Author of twenty-six books of poetry, conceptual fiction, and critical writing, as well as over 200 chapbooks and 6 edited volumes — Derek Beaulieu’s work is consistently praised as some of the most radical and challenging in contemporary Canadian writing.
Beaulieu holds a PhD in Creative Writing from the UK’s Roehampton University and has been recognized with 9 teaching awards locally, provincially, and nationally for his contributions to university-level education. He was Calgary’s Poet Laureate from 2014–16, and is currently Banff’s Poet Laureate from 2022–24, and was named the only “Celebrated Alumni” from Literature and Creative Writing at the University of Calgary.
In 2022, Beaulieu received the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, which stated “Derek Beaulieu not only constitutes one of the most innovative of all authors in Canada, but he has committed himself to service on behalf of others, providing leadership in the arts throughout his career and promoting the poetic merits of Canada to audiences around the world”
In 2012 Bookthug published his critical edition (co-edited with Gregory Betts) of bill bissett’s seminal 1972 volume of experimental commentary RUSH: what fuckan theory, in 2013 Wilfrid Laurier University Press published Writing Surfaces: Selected Fiction of John Riddell (co-edited with Lori Emerson) and in 2018 Beaulieu edited Nights on Prose Mountain, the collected fiction of bpNichol. 2005 brought Shift & Switch: new Canadian poetry (Mercury; co-edited with angela rawlings and Jason Christie) followed by 2016’s release of The Calgary Renaissance (Chaudiere; co-edited with rob mclennan).
Since 2018 Beaulieu has been the Director of Literary Arts at the prestigious Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Canada’s foremost arts space, dedicated to the mentorship and education of arts and culture workers internationally.
Beaulieu was also the Visual / Concrete Poetry Editor for Ubuweb. Publisher of the acclaimed smallpresses housepress (1997-2004) and no press (2005-present), and former editor of filling Station, dANDelion, endNote, Speechless, and The Minute Review, Beaulieu has spoken and written on poetics internationally in both popular and academic settings.
Download Beaulieu’s CV (PDF, August 2023)
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