A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
This is a list of Canadian poets. Years link to corresponding "[year] in poetry" articles.
A
- Mark Abley (born 1955), Canadian poet, journalist, editor and non-fiction writer.
- Milton Acorn (1923â"1986), poet, writer, and playwright
- José Acquelin
- Gil Adamson, novelist, poet, short-story writer (a woman)
- Marie-Célie Agnant (born 1953), Haitian native living in Canada since 1970; novelist, poet and writer of children's books
- Kateri Akiwenzie-Damm (born 1965), Native American writer and poet, founder (in 1993) of Kegedonce Press, specializing in indigenous writers
- Donald Alarie (born 1945), writer, poet and teacher
- Edna Alford, editor, author and poet who co-founded the magazine Dandelion
- Sandra Alland (born 1973), Scottish-Canadian writer, multimedia artist, bookseller, small press publisher and activist
- Donna Allard, editor and poet
- Lillian Allen (born 1951), dub poet
- Anne-Marie Alonzo (1951â"2005), playwright, poet, novelist, critic and publisher, born in Egypt and moved to Canada at the age of 12
- George Amabile (born 1936)
- Marguerite Andersen (born 1924), German-born, primarily francophone writer, academic and editor
- Patrick Anderson (1915â"1979), English-born Canadian poet and academic
- Rod Anderson (1935), poet, musician and accountant
- Michael Andre (born 1946), poet, critic and editor living in the United States
- Jeannette Armstrong (born 1948), Native American author, educator, artist, and activist
- David Arnason (born 1940), author and poet
- Rod Anderson (born 1935), poet, musician
- Joanne Arnott (born 1960), Métis poet, essayist, activist writer
- Margaret Atwood (born 1939), poet, novelist, literary critic, feminist and activist
- Margaret Avison (born 1918â"2007)
B
- Lisa B, political spoken word poet who has published chapbooks
- Ken Babstock
- Elizabeth Bachinsky
- Alfred Bailey (1905â"1997) poet, anthropologist, ethno-historian, and academic administrator
- Jacob Bailey (1731â"1808), a Church of England clergyman and poet born in the United States (colony of New Hampshire), immigrated to Nova Scotia, Canada in 1779
- Chris Banks (born 1970)
- Kaushalya Bannerji, native of India
- Frances Bannerman
- John Barton (born 1957)
- Gary Barwin, author, composer, children's writer and poet
- Jalal Barzanji (born 1953), Kurdish poet and writer living in Canada since 1998
- Shaunt Basmajian (1950â"1990), poet and author
- Angèle Bassolé-Ouédraogo (born 1967)), Ivoirian born Canadian poet and journalist
- Bill Bauer American-born, living in Canada since 1965, husband of Nancy Bauer
- Nancy Bauer(born 1934), American-born, living in Canada since 1965, wife of Bill Bauer
- Doug Beardsley (born 1941), poet and academic
- Nérée Beauchemin (1850â"1931) francophone poet and physician (a man)
- Derek Beaulieu (born 1973) poet, publisher and anthologist.
- Joseph-Isidore Bédard (1806â"1833), poet, lawyer and politician
- Ven Begamudré, Indian-born poet, short-story writer, novelist and academic
- Henry Beissel (born 1929), poet, author, writer and editor
- Ken Belford (born 1946)
- John Bemrose, arts journalist, novelist, poet and playwright
- Robbie Benoit (died 2007), poet and writer
- Jovette Bernier (1900â"1981), Quebec poet, novelist and journalist
- Navtej Bharati, India native and Canadian resident who has published books, including books of poetry, in Punjabi and English; publisher of Third Eye Press
- Jean-Philippe Bergeron, francophone writer and poet
- Craven Langstroth Betts, author and poet
- Navtej Bharati, Punjabi-language poet living in Canada
- Robert Billings (1949â"1986), poet and editor
- Earle Birney (1904â"1995)
- bill bissett (born 1939)
- Mark Blagrave (born 1956), writer, short-story writer, playwright, poet and academic
- Robin Blaser (born 1925), author and poet (a man)
- Laurie Block (born 1949), a man
- E. D. Blodgett (born 1935), poet, literary critic, and translator
- Robert Boates (born 1954)
- Christian Bök, born "Christian Book" (born 1966), poet and author
- Stephanie Bolster (born 1969), poet and academic
- Roo Borson pen name of Ruth Elizabeth Borson (born 1952), American native living in Canada
- Hédi Bouraoui (born 1932), Tunisian-born Canadian poet, novelist and academic
- Arthur Bourinot (1893â"1969), poet and lawyer
- George Bowering(born 1935), novelist, poet, historian, and biographer
- Marilyn Bowering (1949), poet, novelist and playwright
- Tim Bowling (born 1964), poet and novelist
- Alex Boyd, poet, fiction writer, critic, essayist and editor
- Kate Braid, poet and teacher
- Lawrence Ytzhak Braithwaite (1963â"2008), novelist, spoken word artist, dub poet, essayist, digital drummer and short-story writer
- Shannon Bramer (born 1973), poet and teacher
- Dionne Brand (born 1953), poet, novelist, and non-fiction writer born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago before moving to Canada
- Di Brandt née "Diana Ruth Janzen" (born 1952), poet and literary critic
- Jacques Brault (born 1933), French Canadian poet and translator
- Diana Brebner (1956â"2001)
- Brian Brett (born 1950), poet and novelist
- Elizabeth Brewster (born 1922), poet and academic
