Departments of English and Creative Writing & Journalism
B.A. University of British Columbia (Honours English)
MA University of California at Berkeley
PhD McGill University, Dean's Honours List
Keith's teaching experience has been wide-ranging, from McGill University to Leclerc Penitentiary. His teaching philosophy is that "a word is a bridge thrown between myself and another" (Valentin Voloshinov). He has taught a variety of courses and workshops at Vancouver Island University over the past twenty-five years, with an emphasis on creative writing, Canadian literature, Shakespeare, and film.
His two dozen scholarly essays cover a range of topics - Malcolm Lowry, narrative theory, Lord Byron, Samuel Hearne, Jean-Luc Godard, the use of allusions, Michael Ondaatje, documentary movies, Leonard Cohen, Ian McEwan, and comics. Forthcoming is a book, Shakespeare, Bakhtin, and Film: A Dialogic Lens.
Keith has edited the anthology, Islands West: Stories from the Coast, and also has written a work of short fiction, Crossing the Gulf. His five novels include Eyemouth, Furry Creek, and Elliot & Me. He has been shortlisted for Best First Novel Books in Canada, QSPELL's Fiction Prize, and the Ethel Wilson Prize. He is a recipient of the Okanagan Short Story Award and the BC2000 Book Prize. Keith's literary papers are held in Special Collections, The Simon Fraser University Library.
Contact: keith.harrison@viu.ca