Marty Gervais, Writer

WHAT THEY ARE WRITING

ABOUT MARTY GERVAIS

"… for him (Gervais), the act of making a poem or telling a story is an act of faith, so that observances of the commonplace become moments of transcendent epiphany and insight, rather than merely journalistic jottings or diaries."

— The Oxford Companion to Canadian Literature

These powerful, worldly poems give us piercingly accurate observations on love, life, and the spiritual. From playing god with ants, to infidelity, to pigeons in his hotel room, to the price of his pants, to what his mother left behind in a small box, he gorgeously details everyday. Many of the poems are cut with Gervais’ characteristic wit as he cleverly points out life’s many crazy ironies . . . He is a smart, genuine poet we are all wiser for having read.

— Robert Hilles, Governor General’s Award Winner

Marty Gervais, Writer

Marty Gervais

Writing and Publishing

Marty Gervais is an award winning journalist, photographer, poet, playwright, historian, editor and teacher.

In 1998, he won the prestigious Toronto’s Harbourfront Festival Prize for his contributions to Canadian letters and to emerging writers. In 1996, he was awarded the Milton Acorn People’s Poetry Award for his book, Tearing Into A Summer Day. That book was awarded the City of Windsor Mayor’s Award for literature.

In 2003, Gervais was again awarded City of Windsor Mayor’s Award for literature, this time for his book, To Be Now: new and selected poems.

In 2005, Gervais was featured on a film made for TV Bravo. The film, Heart of A Poet, was made by Maureen Judge. It explores the life of Gervais as a poet, journalist and photographer.

Gervais led a group of writers to France where they read at Shakespeare & Co. Books in Paris.

In 2005, Gervais’ first novel, Reno, was published and launched at BookFest Windsor. Taking My Blood, an elegant chapbook based on 17 days in a hospital with a debilitating condition of Crohn’s, was published in late 2005.

In 2006, Gervais published Wait For Me, his first full collection since To Be Now. It was launched at the Mocombo Cafe in Victoria and at a reading on Salt Spring Island, B.C.

Gervais has also been the recipient of 16 Western Ontario Newspaper Awards for journalism.

Marty Gervais received a B.A. from the University of Guelph, and an M.A. from the University of Windsor where he studied writing under the celebrated Canadian novelist and short story writer Morley Callaghan. He has written more than a dozen books of poetry, two plays and a novella. His most successful work, The Rumrunners, a book about the Prohibition period was a Canadian bestseller in 1980. Equally successful was Seeds In The Wilderness, a book of essays based on interviews Gervais conducted with such notable religious leaders as Mother Theresa, Bishop Desmond Tutu, Hans Kung and Terry Waite. With this latter book, Gervais photographed many of these world leaders.

In 1985,Voices That Thunder brought together his photographs and stories from his month-long experience of being in a Catholic mission in Peru.

In addition to being a writer, Marty Gervais is the founder and part owner of Black Moss Press.

Marty Gervais also is Resident Writing Professional at the University of Windsor where he teaches courses in editing, publishing and creative writing.

He also writes a regular column, called My Town for The Windsor Star.

Marty Gervais at the launch of Taking My Blood

at The Leddy Library of the University of Windsor

The Angel At My Bedside

for Stéphane

The pain tightens in my gut

I can’t sleep

my eyes are shut

I hear someone stir

believe it’s the man

in the bed across the room

stare into the darkness—

A dark figure looms

tall and lean poised

at the foot of my bed

Is this the angel of death?

I muse, but look closer

Make out red stitching

on a black jacket

Notice the letters Flyers

my 6 ft. son hovering

over my bed, whispering

something before placing

a cold puck into my right hand —

“A hat trick tonight, dad!”

I smile and place the puck

on the pillow beside me

and fall into a dream

of a boyhood in a city

up north when my body

moved with strength

and readiness on the ice

or so I believed

and believe now

again

poem from Taking My Blood

Marty Gervais at the opening of a Retrospective Exhibit of his career at the Windsor Community Museum in May 2007. The exhibit is on display till January 2008.