Susan Musgrave

Susan Musgrave (born March 12, 1951) is a Canadian poet, novelist, essayist, children's author, and editor renowned for her prolific output spanning over 30 books across multiple genres.^[1][2] Born in Santa Cruz, California, to Canadian parents and raised on Vancouver Island in British Columbia, she has lived in diverse locations including Ireland, England, Panama, Colombia, and currently resides on Haida Gwaii, where she manages Copper Beech House.^[1][3] Musgrave's literary career began early, with her debut poetry collection Songs of the Sea-Witch published in 1970 at age 19, followed by notable works such as the novel The Charcoal Burners (1980), the poetry collection Things That Keep and Do Not Change (1999), and the children's book Kiss, Tickle, Cuddle, Hug (2012).^[1] Her writing often explores themes of love, loss, nature, and personal resilience, blending wit, dark humor, and vivid imagery, as seen in her recent poetry collection Exculpatory Lilies (2022).^[4] She has also ventured into nonfiction and cookbooks, including A Taste of Haida Gwaii: Food Gathering and Feasting at the Edge of the World (2015), drawing from her life on Haida Gwaii.^[5] Throughout her career, Musgrave has received numerous accolades, including multiple nominations for the Governor General's Literary Award, the Matt Cohen Award in Celebration of a Writing Life from the Writers' Trust of Canada in 2014, and a finalist position for the Griffin Poetry Prize in 2023 for Exculpatory Lilies.^[6][4] She has served as a writer-in-residence at institutions like the University of Waterloo (1983–85) and the University of Toronto (1995), and chaired the Writers' Union of Canada (1997–98).^[1] In her personal life, Musgrave married author and convicted bank robber Stephen Reid in 1986 while he was incarcerated; the couple had a daughter, Sophie Musgrave Reid (born 1989, died 2021), and she has another daughter, Charlotte Musgrave (born 1982), from a previous relationship.^[1][7] Reid, who struggled with addiction, was re-arrested for bank robbery in 1999 and released on day parole in 2008; he died in 2018.^[8][9] Musgrave's experiences with these events have informed her writing, including essays and her novel Cargo of Orchids (2000).^[10]

Early life and education

Childhood and family background

Susan Musgrave was born on March 12, 1951, in Santa Cruz, California, to Canadian parents Edward L. Musgrave and Judith B. Musgrave, who traced their ancestry to fourth-generation Vancouver Islanders.^[11][12] The couple, whose roots were deeply embedded in British Columbia's coastal heritage, were traveling at the time of her birth, which occurred unexpectedly during a family trip south of the border.^[13] Shortly after her birth, the Musgraves returned to Victoria, British Columbia, settling near the city where Susan spent her early childhood in a stable, island-based environment shaped by her parents' enduring ties to the region.^[12][14] Edward, who passed away in 1985, and Judith, who lived until 2019 at age 93, provided a foundation steeped in Canadian identity, reinforcing Susan's sense of belonging to Vancouver Island despite her American birthplace.^[12] This familial heritage, spanning generations on the island, fostered her early connection to British Columbia's cultural and natural landscapes, even as her parents navigated the nuances of raising a child born abroad.^[12] Musgrave's pre-adolescent years revealed early indicators of her independent and nonconformist spirit within the family dynamic. Described retrospectively as a "social misfit," she exhibited rebellious tendencies from a young age, including an infamous incident in kindergarten where she was expelled from class for laughing uncontrollably—a moment she later characterized as the start of her lifelong pattern of challenging authority.^[15][16] These formative experiences, set against the backdrop of her parents' supportive yet rooted household, highlighted a childhood marked by both familial stability and personal defiance.^[15]