- Robert Bringhurst (born 1946), poet, typographer and author
- David Bromige (born 1933), Canadian poet living in the United States since 1962
- Nicole Brossard (born 1943), francophone poet and novelist
- Audrey Alexandra Brown (1904â"1998)
- Ronnie R. Brown (born 1946), American native living in Canada for most of her adult life
- Julie Bruck
- Robert Budde (born 1966), poet, novelist and academic
- Suzanne Buffam
- April Bulmer (born 1963)
- Murdoch Burnett (born 1953), Canadian poet, performance artist, editor, and community activist
- Mick Burrs
- Aaron Bushkowsky
C
- Stephen Cain (born 1970), poet and academic
- Alison Calder, poet and academic
- Frank Oliver Call
- Barry Callaghan (born 1937), author and poet; son of the author Morley Callaghan
- Jason Camlot (born 1967), poet, scholar and songwriter
- Anne Cameron (born 1938), novelist, poet, screenwriter and short story writer
- George Frederick Cameron (24 Sept. 1854 â" 17 Sept. 1885), poet, lawyer, and journalist
- Wilfred Campbell (1858â"1918), poet and Anglican clergyman
- Natalee Caple (born 1970), novelist and poet
- Paul Cargnello(born 1979), Montreal poet, lyricist
- Bliss Carman (1861â"1929), poet and critic
- Anne Carson (born 1950), poet, essayist, translator, and academic
- Catherine Chandler (born 1950), poet, translator, and academic
- William Chapman (1850â"1917), poet, journalist and bureaucrat
- Jean Charbonneau (1875â"1960), francophone poet who was the primary founder of the Montreal Literary School
- Herménégilde Chiasson (born 1946), Acadian poet, playwright, journalist, academic and the Lieutenant-Governor of New Brunswick
- Robert Choquette (1905â"1991), novelist, poet and, briefly, (1968â"1970) a diplomat
- Lesley Choyce (born 1951), novelist, writer, children's book writer, poet, and academic who founded Pottersfield Press and hosts the television program "Choyce Words" and "Off the Page"; born in the United States and immigrated to Canada in 1979
- Margaret Christakos (born 1962), poet and university writing teacher
- Evie Christie (born 1979)
- Dave Clark, musician who published a book of poetry
- George Elliott Clarke (born 1960), poet and playwright.
- Wayne Clifford (born 1944)
- Fred Cogswell (1917â"2004)
- Leonard Cohen (1934), singer-songwriter, musician, published poet and novelist
- Matt Cohen, (1942â"1999), writer and poet
- Don Coles (born 1928), poet, author and academic
- John Robert Colombo (born 1936), poet, anthologist, editor, essayist, and humorist
- Anne Compton (born 1947), poet, critic, and anthologist
- Wayde Compton (born 1972), poet, writer, turntable-based "sound poetry" performer, academic who co-founded Commodore Books, the first black-oriented press in Western Canada
- Jan Conn (born 1952), geneticist and poet living in the United States
- Karen Connelly (born 1969), writer and poet
- Kevin Connolly
- Dennis Cooley (born 1944), poet and academic
- Afua Cooper, Jamaican-born historian and dub poet
- Paulo da Costa Canadian-Portuguese author, editor and translator
- Dani Couture (born 1978), poet, essayist, critic and journalist
- Thomas Cowherd (1817â"1907), tinsmith and poet
- Isabella Valancy Crawford (1850â"1887), poet, novelist and short-story writer
- Octave Crémazie(1827â"1879), francophone poet who has been called "the father of French-Canadian poetry" for his patriotic verse
- Lynn Crosbie (born 1963), poet and novelist
- Lorna Crozier began writing under the name "Lorna Uher" (born 1948)
- Michael Crummey (born 1965), poet and writer.
- Julie Crysler, journalist and poet
- Nancy Jo Cullen
- Jen Currin
D
- Cyril Dabydeen (born 1945), native Guyana poet and writer living in Canada
- Kalli Dakos (born 1950), children's poet and teacher
- Mary Dalton, poet and academic
- Joseph A. Dandurand, Native American poet, playwright, and archaeologist
- Beverley Daurio (born 1953)
- Frank Davey (born 1940), poet and academic
- Nicholas Flood Davin (1840â"1901), lawyer, journalist, politician and poet
- Tanya Davis, spoken word poet and musician
- Tom Dawe (born 1940), writer, poet, children's book author, artist
- Adriana de Barros (born 1976), Portuguese native who moved to Canada at age 3; illustrator, web designer and poet
- Sadiqa de Meijer
- James Deahl (born 1945), moved to Canada from the United States in 1970 and a citizen of both countries; poet, academic and publisher of Unfinished Monument Press; founding member of the Canadian Poetry Association
- Kris Demeanor
- Shawna Dempsey and Lorri Millan, performance art duo who have collaborated on performances, films, videos, publications and public art projects since 1989
- Barry Dempster (born 1952), poet and novelist
- Michelle Desbarats
- Christopher Dewdney (born 1951), poet, writer, artist, creative writing teacher and writer in residence at various universities
- Ann Diamond (born 1951), an award-winning Montreal poet, novelist and short-story writer
- Pier Giorgio Di Cicco (born 1949), Italian-born, Canadian poet and priest
- Mary di Michele (born 1949), Italian-born, Canadian poet, author and creative writing teacher
- Robert Dickson (1944â"2007), poet, translator and academic.
