DON GUTTERIDGE FEATURED AT THE NOV. 5TH, 2016 LONDON OPEN MIC
(Scroll down for slide show.)

London Open Mic Poetry was proud to host London’s most well-known member of the Canadian literary scene, Don Gutteridge, who launched his 20th book of poetry, "Inundations", published by Hidden Brook Press: Brighton, 2016, before an audience of 53.
Don's poems of the home and village he grew up in, Point Edward, Ontario, and of the wonderfully eccentric characters who lived there, were very warmly accepted by his large audience. Those who hadn't experienced this kind of life as children wished they had, after listening to his poetic stories. As Don said in our interview, "The poems are a place of safekeeping for memories, thoughts and emotions. They also serve to trace my inner development as a human being: father, grandfather, custodian of the family and historical memory....I’ve created a Point Edward in my memory and given it a mythical quality (as every-village). And such a creation enhances my own memories about the town."
Gutteridge is the author of more than fifty books, including poetry, fiction and scholarly works in educational theory and practice. In 1972 he won the President’s Medal at The University of Western Ontario for his poem "Death At Quebec". Among his best-known poems are the mythic tetralogy: Riel: A Poem For Voices, Coppermine: The Quest For North, Borderlands, and Tecumseh. Gutteridge is best known across Canada for his historical fiction. He has also recently produced a series of mystery novels, The Marc Edwards Mysteries.
Don Gutteridge was born in Sarnia, Ontario in 1937, and was raised in the nearby village of Point Edward, Ontario. His high schooling took place in Sarnia and Chatham, Ontario. He attended the University of Western Ontario (UWO), where he graduated with a BA Honours in English in 1960. Gutteridge then taught high school English for seven years before joining the Faculty of Education at UWO in 1969. He is currently Professor Emeritus. He lives in London, Ontario with his wife Anne. He has two children, John and Kate, and six grandchildren.
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Read the full interview, along with three poems
Watch video of Don Gutteridge's reading

Photos: Poets not photographed were Joan Clayton, Kevin Heslop, Paul Branton.