Early influences and schooling

Musgrave's early education was marked by a rebellious streak that culminated in her departure from high school at age 14. After running away from home to seek life experience, she reached the railway tracks in Ladysmith on Vancouver Island before being returned by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).^[17] This incident reflected her ongoing defiance, which had earlier manifested in childhood misbehavior such as being expelled from kindergarten for laughing.^[17] Her self-directed learning began to take shape during her pre-teen years, influenced significantly by cultural figures who ignited her interest in poetry. In Grade 7, exposure to Bob Dylan's music prompted her to start writing poems, transitioning from earlier efforts like tragic horse stories in Grade 4.^[18] By Grade 8, this passion led to her first recognition as a poet when she won a school poetry contest with a rhyming couplet poem about Jackie Kennedy visiting her husband's grave by moonlight; the prize was a copy of a Shakespeare play.^[12] Following her departure from formal schooling, Musgrave experienced brief periods in psychiatric care, during which she continued writing. Committed to a local psychiatric ward in Victoria and assigned to Room 0, she encountered members of the University of Victoria's English Department.^[17] A professor from the department, informed by her psychiatrist of her poetry, visited her, read her work, and facilitated its publication. At age 16, her poems appeared in The Malahat Review, under the mentorship of poet and editor Robin Skelton, who played a pivotal role in nurturing her early talent.^[19] These informal academic interactions marked the beginning of her creative pursuits, including a brief escape to Berkeley, California, with the professor.^[17]

Literary career

Development as a poet

Susan Musgrave's poetic career began early, with her debut collection, Songs of the Sea-Witch, published in 1970 by Sono Nis Press when she was 19 years old. This followed a Canada Council grant awarded in 1969, which supported her initial creative endeavors after she had already published poems in The Malahat Review at age 16 under the mentorship of poet Robin Skelton.^[20][19] The collection draws on West Coast mythologies, blending aboriginal legends with personal identity exploration in an animistic landscape, where the natural world pulses with gothic imagery and mythic resonance.^[21][22] Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Musgrave's style evolved from the spare, elemental "skinny poems" of her youth—focusing on blood, bones, earth, rain, sex, and death—to more brooding, multi-voiced works incorporating Celtic and North American Indian mythologies alongside witchcraft motifs. Key publications include Entrance of the Celebrant (1972), which probes subconscious tensions through magical realism; Grave-Dirt and Selected Strawberries (1973), featuring dark forces and symbolic aboriginal influences with a gothic tone; The Impstone (1976), evoking primitive power and animism; and A Man to Marry, a Man to Bury (1979), which examines death and sexual relationships via emotional, haunting voices. Her time as writer-in-residence and English instructor at the University of Waterloo from 1983 to 1985 further bolstered her output, leading to collections like Cocktails at the Mausoleum (1985), blending eroticism, irony, and tenderness in a poetic journal style. These works establish her eco-feminist lens, intertwining militant feminism with nature's animated vitality and identity quests.^{[20][21][22][23]} In later decades, Musgrave's poetry shifted toward longer lines and broader relational themes, addressing violence, loss, forgiveness, and spiritual transformation while retaining ghostly, gutsy protest elements. Notable volumes include Forcing the Narcissus (1994), with its gothic scrutiny of trauma; Things That Keep and Do Not Change (1999), confronting violation and death through comic and spectral imagery; and Origami Dove (2011), nominated for the Governor General's Award. Her most recent collection, Exculpatory Lilies (2022, McClelland & Stewart), shortlisted for the 2023 Griffin Poetry Prize and the Governor General's Literary Award, delves into grief and the natural world with witty, emotionally rigorous eco-feminist undertones, reflecting a matured synthesis of personal loss and environmental animism. This progression continues in her latest collection, Hunger (2025, McClelland & Stewart). This progression underscores her enduring contribution to Canadian poetry, rooted in Pacific Northwest mythologies and identity exploration.^{[20][21][3][24][21][23]}