- Kildare Dobbs (born 1923), Indian-born teacher, poet, editor, short-story writer and travel writer who moved to Canada in 1950
- Jeramy Dodds
- Don Domanski (born 1950)
- Magie Dominic (born 1944), poet and artist
- Jeffery Donaldson, poet and critic
- David Donnell (born 1939), poet and writer
- Candas Dorsey (born 1952), poet and science fiction novelist
- Clive Doucet (born 1946), writer poet, and politician
- Gordon Downie (born 1964), song writer, poet and musician
- Orville Lloyd Douglas (born 1976), poet and writer
- William Henry Drummond (1854â"1907) Irish-born Canadian poet
- Louis Dudek (1918â"2001) poet, literary critic and publisher
- Marilyn Dumont (born 1955)
E
- Evelyn Eaton (1902â"1983), novelist, short-story writer, poet and academic
- Vic Elias (1948â"2006), American-born, living in Canada from 1979, poet and academic
- Ronda Eller
- David Elliott (1923â"1999), poet and academic
- Rebecca Elson (1960â"1999), Canadian-American astronomer, academic writer and poet
- Reuben Epp (born 1920) teacher, school administrator, writer and poet in Plautdietsch (Mennonite Low German)
F
- Chris Faiers (born 1948), librarian, poet and publisher of Unfinished Monument Press, which he founded in 1978
- Margaret Fairley (1885â"1968), English-born Canadian writer, educator and political activist
- Brian Fawcett (born 1944), poet, novelist, nonfiction author and writer
- Charles Fenerty (c. 1821 â" 1982), Canadian poet, journalist, and inventor. Published two poems in book format in 1855 and 1866, and wrote over 32 poems (mostly published in local newspapers).
- Ferron, born Debby Foisy (1952), folk singer, songwriter and poet
- George Fetherling, wrote as "Doug Feathering" or "Douglas Fetherling" until 1999 when he began using his middle name (born 1949), American-born poet, novelist, journalist and essayist who moved to Canada at age 18 and became a Canadian citizen
- Kathy Figueroa Bancroft, Ontario poet and writer
- Robert Finch (1900â"1995), poet and academic whose area of expertise was French poetry
- Joan Finnigan (1925â"2007), writer, poet, teacher and newspaper reporter
- Jon Paul Fiorentino, poet, novelist, short-story writer, academic and editor of Matrix magazine
- Judith Fitzgerald (born 1952), poet and journalist
- Robert Ford (1915â"1998), poet, translator and diplomat
- Raymond Fraser (born 1941), novelist, poet, biographer, essayist and editor
- Louis-Honoré Fréchette (1839â"1908), French Canadian poet, politician, playwright and short-story writer
- Patrick Friesen (born 1946), poet and university-level creative writing teacher
- Mark Frutkin (born 1948), American-born novelist and poet who moved to Canada in 1970 as a Vietnam War draft resister
G
- Radovan GajiÄ (born 1953)
- Keith Garebian (born 1943), critic, editor, biographer, and poet
- François-Xavier Garneau (1809â"1866), French Canadian notary, poet, civil servant and historian
- Hector de Saint-Denys Garneau (1912â"1943), first modernist French Canadian poet
- Bill Gaston (born 1953), novelist, playwright, short-story writer and poet
- Antoine Gérin-Lajoie (1824â"1882), French Canadian poet and novelist
- Marty Gervais (born 1946), poet, photographer, professor, journalist, and publisher of Black Moss Press
- Elsa Gidlow
- Angus Morrison Gidney (1803â"1882), educator, poet and journalist
- Gerry Gilbert
- Charles Ignace Adélard Gill (1871â"1918), painter and poet
- John Glassco (1909â"1981), poet, memoirist and novelist
- Jacques Godbout (born 1933), novelist, essayist, children's writer, journalist, filmmaker and poet
- Gérald Godin (1938â"1994), French Canadian poet and politician
- Oliver Goldsmith (1794â"1861)
- Leona Gom (born 1946), novelist and poet
- Katherine L. Gordon
- Phyllis Gotlieb (born 1926), science fiction novelist and poet
- Sue Goyette (born 1964), poet and novelist
- Neile Graham (born 1958), poet and academic
- Alain Grandbois (1900â"1975), French Canadian poet
- Richard Greene
- Leslie Greentree, poet, short-story writer and freelance writer
- Andreas Gripp (born 1964)
- Ralph Gustafson (1909â"1995), poet and academic
- Genni Gunn (born 1949), novelist, poet, and translator
- Gregory Wm. Gunn
- Kristjana Gunnars, Icelandic-Canadian poet and novelist
H
- Paul Haines (1933â"2003), poet and jazz lyricist, born in the United States and later a Canadian resident
- Phil Hall (born 1953), poet, academic and publisher of broadsides and chapboooks under the Flat Singles Press imprint since 1976
