Stephen Collis

Stephen Collis is a Professor in the Department of English at Simon Fraser University, where he teaches poetry and poetics. He has authored fifteen books of poetry and prose, with works shortlisted for major awards including the Governor General’s Award and the Dorothy Livesay Poetry Prize. His research intersects poetry, environmental activism, and social justice. He resides on unceded Coast Salish Territory in Burnaby, BC.

• Education: BA (University of Victoria), PhD (Simon Fraser University)

Research Interests span poetics, environmental activism, and creative writing pedagogy. His work often critiques resource extraction, reimagines ecological futures, and explores the role of poetry in political struggle. Notably, his poetry was cited as evidence in a lawsuit against Kinder Morgan, reflecting its activist dimension.

Publications include The Commons (2008), On the Material (2010), Once in Blockadia (2016), and A History of the Theories of Rain (2021), with recent works like The Middle (2024) and Knock Down House (2025) expanding into experimental memoir. Themes across his articles include climate crisis, material culture, and anthropocene critique.

Honors & Awards:

• 2019 – Writers’ Trust of Canada Latner Poetry Prize
• 2015 – Nora and Ted Sterling Prize in Support of Controversy
• 2010 – BC Book Prize winner for On the Material
• 2021 – Governor General’s Award finalist for A History of the Theories of Rain

Engaged in public discourse through readings at institutions like the University of Kent, and collaborations with environmental groups such as Blockadia. He also serves as a manuscript consultant for The Writers’ Studio at SFU.