine.

Quotes

"The poems here, whether celebrating small moments of tenderness and intimacy, or contemplating the horrors humanity so often visits upon its own, seem to answer the question posed by Mary Oliver in an epigraph that adorns the first section of this book: “how to love this world.” The answer is to find the primal, animal energy that animates our race, and to reflect back to us that energy so that we can more clearly see ourselves, in all our beauty and in all our ugliness."
- Mark Callanan, Alfred G. Bailey Prize Citation

"Evidently constructing his creative career the way he builds a poem — carefully, methodically, and with expertise that demonstrates a deliberate mastery of the trade — Taylor leaves me anxious to see him compose the most challenging monument of all: the full-length book of poetry."
- Deanne Beattie, The Peak

"Another notable in the anthology is Rob Taylor, who proves he is a contender for best amongst the emerging Vancouver poets. His striking narrative-driven piece, “Grey Diamond Wallpaper”, is a prime example of his ability to keep a reader lingering on the final words of his poems."
- Daniel Zomparelli, Poetry is Dead

"[Taylor's] poem "Grey Diamond Wallpaper" really blew the crowd away with its emotional content"
- Paul Falardeau, Cascade News

Selected Publications

Prairie Fire: "Ouchton Bay, Cape Scott, Kwakiutl Territory", "The Wailing Machines", "Old men at the community pool" - Summer 2010 (Volume 31, 2)

Riddle Fence: "The Party", "Morning After" - Spring 2010 (#5)

Other Voices: "Don Cherry reads the names...", "The Clouds in The Valley" - Spring 2010 (Volume 22, 1)

One Cool Word: "You Can't Lead a Horse" - Spring 2010 (#16) [1st Prize in 2010 Poetry Contest]

And Left a Place To Stand On: Poems and Essays on Al Purdy: "How little we need to live, to know" - Summer 2009

SubTERRAIN: "Wintering", "Viaticum" - Spring 2009 (#52)

A Verse Map of Vancouver: "Down one at The Nat" - Spring 2009

Rocksalt: An Anthology of Contemporary BC Poetry: "Grey Diamond Wallpaper" - Fall 2008

The Antigonish Review: "What they are doing", "The Slave Castle of Elmina" - Fall 2008 (#154)

The Nashwaak Review: "story", "it kills them too" - Fall 2008 (#20/21)

Acta Victoriana: "nothing against art garfunkel" - 2007/2008 (Volume 132, 1)

The Dalhousie Review: "viciously in our throats" - Autumn 2007 (Volume 87, 3)

FreeFall: "demolition site" - Winter/Spring 2007 (Volume 17, 2)

Vancouver Review: "the new phoenix" - Spring 2007 (#13)

The White Wall Review: "shadowboxers", "what is contained underneath" - 2006 (#30)


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	Biography Rob Taylor was born in Port Moody, BC, and currently lives in Vancouver with his wife, Marta. He has been writing poetry since 2003, and his poems have appeared in more than forty journals, magazines and anthologies. He recently won the 2010 Alfred G. Bailey Prize for his first full-length poetry manuscript. Rob has released two chapbooks of poems. The first, splattered earth, about his travels in China, was released in March 2006. His second, Child of Saturday, based on his time spent living in Ghana in 2006-07, followed in November 2008. A third chapbook, Lyric, is due out in Fall 2010 from The Alfred Gustav Press. In 2004 he co-founded Simon Fraser University's student poetry zine High Altitude Poetry, and in 2007 he co-founded One Ghana, One Voice, Ghana's first online literary magazine. Quotes "The poems here, whether celebrating small moments of tenderness and intimacy, or contemplating the horrors humanity so often visits upon its own, seem to answer the question posed by Mary Oliver in an epigraph that adorns the first section of this book: “how to love this world.” The answer is to find the primal, animal energy that animates our race, and to reflect back to us that energy so that we can more clearly see ourselves, in all our beauty and in all our ugliness." - Mark Callanan, Alfred G. Bailey Prize Citation "Evidently constructing his creative career the way he builds a poem — carefully, methodically, and with expertise that demonstrates a deliberate mastery of the trade — Taylor leaves me anxious to see him compose the most challenging monument of all: the full-length book of poetry." - Deanne Beattie, The Peak "Another notable in the anthology is Rob Taylor, who proves he is a contender for best amongst the emerging Vancouver poets. His striking narrative-driven piece, “Grey Diamond Wallpaper”, is a prime example of his ability to keep a reader lingering on the final words of his poems." - Daniel Zomparelli, Poetry is Dead "[Taylor's] poem "Grey Diamond Wallpaper" really blew the crowd away with its emotional content" - Paul Falardeau, Cascade News Selected Publications Prairie Fire: "Ouchton Bay, Cape Scott, Kwakiutl Territory", "The Wailing Machines", "Old men at the community pool" - Summer 2010 (Volume 31, 2) Riddle Fence: "The Party", "Morning After" - Spring 2010 (#5) Other Voices: "Don Cherry reads the names...", "The Clouds in The Valley" - Spring 2010 (Volume 22, 1) One Cool Word: "You Can't Lead a Horse" - Spring 2010 (#16) [1st Prize in 2010 Poetry Contest] And Left a Place To Stand On: Poems and Essays on Al Purdy: "How little we need to live, to know" - Summer 2009 SubTERRAIN: "Wintering", "Viaticum" - Spring 2009 (#52) A Verse Map of Vancouver: "Down one at The Nat" - Spring 2009 Rocksalt: An Anthology of Contemporary BC Poetry: "Grey Diamond Wallpaper" - Fall 2008 The Antigonish Review: "What they are doing", "The Slave Castle of Elmina" - Fall 2008 (#154) The Nashwaak Review: "story", "it kills them too" - Fall 2008 (#20/21) Acta Victoriana: "nothing against art garfunkel" - 2007/2008 (Volume 132, 1) The Dalhousie Review: "viciously in our throats" - Autumn 2007 (Volume 87, 3) FreeFall: "demolition site" - Winter/Spring 2007 (Volume 17, 2) Vancouver Review: "the new phoenix" - Spring 2007 (#13) The White Wall Review: "shadowboxers", "what is contained underneath" - 2006 (#30)
Copyright © 2008 Rob Taylor Photos Copyright © 2008 Marta Taylor