- Jane Eaton Hamilton (born 1954), short-story writer, poet and photographer
- Claire Harris (born 1937)
- Michael Harris
- Richard Harrison
- Paul Hartal (born 1936), painter and poet, born Hungary
- Jill Hartman (born 1974 in poetry), poet and editor
- Elisabeth Harvor (née Deichman) (born 1936), novelist and poet
- Robert Hayman (1575â"1629), poet, colonist and Proprietary Governor of Bristol's Hope colony in Newfoundland
- Charles Heavysege (1816â"1876)
- Anne Hébert (1916â"2000), French-Canadian novelist and poet
- Allison Hedge Coke 1958), poet, writer, artist, activist and academic
- Wilfrid Heighington (1897â"1945), soldier, writer, poet lawyer and politician
- Steven Heighton (born 1961), novelist and poet
- David Helwig (born 1938), poet, novelist and essayist; father of Maggie Helwig
- Maggie Helwig (born 1961), poet, novelist, peace and human rights activist; daughter of David Helwig
- Brian Henderson (born 1948), poet, academic and editor
- Robert Hilles (born 1951), poet and novelist
- Clive Holden
- Nancy Holmes
- Emily Holton
- Cornelia Hoogland (born 1952), poet and academic
- Sean Horlor (born 1981) poet, former speechwriter, freelance writing consultant
- Harry Howith (born 1934)
- Ray Hsu, poet and academic
- Helen Humphreys (born 1961), poet and novelist
- Al Hunter poet, author, tribal leader, activist
- Aislinn Hunter (born 1969), poet and author
- Bruce Hunter (born 1952), teacher, poet and fiction writer
- Catherine Hunter (born 1957), poet, novelist, editor, academic and critic
- Chris Hutchinson (born 1972)
- Douglas Smith Huyghue (1816â"1891), Canadian and Australian poet, fiction writer, essayist, and artist
I
- Susan Ioannou (born 1944)
- Frances Itani (born 1942), novelist, short-story writer, poet and essayist
J
- Suzanne Jacob (born 1943), novelist, poet, playwright, singer-songwriter, and critic
- Jemeni
- Paulette Jiles (born 1943), American-born poet and novelist who moved to Canada in 1969
- Rita Joe (1932â"2007), Mi'kmaq-Canadian poet and songwriter, called the "poet laureate of the Mi'kmaq people"
- Reg Johanson (born 1968), composition and literature instructor, poet and essayist
- E. Pauline Johnson, also known as "Tekahionwake" (1861â"1913)
- D. G. Jones (born 1929), poet, translator and educator
- Julie Joosten
- Eve Joseph (born 1953), poet and author
K
- Surjeet Kalsey, poet, dramatist, short story writer and translator who writes in both Punjabi and English
- Smaro Kamboureli, poet and academic
- Lionel Kearns (born 1937), poet and teacher
- M. T. Kelly (born 1946), novelist, poet and playwright.
- Penn Kemp, novelist, playwright, poet and sound poet
- Leo Kennedy (1907â"2000), modernist poet, published in the 1930s.
- Robert Kirkland Kernighan (1854â"1926), poet, journalist and farmer
- Roy Kiyooka (1926â"1994), photographer, poet and artist
- Johann Peter Klassen (1868â"1947), Russian Mennonite poet and writer who immigrated to Canada in 1923 and wrote primarily in German
- Sarah Klassen (born 1932), poet and fiction writer
- A. M. Klein (1909â"1972), poet, journalist, novelist, and short story writer
- Raymond Knister (1899â"1932), novelist, short story writer, poet, critic and journalist
- Joy Kogawa (born 1935), poet and novelist
- Maka Kotto (born 1961), Cameroon-born francophone Canadian, provincial level politician, former Canadian House of Commons member who published a book of poetry in 2002
- Shane Koyczan (born 1976), spoken word poet
- Robert Kroetsch (born 1927)), novelist, poet, non-fiction writer and academic
- Janice Kulyk Keefer (born 1952), novelist, poet and academic
L
- Sonnet L'Abbé, poet and critic
- Pierre Labrie (born 1972), French Canadian poet
- Edward A. Lacey
- Dany Laferrière (born 1953), Haitian-born francophone novelist, journalist and poet who moved to Canada in 1976
- Archibald Lampman (1861â"1899)
- Tim Lander (born 1938)
- Patrick Lane (born 1939)
- M. Travis Lane (born 1934), American-born Canadian poet who moved to Canada in 1960
- Rina Lasnier (1915â"1997), French Canaadian poet and playwright
- Evelyn Lau (born 1971), poet and novelist
- Edythe Morahan de Lauzon
- Irving Layton (1912â"2006)
- Gérald Leblanc(1947â"2005), French Canadian poet, playwright, novelist, essayist and writer
- Félix Leclerc (1914â"1988), songwriter, musician, poet, novelist, actor, radio announcer, radio scriptwriter and writer
- Dennis Lee (born 1939), poet, writer and children's fiction author
- John B. Lee (born 1951), author, poet and academic
