John Barton

John Barton lives in Victoria, British Columbia. His thirteenth collection of poetry, Compulsory Figures, is forthcoming from Caitlin Press in 2025. His twelfth, Lost Family: A Memoir composed entirely of sonnets, was nominated for the 2021 Derek Walcott Prize for Poetry. His other books include Hymn, For the Boy with the Eyes of the Virgin: Selected Poems, Seminal: The Anthology of Canada’s Gay Male Poets, Polari, and We Are Not Avatars: Essays, Memoirs, Manifestos. Born in Edmonton, Alberta, and raised in Calgary, John was the City of Victoria Poet Laureate from 2019 to 2022.