Photo: Patricia L. Scott

James Strecker

James Strecker was born in St. Boniface, Manitoba on April 15, 1943, and has an M.A. in Drama from the University of Toronto. He is an English professor at Sheridan College, Director of Creativity Unlimited Consulting, an Intensive Journal Consultant with Dialogue House in New York, a graphoanalyst with the IGAS of Chicago, a certified Trainer with the Focusing Institute of Chicago, and an editor, freelance writer, and photographer for a number of publishers, magazines and newspapers. He is a frequent writerinresidence and lecturer at colleges and universities, and appears regularly on CBC radio.

Awards
City of Hamilton Arts Award for Contribution to the Arts, 1992.
Hamilton and Region Arts Council Awards, 1994.

Selected Publications
Bones to Bury. (Mosaic Press, 1984).
Pas de Vingt: A Celebration of Ballet Dancers (illustrations by Harold Town). (Mosaic Press, 1984).
Routes (photography by Bill Smith). (Image Publishing, 1986).
Corkscrew. (Image Publishing, 1986).
Talks with Jackie Washington. (Image Publishing, 1988).
Image Fiction. (Editor). (Image Publishing, 1988).
Recipes for Flesh. (Mini Mocho Press, 1989).
Echosystem. (Mini Mocho Press, 1993).
More Than a Blues Singer. (Editor). (Mini Mocho Press, 1996).
Selected Poems. (Mini Mocho Press, 1997).

Selected Anthologies
Weave and Spin. (Mini Mocho Press, 1990).
Animal Matters. (Poetry Now Press, 1996).

Books in Print
Strecker, James
Black: A Tribute to Black Musicians (illustrations by Harold Town). Mini Mocho Press, 1990. $10.00 ISBN: 0-921980-05-1.
Bones to Bury. Mosaic Press, 1984. $8.95 ISBN: 0-88962-249-3.
Echosystem. Mini Mocho Press, 1993. $12.95 ISBN: 0-921980-11-6.
Out of Incest: A Book of Hope (co-editor). Mini Mocho Press, 1989. $10.00 ISBN: 0-921980-02-7.
Pas de Vingt: A Celebration of Ballet Dancers. Mosaic Press, 1984. $19.95 ISBN: 0-88962-264-7 (hb); $12.95 ISBN: 0-88962-263-9 (pb).
Sheridan: The Cutting Edge in Crafts Boston Mills Press/Stoddart, 1999, $39.95, ISBN 1-55046-301-0

The Golden Horseshoe Anthology (co-editor). Mini Mocho Press, 1992. $19.95 ISBN: 0-921980-10-8.

James Strecker 48 Chedoke Avenue, Hamilton ON L8P 4N9

 

Poet in the School
(Hamilton)

phone: 905-523-1518

email: jamesstrecker@sympatico.ca

website: http://www.jamesstrecker.com/js.htm

Strecker is a widely published poet, freelance writer, critic, columnist, photographer and editor. He is a professor of English at Sheridan College, and Intensive Journal Consultant with Dialogue House in New York who gives workshops on human development, co-publisher of Mini Mocho Press, and editor of ten books of poetry, fiction, and biography. His seven books of poetry include Black (on black jazz musicians) and Pas de Vingt (on ballet), both with illustrations by Harold Town and Recipes for Flesh on environment and animal rights. He has given many poetry readings, creative writing workshops, Intensive Journal Workshops, and has done reading tours and writer-in-residence appointments under the Canada Council, and has appeared regularly on CBC radio. Strecker is the 1992 recipient of the Hamilton Arts Award for contribution to the arts. He holds an M.A. in Drama from the University of Toronto.

Grade Levels: Senior High School, College, University

Fees: standard

Classroom Approach:
Strecker's flexible and adaptable approach is intended to help students think of themselves as creative writers and he uses various exercises from his book-in-progress on writing and from the Intensive Journal Workshop as the needs of each group dictate. Included are activities in imagination development, co-writing, editing, reading, and writing in poetry, drama, and fiction or non-fiction prose. Strecker also reads from his own works and discusses the history of each poem and the creative process that produced it, answering questions about writing, editing, publishing, and education as they arise. Students from secondary and post-secondary institutions are preferred.