Person

Truhlar, Richard, 1950-

1950-

Richard Truhlar was born on February 14, 1950, in Toronto, Ontario.

He is a Canadian poet, fictioneer, visual artist, text/sound/musical composer, performer, editor, and publisher. He began writing poetry and prose at the age of 11 and had his first published work in 1971. In 1975, he co-founded Phenomenon Press with fellow writer John Riddell, and together they edited and published the avant-garde periodical Kontakte. In the same year, Truhlar established the Kontakte Writers in Performance Series, which featured readings and performances by most of Canada's foremost experimental writers. It ran for ten years and featured over 100 artists, including Sheila Watson, bpNichol, Michael Ondaatje, Henri Chopin, Bernard Heidsieck, and Nicole Brossard. He was an active member of the sound poetry group Owen Sound, giving 80 readings across Canada, the USA, and Europe. After the demise of Owen Sound, he joined with musician Glenn Frew to form the new wave rock band Warm Jets. He was a founding editor/publisher of Underwhich Editions, publishing books, chapbooks, broadsides, microfiche, leaflets and progressive audio recordings of sound poetry and electroacoustic music. In the field of broadcasting, Truhlar distinguished himself through the production of literary programs, e.g., two series for radio station CJRT-FM: The Art of Sound Poetry and Canadian Poetry in the 1980s. In the field of electroacoustic composition, he released five album-length audiocassettes and his work broadcast throughout Canada, the United States, and Europe. Since 1987, he has worked as the producer of the Centrediscs recording label of the Canadian Music Centre.