B. W. Powe

B. W. Powe

Bruce William Powe (/paʊ/; born 23 March 1955) is a Canadian writer poet, novelist, essayist, philosopher, and teacher.

Powe lived in Toronto from 1959 until 1996; he attended York University for English studies where in 1977 graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Powe received a Master of Arts degree from the University of Toronto in 1981; he studied there with Marshall McLuhan and Northrop Frye. He received his Ph.D from York University in October 2009. He was tenured and promoted to Associate Professor of Literature at York in July 2010. His Ph.D is on Marshall McLuhan and Northrop Frye, their crossings in history, their agon and complementarity (their conflicts and harmonies), and the stirring alchemy of their thought. The thesis was also concerned with the role and position of these visionaries in Canada, and the role and position of guides and mentors.

Powe currently teaches in the Department of English at York University. He lectures on visionary literature, teaching writers from Hildegard von Bingen and Dante to Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, and conducts honour seminars on Marshall McLuhan and Northrop Frye. Powe continues to teach first year introduction to literature courses.

In 1997 he moved to Stouffville, Ontario, where he still lives. His two children, Kate and Thomas (twins), enrolled at York University in 2010.

His father is Bruce Allen Powe, author of the novels, Killing Ground, The Aberhart Summer and The Ice Eaters. His uncle is Joe Schlesinger, senior correspondent for the CBC news.

Powe was most recently featured in The New York Times in an article reflecting on Marshall McLuhan on the centennial of his birth.

An article on Powe's work on McLuhan's centennial and of his most recent book, These Shadows Remain: A Fable, was featured in York University's YFile Daily Bulletin.

"The Spectral Ball of Theory: A Lyrical Essay", an essay originally intended for Powe's upcoming book, was featured in York University's community newspaper, Exalibur.

The website for Ottawa'a Writer's Festival recently published an article on Powe's contribution to the festival this year.