- Sylvia Legris (born 1960)
- John Lent (1948â"2006), poet and novelist
- Douglas LePan (1914â"1998), diplomat, poet, novelist and academic
- Tim Lilburn (born 1950), poet and essayist
- Charles Lillard (born 1944â"1997), poet and historian
- Dorothy Livesay (1909â"1996)
- Billie Livingston (born 1965), novelist and poet
- Douglas Lochhead (1922-2011), poet, librarian, and academic
- Pat Lowther (1935â"1975)
M
- Rozena Maart (born 1962), poet, short-story writer, novelist, playwright, academic and psychotherapist; South African living in Canada
- Karen Mac Cormack (born 1956), experimental poet born in Zambia, who holds dual British/Canadian citizenship, she has moved from Toronto to Buffalo, New York, with her husband, poet Steve McCaffery
- Hugh MacDonald (born 1945), poet, children's writer and editor
- Wilson MacDonald (1880â"1967)
- Gwendolyn MacEwen (1941â"1987), novelist and poet
- Walter Scott MacFarlane (1896â"1979), poet and soldier
- Tom MacInnes (1867â"1951), poet and writer
- Andrea MacPherson, poet and novelist
- Jay Macpherson (born 13 June 1931), poet and academic (a woman)*
- Keith Maillard (born 28 February 1942), author and poet
- Charles Mair (1838 or 1840â"1927), poet and political activist
- Robert Majzels (born 1950), novelist, poet, playwright and translator
- Alice Major, contemporary poet
- Kim Maltman (born 1951), poet and physicist (a man)
- Eli Mandel (1922â"1992), poet, essayist and academic
- Ahdri Zhina Mandiela (born 1953 Jamaican-born dub poet, theatre producer, and artistic director; Jamaican native living in Canada
- David Manicom (born 1960), diplomat, poet and novelist
- Lee Maracle (born 1950), Native American poet and author
- Blaine Marchand
- Nicole Markotic, poet and novelist
- Daphne Marlatt, née Buckle (born 1942)
- Tom Marshall (1938â"1993), Canadian poet and novelist
- Ãmile Martel
- Garth Martens
- Camille Martin (born 1956), Canadian poet and collage artist
- Robin Mathews (born 1931), Canadian poet and professor, known for his political activism in support of Canadian independence from U.S. domination
- Seymour Mayne (born 1944), poet and literary translator
- Chandra Mayor (born 1973), poet and novelist
- Robert McBride (1811 or 1812â"1895), Irish-born Canadian poet
- Steven McCabe, contemporary artist and poet
- Steve McCaffery (born 1947), poet and academic born in England and moved to Toronto in 1968; husband of poet Karen MacCormack
- Susan McCaslin (born 1947), poet and academic
- John McCrae (1872â"1918), poet, physician, author, artist and soldier during World War I, and a surgeon during the battle of Ypres; best known for writing the famous war memorial poem In Flanders Fields.
- Roy McDonald (born 1937), is a poet and busker (street performer)
- David McFadden (born 11 October 1940), poet, fiction writer, and travel writer
- Wendy McGrath, poet and novelist
- David McGimpsey, poet, humorist and academic
- Nadine McInnis (born 1956), poet, short-story writer and essayist
- James McIntyre (1828â"1906), called "The Cheese Poet"
- Don McKay (born 1942), poet, editor, and educator
- Barry McKinnon (born 1944)
- Brendan McLeod (born 1979), poet, novelist, member of The Fugitives.
- Susan McMaster (born 1950), poet, literary editor, and spoken word performer
- Steve McOrmond (born 1957), poet and academic
- Mary Melfi (born 1951), Italian-born poet, novelist and playwright who immigrated to Canada as a young child
- Iman Mersal (born 1966), Egyptian-born Egyptian/Canadian poet and professor of Arabic literature
- Bruce Meyer (born 1957), poet and academic
- Pauline Michel novelist, poet, playwright, songwriter and screenwriter
- Anne Michaels (born 1958), poet and novelist
- Roy Miki (born 1942), poet and academic
- Kenneth G. Mills (1923â"2004)
- Roswell George Mills
- Gaston Miron (1928â"1996), French Canadian poet, writer, and editor
- Lucy Maud Montgomery (1874â"1942), Primarily an author, but also a poet from PEI.
- Marion E. Moodie (1867â"1958), nurse, botanist and poet
- Susanna Moodie (1803â"1885), British-born Canadian author and poet
- Jacob McArthur Mooney (born 1983)
- Pamela Mordecai (born 1942), Jamaican writer, teacher, scholar and poet living in Canada since 1994
- Pierre Morency (born 1942), French Canadian writer, poet and playwright
- Dwayne Morgan spoken word artist, motivational speaker, event organizer and poet
- Jeffrey Morgan (born 19??), Primarily a writer, but with poetry published in Rolling Stone and Bakka Magazine.