Prose and diverse genres

Susan Musgrave's prose work spans fiction and non-fiction, where she employs narrative structures to delve into psychological depths, social critiques, and personal introspection, often extending themes from her poetry into more expansive storytelling forms. Her novels, in particular, showcase a blend of dark humor, satire, and unflinching examinations of human frailty, while her essays offer reflective vignettes on life, relationships, and environment.^[25][26] In her debut novel, The Charcoal Burners (1980), Musgrave explores the dark recesses of the human psyche through the story of a woman fleeing a madman, incorporating vivid and unsettling imagery that blends mythological elements with feminist perspectives on power and escape. Published by McClelland & Stewart, the work marks an early foray into prose that prioritizes psychological intensity and critiques patriarchal violence, themes that echo her poetic interests in human relationships and turmoil but unfold through a suspenseful narrative arc.^[25][27] Musgrave's second novel, The Dancing Chicken (1987), shifts toward satire, depicting the chaotic dynamics of a small-town family—the Holmeses—marked by infidelity, eccentricity, and brushes with death, published by Methuen. Through characters like the unhappily married Cod Holmes and the enigmatic Ursula, the novel lampoons institutional and familial misalliances, using humor to probe sex, loss, and societal absurdities in a more grounded, relational prose style.^[25][28] Her third novel, Cargo of Orchids (2000), published by Knopf Canada, intensifies themes of crime and personal devastation, following a woman on death row who recounts her entanglement with drug lords, the loss of her child, and the critique of incarceration systems. Narrated by the resilient yet despairing Rainy and her partner Frenchy, the story weaves feminism, motherhood, and institutional violence into a lyrical yet brutal narrative, highlighting Musgrave's evolution toward socially charged prose that incorporates memoir-like intimacy drawn from lived experiences.^[25][29][30] Turning to non-fiction, Musgrave's essays in Musgrave Landing: Musings on the Writing Life (1994), published by Stoddart, offer personal reflections on her craft, island existence on Saltspring Island, family histories, and travels to places like Disneyland and Trinidad. These pieces emphasize human connections with editors, fans, and fellow writers, using a narrative prose structure to explore the intersections of creativity and daily life, often with a touch of wry observation on relational complexities.^[26][31] In A Taste of Haida Gwaii: Food Gathering and Feasting at the Edge of the World (2015), published by Whitecap Books, Musgrave combines anecdotes and recipes to celebrate Haida Gwaii's community, landscapes, and foraging traditions, reflecting on environmental stewardship and interpersonal bonds amid the islands' rugged beauty. This later work evolves her prose toward memoir-infused narratives tied to personal and ecological experiences, underscoring themes of violence against nature and resilient human ties in a structured, evocative format that won the 2016 Taste Canada Gold Award for Culinary Narratives.^[26][32][33] Across these prose forms, Musgrave maintains continuities with her poetry—such as explorations of violence, environmental fragility, and intimate relationships—but adapts them into narrative-driven essays and novels that provide broader contextual depth and personal revelation.^[25][26]

Editorial and collaborative works

Musgrave has contributed to children's literature through whimsical, illustrated works that often incorporate environmental themes and playful language to engage young readers. Her debut children's book, Gullband Thought Measles Was a Happy Ending (1974), illustrated by Rikki Ducornet, features a fantastical narrative blending humor and subtle ecological awareness, such as the protagonist's adventures highlighting nature's interconnectedness.^[34] Another notable example is Kestrel and Leonardo (1990), illustrated by Linda Rogers, which explores themes of friendship and discovery in a natural setting, using rhythmic poetry to convey messages about wildlife preservation for children.^[34] These works reflect Musgrave's ability to adapt her poetic style for younger audiences, prioritizing imaginative storytelling over didacticism while embedding light environmental education.^[22] In her editorial roles, Musgrave has compiled anthologies that amplify diverse voices within Canadian literature, particularly those from British Columbia and underrepresented perspectives. She edited Because You Loved Being a Stranger: 55 Poets Celebrate Patrick Lane (1994), a tribute collection featuring contributions from established and emerging poets, which showcases a range of styles from lyrical to narrative forms in honor of the influential writer.^[35] Similarly, Force Field: 77 Women Poets of British Columbia (2000) highlights feminist and regional viewpoints by gathering works from female poets across the province, emphasizing themes of identity, landscape, and social critique to foster visibility for women in poetry.^[36] Her editing approach consistently prioritizes inclusivity, selecting pieces that represent varied cultural and gender experiences while promoting Canadian literary talent.^[37] Musgrave's collaborative efforts extend to multimedia projects, including song lyrics that address social issues. In 2003, she wrote the lyrics for "Missing," later known as "Ode to the Missing but Not Forgotten," dedicated to the sixty-two missing women from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside; the piece was composed with music by Brad Prevedoros and performed by singer Amber Smith in 2006, blending poetic elegy with musical tribute to raise awareness about violence against marginalized women.^[38] This collaboration underscores her commitment to using joint creative endeavors to amplify urgent societal narratives, often tying into broader themes of loss and resilience found in her solo poetry.

