George Swede

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George Swede (Latvian: Juris Švēde), (born as Juris Puriņš, November 20, 1940 in Riga, Latvia) is a Canadian psychologist, poet and children's writer who lives in Toronto, Ontario. He is a major figure in English-language haiku, known for his wry, poignant observations.

Contents

[edit] Life

In 1947, Swede arrived with his mother and stepfather from post-WW II Europe to live with his maternal grandparents on a fruit farm in Oyama, British Columbia and, when his stepfather died in 1952, Swede moved with his mother to Vancouver where he finished junior high and high school.[1] Then he studied at the University of British Columbia, where he graduated with a B.A. in Psychology in 1964. After that, he briefly worked as a psychologist at B.C. Penitentiary in New Westminster. In 1965, he got an M.A. at Dalhousie University.

From 1966 to 1967, Swede was a psychology instructor at Vancouver City College, after which he worked as a school psychologist at the Scarborough Board of Education in Toronto until 1968.

He resumed his academic career at Ryerson University, where he stayed as member of the psychology department from 1968 to 2006 (as chair from 1998 to 2003). Also, from 1970 to 1975 he served as Director for Developmental Psychology at Ryerson Open College, a virtual university which broadcast lectures by radio (on CJRT-FM) and TV (CBC and CTV) from 1970 to 1975; and from 1993 to 2000 he was engaged in Ryerson University Now (RUN),[2] an initiative to get bright but disadvantaged students interested in going to university. This was achieved by enrolling Vaughan Road Academy students[3] in a university level introductory psychology course that Swede taught. Most graduated and many received scholarships to attend university.

In 2006, Swede retired and became an Emeritus and, in 2007, was awarded Honorary Life Membership by the Canadian Psychological Association. For the 2008-2009 term, he was named the Honorary Curator of the American Haiku Archives[4] at the California State Library in Sacramento, California.

Swede began writing poetry in the late 1960s and published in such journals as

An interest in short form Japanese poetry began in 1976 when he was asked to review Makoto Ueda's Modern Japanese Haiku (University of Toronto Press, 1976).[15]

Swede then began publishing in such journals as

In 1977, along with Betty Drevniok and Eric Amann, Swede co-founded Haiku Canada.[24] At its 30th anniversary, held in Ottawa in May 2007, Haiku Canada awarded Swede an Honorary Life Membership.

A blending of his interests in poetry and psychology is illustrated by his refereed article in the International Handbook on Innovation, Poetic Innovation, which explores the psychological, sociological and cultural factors that determine whether someone becomes a professional poet.[25]

Swede's work has been reviewed in numerous literary magazines, such as

Reviews and mentions have also appeared in non-literary publications such as

More in depth looks at Swede and his work have occurred in the following places:

Since 2008 he has been editor of Frogpond, the journal of the Haiku Society of America.[51]

Swede is married to Anita Krumins, who is a Professor Emerita at Ryerson University, and with whom he has two sons, Juris Krumins, an attorney and naturalist in Washington, D.C., and Andris Krumins, a teacher and musician in Oakville, Ontario, Canada.

[edit] Selected Awards

  • Co-winner, High/Coo Press Mini-Chapbook Competition, 1982 for "All of Her Shadows"
  • Museum of Haiku Literature Award, "Frogpond", 5:4, 1983
  • Museum of Haiku Literature Award, "Frogpond", 8:2, 1985
  • "Our Choice", Canadian Children's Book Centre, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1991, 1992
  • Museum of Haiku Literature Award, "Frogpond", 15:2, 1992
  • First Prize, "Mainichi Daily News" Haiku Contest in English, 1994
  • Second Prize, "Mainichi Daily News" 125th Anniversary Haiku Contest, 1997
  • Third Prize, Harold G. Henderson Haiku Contest, Haiku Society of America, 1997
  • First Prize, The Snapshot Press Tanka Collection Competition 2005 for "First Light, First Shadows"
  • Honorary Curator, American Haiku Archives, 2008/09
  • Second Prize, "Mainichi Daily News" Haiku Contest in English, 2008
  • Second Prize (Tokusen), Foreign Language Category, Kusamakura International Haiku Competition, 2010
  • Grand Prize (Taisho), Foreign Language Category, Kusamakura International Haiku Competition, 2011

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ [1], Swede, G. Tracks in the Sand: Why Do We Write? pp. 56-61
  2. ^ [2]
  3. ^ [3]
  4. ^ [4]
  5. ^ [5], 1978, No.33
  6. ^ 1974, No. 644; 1976, No. 665
  7. ^ 1976, 4:3
  8. ^ [6], 1984, 4:2
  9. ^ [7], 1999, 10:6
  10. ^ 1984, 9:1
  11. ^ 1970, Vol. 19:2; 1971, Vol. 20:2; 1974, Vol.23:3; 1985, 34:1
  12. ^ [8], 1986, Vol. 4:2&3, 5:1; 1988, Vol. 6:2; 1998, 10:1; 1999, Vol. 10:2
  13. ^ 1971, No. 58
  14. ^ [9], June, 1981
  15. ^ Swede, G. Tracks in the Sand: Why Do We Write? In Carol Malyon (ed.). Imagination in Action [10], Toronto: Mercury Press, 2007, p.59
  16. ^ [11], 2004, No. 12 to present
  17. ^ [12], 1996, No. 1 to present
  18. ^ 1977, 1:1 to 1981, 5:1
  19. ^ [13], 1982, 5:1 to the present
  20. ^ 1982, 1:1 to 1991, 5:1
  21. ^ [14], March 1, 1982 to present
  22. ^ [15], 1977, 8:3 to the present
  23. ^ [16], 2003, No. 3 to 2008, No. 1
  24. ^ About Haiku Canada
  25. ^ [17], pp.471-484
  26. ^ [18], 1985, No. 104; 1986, No. 111; 2001, No. 168; 2004, No. 183
  27. ^ [19], January, 1979 (by Pier Giorgio Di Cicco); 1984, 13:10, 1989, 18:3
  28. ^ [20], 1986, No. 41; 1990, No. 59 (by Bert Almon); 1992, No. 67; 2003, Nos. 109-110
  29. ^ [21], March 17, 1970; March 21, 1970; Feb. 7, 1987 (by Tim Wynne-Jones)
  30. ^ [22], Jan. 28, 2001 (by George Elliott Clarke)
  31. ^ [23], March 29, 1987 (by Cor van den Heuvel)
  32. ^ [24] Jan. 25, 1997; Dec. 3, 2000
  33. ^ [25], August 19, 2000 (by David Cobb)
  34. ^ [26] March 21, 1970; January 20, 1985; August 31, 1986; May 2, 1991
  35. ^ [27], May 25, 2008
  36. ^ 1997, Vol. 21:4
  37. ^ 1975, 1:2
  38. ^ 1981, No. 69
  39. ^ 1982, 12:1
  40. ^ [28], Part 1, January 5, 1984 (two hours); Part 2, January 12, 1984 (two hours)
  41. ^ December, 1985
  42. ^ 1992, 67:3
  43. ^ [29], September 21, 1992 (45 minutes)
  44. ^ 1999, 9:2
  45. ^ [30], (with Stephen Gill) August 25, 2000
  46. ^ [31], Spring, 2001
  47. ^ [32], March, 2001
  48. ^ [33], 2003, 1:3
  49. ^ [34], 2004, 2:1
  50. ^ [35], 2006, 4:4
  51. ^ About HSA & Frogpond
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