- Kim Morrissey (born 1955), poet and playwright
- Colin Morton (born 1948)
- A. F. Moritz (born 1947), poet and academic
- Daniel David Moses (born 1952), Native American Canadian poet and playwright
- Erin Mouré (born 1955)
- William Murdoch (1823â"1887), Scottish-Canadian poet, writer and gasworks manager who immigrated to Canada in 1854
- George Murray, poet and an associate editor at Maisonneuve Magazine, contributing editor at several literary magazines
- Susan Musgrave (born 1951), poet and children's writer
- Jane Musoke-Nteyafas (born c. 1976), poet, writer, visual artist, columnist and playwright
N
- Akhtar Naraghi
- Roger Nash (born 1942), English-born philosopher, poet and academic
- Lyle Neff (born 1969), poet, journalist, essayist and literary critic
- Lorri Neilsen Glenn, poet, ethnographer, essayist and academic
- Ãmile Nelligan (1879â"1941), francophone poet from Quebec
- Holly Nelson, writer, poet, activist, journalist, leader of the Green Party of Manitoba (2005â"2006)
- Pierre Nepveu (born 1946), French Canadian poet, novelist and essayist
- W. H. New (born 1938), poet, editor and literary critic
- bpNichol Barrie Phillip Nichol, who often went by his lower-case initials and last name, with no spaces (1944â"1988), poet and writer
- John Newlove (1938â"2003)
- Alden Nowlan (1933â"1983), poet, novelist, playwright and journalist
O
- Patrick O'Connell (1944â"2005)
- Sheree-Lee Olson, novelist, poet and journalist
- Michael Ondaatje (born 1943), Sri Lankan novelist and poet with Canadian citizenship
- Heather O'Neill, novelist, poet, short story writer, screenwriter and journalist
- Madeleine Ouellette-Michalska (born 1930), French-Canadian writer, novelist, essayist and poet
- Richard Outram (1930â"2005), poet and writer; co-founder, with his wife, Barbara Howard, of The Gauntlet Press
P
- P. K. Page (born 1916)
- Corrado Paina (born 1954), Italian poet living in Canada since 1987, editorial director of the quarterly magazine ItalyCanada Trade
- Arleen Paré
- John Pass (born 1947), English-born Canadian poet and academic who has lived in Canada since 1953; married to poet and novelist Theresa Kishkan
- Philip Kevin Paul
- Neil Peart (born 1952), musician, songwriter, producer, author, drummer of the Canadian Rock band Rush
- Sasenarine Persaud Guyana-born, Canadian essayist, novelist, short story writer, and poet
- W. T. Pfefferle, poet, writer and academic
- M. NourbeSe Philip (born 1947), poet, novelist, playwright, essayist and short story writer
- Ben Phillips (born 1947), poet, teacher and publisher
- Alison Pick, poet and novelist
- Leah Lakshmi Piepzna-Samarasinha (born 1975), American-born poet, spoken-word poet, writer, educator and social activist living in Canada
- Jean-Guy Pilon (born 1930), French Canadian poet
- George Pirie (1799);1870), newspaper publisher and poet
- Al Pittman (1940â"2001), poet and playwright
- Ted Plantos (1943â"2001), poet, writer, editor
- Michel Pleau
- Emily Pohl-Weary, novelist, poet and magazine editor
- Craig Poile
- Sandy Pool
- B. W. Powe (born 1955), author, poet and academic
- Claire Pratt (1921â"1995), artist, poet and editor; daughter of writer and editor Viola Whitney and E. J. Pratt, a poet and academic
- E. J. Pratt (1882â"1964), poet and academic
- Frank Prewett (1893â"1962), poet and broadcaster, who spent most of his life in the United Kingdom; a war poet of World War I
- Robert Priest (born 1951), poet and children's author
- Stefan Psenak (born 1969), French Canadian poet, playwright and novelist
- Al Purdy (1918â"2000), writer, editor and poet
Q
- Andy Quan (born 1969), author who moved to Australia
- Joseph Quesnel (1746â"1809), French Canadian composer, poet, and playwright
- Sina Queyras, poet and academic
R
- Kenneth Radu
- Gurcharan Rampuri poet of Punjabi descent who writes in the Punjabi language
- Theodore Harding Rand (1835â"1900), educator and poet
- Ian Iqbal Rashid (born 1971), Canadian/British Muslim poet, screenwriter and filmmaker of Indian descent; has lived primarily in London
- Angela Rawlings (a.k.a. a.rawlings)
- Wayne Ray, co-founder of the Canadian Poetry Association, publisher in London, Ontario
- James Reaney (1926â"2008), poet, playwright, and literary critic
- Michael Redhill (born 1966), American-born Canadian poet, playwright and novelist
- D. C. Reid (born 1952), poet, novelist and short story writer
- Jamie Reid (born 1941)
- Tracy Repchuk (born 1965), writer, poet and editor; president and founder of the Canadian Federation of Poets; editor of Poetry Canada magazine
- Shane Rhodes
- Charles G.D. Roberts (1860â"1943), poet and prose writer; called the "Father of Canadian Poetry" for his influence on other poets
- Lisa Robertson (born 1961), poet, essayist and writer
- Ajmer Rode, poet, playwright and writer in Punjabi and English
- Gordon Rodgers (born 1952), poet, novelist and clinical psychologist
- Carmen RodrÃguez (born 1948), Chilean-Canadian author, poet, educator, political social activist, co-founder of Aquelarre Magazine; exiled from Chile after the 1973 coup; writes in both Spanish and English and translates her own work
- Linda Rogers (born 1944), poet and children's writer
- Joe Rosenblatt (born 1933), Governor General's Award-winning experimentalist.