Personal life

Marriages and relationships

Musgrave's first marriage was to Jeffrey Green, a criminal lawyer, in 1975 at St. Albans Cathedral in England; the union lasted four years, ending in divorce in 1979.^[17][15] During this period, while still married to Green, Musgrave became romantically involved with one of his clients, Paul Oscar Nelson, an accused drug smuggler.^[39] Following Nelson's acquittal on smuggling charges, Musgrave left with him for Mexico, and the couple lived together in Colombia and Panama for two years. Their relationship culminated in the birth of their daughter, Charlotte, in 1982, though they later divorced after Nelson's imprisonment in California on related charges.^[40][41][15] In 1984, while serving a lengthy prison sentence as a member of the notorious Stopwatch Gang of bank robbers, Stephen Reid sent Musgrave a manuscript of his novel Jackrabbit Parole from Millhaven Institution in Ontario.^[42][43] She read it, fell in love with the author, and married Reid on October 12, 1986, in a ceremony held inside the prison.^[17] Reid was granted full parole the following year, allowing the couple to build a life together, including starting construction on a home on Haida Gwaii in 1997.^[7] Their unconventional partnership, marked by Reid's criminal past and the challenges of reintegration, became the subject of the CBC documentary The Poet and the Bandit, which aired in January 1999.^[17] However, Reid's struggles with addiction led to his arrest in June 1999 for armed bank robbery and the attempted murder of a police officer during a heist in Victoria, British Columbia.^[44][45] He was convicted and sentenced to 18 years in prison on December 21, 1999.^[46] These events profoundly affected Musgrave, inspiring emotional reflections in her writing, notably her 2000 novel Cargo of Orchids, which draws on the themes of incarceration, loss, and redemption amid Reid's repeated entanglements with the law.^[47] Reid was released on day parole in February 2014 but was denied full parole in March 2015; he died in hospital on Haida Gwaii on June 12, 2018, at age 68.^{[48][49][50][51]}

Family and residences

Musgrave has two daughters from her relationships with Paul Oscar Nelson and Stephen Reid. Her first daughter, Charlotte Amelia Musgrave Nelson, was born in 1982 during Musgrave's time living abroad with Nelson.^[12] Charlotte, along with her twin daughters Lucca and Beatrice—born on September 16, 2009—resides on Vancouver Island.^[12] Musgrave's second daughter, Sophie Alexandra Musgrave Reid, was born in 1989 after Musgrave's marriage to Reid.^[12] Tragically, Sophie died on September 8, 2021, at age 32 from an accidental overdose involving fentanyl and benzodiazepines.^[17][41] Musgrave's early life was spent near Victoria, British Columbia, where she grew up in a cottage known as The Vinegar Jug.^[12] In 1969, at age 18, she received a Canada Council Grant and relocated to the remote west coast of Ireland, living there for two years.^[17] Upon returning to Canada in 1972, she settled in Haida Gwaii (then called the Queen Charlotte Islands), residing there from 1972 to 1975, an experience that deeply informed her ecological themes in writing.^[17] Later, following Nelson's acquittal on drug smuggling charges, Musgrave traveled with him to Mexico, then lived in Colombia and Panama for two years until Charlotte's birth in 1982.^[17] In 1987, after marrying Reid and his release on full parole, Musgrave returned to Vancouver Island, settling into a seaside cottage.^[17] Currently, Musgrave divides her time between Sidney, British Columbia, and Haida Gwaii.^[1] On Haida Gwaii, she owns and manages Copper Beech House, a heritage bed-and-breakfast in Masset that she acquired in 2010.^[52] Her time on the islands, intertwined with family visits, has shaped her non-fiction, as seen in A Taste of Haida Gwaii: Food Gathering and Feasting at the Edge of the World (2015), where she weaves personal stories of island sustenance and community into recipes and reflections on local life.^[26][53]

