Canada

Todd Swift is a Montreal-born (1966) poet, editor, screenwriter and impresario whose work has appeared on stage from Tokyo to Edinburgh, Rio to Panama City, Budapest to New York, on CBC radio, ABC and Ireland's RTE - and on the CD Millennium Cabaret.

He was among the first to bring "Slam Poetry" to Canada, with his influential Vox Hunt cabarets. In 1997 he was named "Young Anglophone Quebecer of the Year" in the Arts & Education category. Todd Swift's writing has appeared widely in Canadian and international publications, including En Route, Himself (Ireland), Gargoyle (US/UK), The Budapest Sun and Cordite (Australia). A member of the League of Canadian Poets and the Writers Guild of Canada he has had scripts produced for HBO, Fox and Paramount, including Ninja Turtles: The Next Mutation.

Swift's recent book, Budavox: poems 1990-1999 (DC Books, 1999), was hailed by the National Post for its "sexy bravado". Major Irish poet Derek Mahon has called Swift "a voice for our time".

Swift has a number of publications forthcoming, including Short Fuse: The Global Anthology of New Fusion Poetry (Rattapallax Press, New York, summer 2002) - as well as an upcoming CD release with composer Tom Walsh, The Envelope, Please, from the Wired on Words label.

Swift was Visiting Lecturer at Budapest University (ELTE) from 1998-2001, creating and offering many courses in film studies, literature and creative writing. He now lives in Paris.

SELECT PUBLICATIONS:

* Map-maker's Colours: New Poets of Northern Ireland; (Nuage Editions, Montreal, 1988). Editor, with Martin Mooney;

* Poetry Nation: The North American Anthology of Fusion Poets; (VŽhicule Press, Montreal, 1998). Editor, with Regie Cabico;

* Budavox: poems 1990-1999 (DC Books, Montreal, 1999);

* Elegy For Anthony Perkins: poems 1999-2001 (Rattapallax Press, New York, 2001).

www.toddswift.com

 

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