Morrissey, Stephen

Stephen Morrissey is a Montreal-born poet. Morrissey earned his B.A., Honours English with Distinction, at Sir George Williams University (now Concordia University) in 1973. He studied with poet Louis Dudek at McGill University (M.A., English, 1976). In the 1970s, Morrissey was a member of the Vehicule Poets, a group of poets associated with Vehicule Art Gallery. Morrissey published his first poetry book, The Trees of Unknowing, in 1978 (Montreal, Vehicule Press). Other books by Morrissey include Divisions (Toronto, Coach House Press, 1983); Family Album (Vancouver, Caitlin Press, 1989); Morrissey’s “The Shadow Trilogy” consists of The Compass (Montreal, Empyreal Press, 1993), The Yoni Rocks (Montreal, Empyreal Press, 1995), and The Mystic Beast (Montreal, Empyreal Press, 1997); and Mapping the Soul, Selected Poems 1978-1998 (Winnipeg, The Muse’s Company, 1998). In addition, Stephen Morrissey’s work has been published in chapbooks, periodicals, newspapers, and anthologies. Morrissey edited and published two experimental literary magazines, what is and The Montreal Journal of Poetics. In 2000, Stephen Morrissey and Carolyn Zonailo co-founded Coracle Press, www.coraclepress.com, which publishes online chapbooks but has also published several print versions of books. Morrissey has also written many reviews of poetry books and books on Jungian psychology. He has published online a comprehensive history of his family, www.morrisseyfamilyhistory.com, beginning in 1837 when the family moved to Canada from Ireland, to the present day. He has read his work at universities and other venues across Canada and in the United States. Stephen Morrissey is married to Vancouver-born poet Carolyn Zonailo. He has one son, Jake Morrissey, by a previous marriage. Stephen Morrissey teaches literature at Champlain College, Montreal.