- Laisha Rosnau (born 1972), novelist and poet
- Bruce Ross, poet, author, academic and past president of the Haiku Society of America
- Stuart Ross (born 1959), writer, poet, editor, and creative-writing instructor
- W.W.E. Ross (born 1894), imagist poet of the 1920s and 1930s, has been called "Canada's first modern poet."
- Nancy-Gay Rotstein
- Stephen Rowe (born 1980)
- André Roy
S
- Lake Sagaris (born 1956), journalist, poet and translator living in Chile
- Trish Salah, academic, writer and poet whose first volume of poetry appeared in 2002
- Peter Sanger (born 1943), poet and prose writer, critic, editor and academic born in England, immigrated to Canada in 1953
- Charles Sangster (1822â"1893)
- Félix-Antoine Savard (1896â"1982), priest, academic, poet, novelist and folklorist
- Jacob Scheier, poet whose first collection of verses won the 2008 Governor General's Award for English poetry; editor; son of Libby Scheier; lives in New York City
- Libby Scheier (1946â"2000), United States-born poet and short story writer who moved to Canada in 1975; mother of Jacob Scheier
- Matthew Schreuder (born 1971), writer and poet living in Australia
- Andreas Schroeder (born 1946), German-born poet, novelist, and nonfiction writer
- Stephen Scobie (born 1943), poet, critic, and academic
- Gregory Scofield
- Duncan Campbell Scott (1862â"1947), poet and writer
- F. R. Scott, also known as Frank Scott (1899â"1985), poet, intellectual and constitutional expert
- Peter Dale Scott (born 1929), poet and academic
- Olive Senior (born 1941), Jamaican poet and short story writer living in Canada
- Robert W. Service (1874â"1958), poet and writer
- Kathy Shaidle (born 1964), author, columnist and poet
- Francis Sherman (1871â"1926)
- Joseph Sherman (1945â"2006), poet and visual arts editor
- Carol Shields (1935â"2003), American-born Canadian novelist, short-story writer, poet, playwright and writer
- Trish Shields, poet and novelist
- Sandy Shreve, poet, newspaper reporter and office worker
- Goran Simic (born 1952), Bosnian-born poet, playwright and short-story writer living in Canada since 1995
- Melanie Siebert
- Bren Simmers
- Anne Simpson (born 1956), poet and novelist
- Sue Sinclair
- George Sipos
- Sonja Skarstedt (born 1960), poet, short-story writer, playwright, painter and illustrator who founded and edited the now-defunct literary magazine Zymergy (1987â"1991), and founded Empyreal Press in 1990
- Robin Skelton, sometimes wrote under the pseudonym "Georges Zuk", a purported French surrealist (born 1925â"1997), British-born Canadian academic, writer, poet, translator and anthologist who immigrated to Canada in 1963; a founder and editor of The Mahalat Review
- Daniel Sloate (1931â"2009), translator, poet, playwright and academic
- Carolyn Smart (born 1952), English-born poet, author and academic
- Elizabeth Smart (1913â"1986), poet and novelist whose book, By Grand Central Station I Sat Down and Wept, detailed her romance with English poet George Barker
- A. J. M. Smith (1902â"1980), poet and academic
- Douglas Burnet Smith (born 1949)
- John Smith (born 1927), poet and academic
- Michael V. Smith novelist, poet and filmmaker
- Ron Smith (born 1943), poet, author, editor, playwright, and former academic; founder and co-publisher of Oolichan Books in 1984; influential in the founding of Theytus Books in 1971
- Karen Solie (born 1966)
- John Solomon, writer of erotic poetry books
- David Solway (born 1941), poet, educational theorist, travel writer and literary critic
- Madeline Sonik (born 1960), novelist, short-story writer, children's-book author, editor and poet
- Carolyn Marie Souaid (born 1959), poet and editor, living in Montreal, co-founder of Poetry Quebec magazine
- Raymond Souster(born 1921), poet and (now retired) bank executive
- Esta Spalding (born 1966), American-born Canadian author, screenwriter and poet
- Heather Spears (born 1934), poet, novelist, and artist living in Denmark since 1962
- Birk Sproxton (1943â"2007), poet and novelist
- Harold Standish (1919â"1972), poet and novelist
- George Stanley, American-born poet and academic associated with the San Francisco Renaissance in his early years, moved to Canada in the 1970s; associated with New Star Books and the Capilano Review
- Carmine Starnino, essayist, educator, and editor
- John Steffler (born 1947), poet and novelist
- Ian Stephens (died 1996), journalist, musician and poet associated with the spoken word movement
- Ricardo Sternberg (born 1948), poet born in Brazil, educated in the United States
- Richard Stevenson
- Shannon Stewart
- W. Gregory Stewart (born 1950), poet, science fiction author, short-story writer who works at a public utility and lives in Los Angeles, California
- John Stiles, poet living in London, United Kingdom
- Anne Stone, poet, writer and performance artist
- Betsy Struthers (born 1951), poet and novelist
- Andrew Suknaski (1942â"2012), Saskatchewan poet
