Robert Hilles - poetry, fiction

Robert Hilles has published twelve books of poetry, two novels -the latest being, A Gradual Ruin, published by Doubleday Canada in 2004 - two non-fiction books, and one short story collection. His first novel won the George Bugnett Award for best novel published in Alberta and he won the Governor General's Award for Poetry for Cantos From A Small Room.

His books include:

Look The Lovely Animal Speaks, Turnstone Press, 1980.
The Surprise Element, Sidereal Press, 1982.
An Angel In The Works, Oolichan Books, 1983.
Outlasting The Landscape, Thistledown Press, 1989.
Finding The Lights On, Wolsak and Wynn, 1991.
A Breath At A Time, Oolichan Books, 1992.
Cantos From A Small Room, Wolsak and Wynn, 1993.
Raising Of Voices, Black Moss Press, 1993 (Novel).
Near Morning, Black Moss Press, 1995 (Short Stories).
Nothing Vanishes, Wolsak and Wynn, 1996.
Kissing the Smoke, Black Moss Press, 1996 (Non Fiction).
Breathing Distance, Black Moss Press, 1997.
Somewhere Between Obstacles and Pleasure, Black Moss Press, 1999.
Higher Ground, River Books, 2001.
Wrapped Within Again, New and Selected Poems, Black Moss Press, 2003.
A Gradual Ruin, Doubleday Canada, 2004 (Novel).
Calling the Wild, Black Moss Press, 2005 (Non-fiction).

Teaching Philosophy

I write both poetry and fiction, and over the years I have worked with a variety of writers at all stages of development, so I'm happy to continue that with Booming Ground. Whether I am mentoring poetry or fiction, I am a firm believer that knowing the essentials of craft are key, but that is just the beginning. Beyond that, I hope to guide writers in finding their own voice. I believe strongly in respecting the integrity of each writer's voice, while at the same time, stressing areas where the work can be improved.

Having timely and constructive feedback is essential to success in writing. For that reason, my approach to mentoring is to give writers a strong sense of what is good in their work and what is not yet effectively developed. I do this through comments and by marking up the manuscript to help clarify the strengths and weaknesses in any given piece. By doing so, I hope to give each writer not only the confidence in what he or she is doing right, but also a stronger sense of where to focus time and energy.