Public roles and activism

Teaching and mentorship

Susan Musgrave has held several writer-in-residence positions at Canadian universities, where she supported emerging writers through workshops and consultations. From 1983 to 1985, she served as writer-in-residence at the University of Waterloo, engaging with students on creative writing projects during her time in Ontario.^[12][39] In 1985, she took on a similar role for the summer session at the University of New Brunswick, followed by a residency at the Vancouver Public Library during National Book Week in 1986.^[39][20] These positions, along with others at institutions such as the University of Western Ontario in 1992 and the University of Toronto's Presidential Writer-in-Residence Fellowship in 1995, allowed her to mentor aspiring poets and prose writers across the country.^[1][54] As of 2025, Musgrave teaches poetry in the University of British Columbia's Optional-Residency Master of Fine Arts program in Creative Writing, where she serves as a lecturer guiding graduate students in developing their craft.^[6][19] Her involvement in the program emphasizes practical instruction in poetic techniques and revision, drawing on her extensive experience to foster individualized growth among participants.^[6] Musgrave's mentorship approach is shaped by her own self-taught beginnings in poetry, which she pursued as a rebellious outlet during her school years, and focuses on accessible, hands-on learning through poetry workshops.^[18] She conducts these workshops in diverse settings, including libraries, high schools, prisons, and literacy groups, promoting writing as a tool for personal expression and community engagement.^[19] Her advocacy for literacy extends to these sessions, where she encourages participants from varied backgrounds to explore poetry's transformative potential.^[55] The Susan Musgrave fonds, housed in the William Ready Division of Archives and Research Collections at McMaster University, serves as a key resource for scholarly study and mentorship in Canadian literature.^[56] The collection, spanning materials from 1901 to 2021, includes manuscripts, correspondence, and teaching documents that researchers and students use to examine her contributions to poetry and creative writing pedagogy.^[57]

Environmental and social engagement

Susan Musgrave has been characterized as an eco-feminist, a label that encapsulates her intertwined concerns for environmental degradation and gendered critiques of societal structures. This perspective permeates her public persona as a social and political commentator, where she addresses the intersections of ecology, gender, and human impact on the natural world.^[17] Her longstanding connection to Haida Gwaii, where she has resided intermittently since the 1970s and considers it her spiritual home, demonstrates her commitment to West Coast environmental preservation. Through community involvement as the proprietor of Copper Beech House since 2010, Musgrave fosters appreciation for the archipelago's unique ecosystems, promoting sustainable living amid its remote, resource-dependent setting. In her 2015 cookbook A Taste of Haida Gwaii: Food Gathering and Feasting at the Edge of the World, she advocates for traditional foraging practices tied to seasonal rhythms, highlighting the Haida people's self-sufficient relationship with the land while critiquing ecological disruptions like overpopulated introduced deer creating "dead zones" in forests.^[14][58] Musgrave's engagement extends to supporting Indigenous and regional issues, particularly through amplifying Haida voices and histories in her work. The cookbook details colonialism's profound impacts, including 19th-century smallpox outbreaks disproportionately affecting non-converts and the erasure of Indigenous knowledge, while celebrating elements like a glossary of Haida terms for salmon species to underscore cultural ties to healthy ecologies. By documenting the 2010 renaming of the islands to "Haida Gwaii"—"islands of the people"—she contributes to recognition of Indigenous sovereignty and resilience against historical dispossession. This advocacy challenges urban consumerism, positioning Haida Gwaii as a model for ecological and cultural stewardship.^[58] In broader social commentary, Musgrave has defended literary works that provoke discussion on Canadian identity and societal flaws, such as her role on CBC's Canada Reads in 2006, where she championed Al Purdy's Rooms for Rent in the Outer Planets: Selected Poems, 1962–1996—the first poetry collection to compete—emphasizing its raw portrayal of human experiences. Her critiques of feminism and anti-feminism debates arise from labels applied to her own oeuvre, reflecting militant feminist themes in novels like The Charcoal Burners (1980), which intertwine West Coast mythologies with gender power dynamics. These stances position her as a voice questioning rigid ideological boundaries.^[59][60][17] Known as a "poet of doom and gloom," Musgrave's public appearances and writings confront environmental doom, human violence, and the alienation of social misfits, urging reflection on collective failures. For instance, her poem "Talunkun Island" laments British Columbia's logging-ravaged forests, evoking a sense of irreversible loss that mirrors broader anxieties about planetary decline. These engagements, rooted in her Haida Gwaii life, blend personal narrative with calls for awareness, fostering dialogue on pressing global and local crises. Musgrave also served as chair of the Writers' Union of Canada from 1997 to 1998, advocating for writers' rights and literary community issues.^[17][14][1]