- Alan Sullivan (1868â"1947), poet, short-story writer, railroad surveyor and mining engineer
- Rosemary Sullivan (born 1947), poet, biographer, academic and anthologist
- Moez Surani (born 1979), poet
- John Sutherland (1919â"1956), poet, literary critic, and magazine editor who founded and edited First Statement in 1942 and its successor publication, Northern Review in 1945
- Robert Swanson
- Robert Sward (born 1933), American and Canadian poet and novelist
- George Swede (born 1940), Latvian-born Canadian children's writer and poet who writes Haiku in English
- Todd Swift (born 1966), poet, editor and academic living in the United Kingdom
- Anne Szumigalski (1922â"1999)
T
- Proma Tagore
- Bruce Taylor (born 1960)
- Heather Taylor (born 1977), poet, playwright and teacher living in England since 2002
- Ruth Taylor (1961â"2006), poet, editor and academic
- John Terpstra, poet and carpenter
- Souvankham Thammavongsa
- Sharon Thesen (born 1946), poet and academic
- Edward William Thomson (born 1849â"1924), journalist, writer and poet
- John Thompson (1938â"1976)
- Russell Thornton
- Matthew Tierney (born 1970)
- Jose Tlatelpas (born 1953), Mexican native and Canadian resident; Native cultures poet, publisher, and political activist
- Mohamud Siad Togane (born 1943), Somali native and Canadian resident; poet, academic, and political activist
- Lola Lemire Tostevin (born 1937), poet, novelist and writer
- Rhea Tregebov (born 1953), poet and children's writer
- Raymond D. Tremblay, poet, writer, social services agency official
- Roland Michel Tremblay (born 1972), French-Canadian author, poet, scriptwriter, development producer and science-fiction consultant who moved to London, England in 1995
- Tony Tremblay (born 1968), French-Canadian poet, writer, spoken word artist, journalist and radio personality
- Peter Trower (born 1930), poet and novelist
- Mark Truscott(born 1970), born in the United States
- Ãlise Turcotte (born 26 June 1957), French-Canadian writer and poet
- John Tyndall
- Daniel Scott Tysdal (born 1978)
U
- Marie Uguay (1955â"1981), French- Canadian poet
- Priscilla Uppal (born 1974), poet and novelist
- David UU (David W. Harris) (1948â"1994), visual poet
V
- R. M. Vaughan, poet, novelist and playwright
- Paul Vermeersch (born 1973)
- Katherena Vermette
- Gilles Vigneault (born 1928), Quebec poet, publisher and singer-songwriter; Quebec nationalist and sovereigntist
- Pamelia Sarah Vining (1826â"1897)
- Garth Von Buchholz (also G.A. Buchholz) British Columbia poet, dark fiction author, playwright, journalist and arts critic
- Prvoslav VujÄiÄ (born 1960)
W
- Miriam Waddington née Dworkin 1917â"2004), poet, short story writer and translator
- Fred Wah (born 1939), poet, novelist, and scholar
- Bronwen Wallace (1945â"1989), poet and short story writer
- Tom Walmsley (born 1948), playwright, novelist, poet and screenwriter
- Agnes Walsh (born 1950), actor, poet, playwright and storyteller
- David Waltner-Toews (born 1948), epidemiologist, essayist, poet, fiction writer, veterinarian, and a specialist in the epidemiology of food and waterborne diseases, zoonoses and ecosystem health
- Terry Watada author, writer, and poet
- Alison Watt (born 1957), writer, poet and painter
- Tom Wayman (born 1945), poet and academic
- Phyllis Webb (born 1927), poet and radio broadcaster
- John Weier (born 1949)
- Robert Stanley Weir (1856â"1926), judge and poet most famous for writing the English lyrics to O Canada, the national anthem of Canada
- Zachariah Wells (born 1976), poet, critic, essayist and editor
- Darren Wershler-Henry (born 1966), experimental poet, non-fiction writer and cultural critic
- David Wevill (born 1935)
- Dawud Wharnsby (born 1972), singer-songwriter, poet, performer, educator and television personality
- Michael Whelan (born 1858â"1937) teacher, bookkeeper and poet
- Zoe Whittall (born 1976), poet and novelist
- Anne Wilkinson (1910â"1961) Canadian poet, writer and essayist
- Alan R. Wilson
- Sheri-D Wilson, poet and playwright
- Rob Winger, poet and academic
- Theresa Wolfwood, political activist and poet
- George Woodcock (1912â"1995), poet, essayist, critic, biographer and historiian; the founder (in 1959) of the journal Canadian Literature
- Lance Woolaver (born 1948) is a Canadian author, poet, playwright and director
Y
- J. Michael Yates (born 1938), poet and dramatist
- Leo Yerxa
- Jean Yoon (born 1962), actor, poet and playwright
- D'bi Young born in Jamaica, moved to Canada in 1993; dub poet, actor and playwright
- Ian Young
Z
- Robert Zend (1929-1985), Hungarian-Canadian poet, fiction writer, and multi-media artist
- David Zieroth
- Rachel Zolf, poet and editor
- Carolyn Zonailo (born 1947), poet and publisher
- Jan Zwicky (born 1955), philosopher, poet, essayist, and violinist
See also
- List of Canadian writers
- List of poets
- List of poetry awards
- List of years in poetry
- List of years in literature