Awards and honors

Literary prizes

Susan Musgrave has received numerous literary prizes throughout her career, recognizing both her individual works and her lifetime contributions to Canadian literature. In 2014, she was awarded the Matt Cohen Award: In Celebration of a Writing Life by the Writers' Trust of Canada, honoring her extensive body of work spanning poetry, fiction, non-fiction, and editing. This prestigious prize, given annually to a writer with a significant and varied career, underscored Musgrave's status as a prolific author who has published over 30 books across multiple genres. The award highlighted her role as a distinctive West Coast voice, enhancing her influence in Canadian literary circles. Early in her career, Musgrave benefited from foundational support through Canada Council grants, including a short-term grant in 1969 that enabled her to live and write on the remote west coast of Ireland for two years, facilitating the development of her initial publications. This grant, valued at $1,500, marked an early affirmation of her potential as a poet and helped launch her trajectory as one of Canada's most enduring literary figures. Subsequent Canada Council awards, such as Arts "B" Grants in 1972, 1976, and 1979, further sustained her creative output during key periods of productivity.^[17][61] Musgrave's poetry has been particularly acclaimed, earning her the CBC Literary Award for Poetry (also known as the Tilden Award) in 1996 for her contributions to the genre. In 2023, her poem "Tears of Things" won gold in the Poetry category at the National Magazine Awards, affirming her ongoing excellence in verse. These poetry-specific honors have solidified her reputation for blending wit, irony, and social commentary in her work.^[24][62] Beyond poetry, Musgrave's diverse genres have garnered recognition, including the Vicky Metcalf Short Story Editor's Award in 1996 for her editorial efforts in short fiction. Her culinary memoir A Taste of Haida Gwaii won gold at the Taste Canada Awards in 2016 and the Bill Duthie Booksellers' Choice Award at the BC Book Prizes in the same year, celebrating its innovative fusion of food writing and cultural narrative. Additionally, Breaking the Surface won a BC Book Prize in 2000. These awards across categories illustrate the breadth of her literary impact.^[24] In 2023, Musgrave received the George Woodcock Lifetime Achievement Award for Outstanding Literary Achievement in British Columbia, recognizing her enduring contributions to the province's literary landscape. Other honors, such as the Spirit Bear Award in 2012, recognizing her enduring contribution to the poetry of the Pacific Northwest, and the B.C. Civil Liberties Association's 50th Anniversary Award in the same year for her advocacy through literature, further contextualize her prizes as affirmations of her multifaceted role in Canadian arts. These accolades have collectively elevated her profile, ensuring her place among the nation's most celebrated writers.^[24][63]

Nominations and distinctions

Musgrave has been nominated for the Governor General's Literary Award on five occasions, highlighting her enduring impact in both poetry and fiction. Her first nomination came in 1974 for the poetry collection Grave-Dirt and Selected Strawberries. She was shortlisted again in 1979 for the poetry volume A Man to Marry, A Man to Bury. In 1981, her debut novel The Charcoal Burners earned a nomination in the fiction category. In 2011, Origami Dove was shortlisted for poetry. Most recently, in 2023, Exculpatory Lilies was shortlisted for poetry.^[20][24] In 2023, Musgrave's Exculpatory Lilies was also shortlisted for the Griffin Poetry Prize, one of Canada's most prestigious awards for poetry, recognizing her exploration of personal loss and resilience.^[3] Early in her career, Musgrave benefited from the mentorship of poet Robin Skelton, who published her work in The Malahat Review when she was just 16 and encouraged her development as a writer. Her personal and professional life has garnered broader cultural attention, including a feature in the 1999 CBC documentary The Poet and the Bandit, which examined her relationship with writer Stephen Reid. In 2006, she served as a panelist on CBC's Canada Reads, defending Al Purdy's poetry collection Rooms for Rent in the Outer Planets: Selected Poems, 1962–1996.^[19][17][64] Musgrave's legacy extends through her prolific output of over 35 books across genres and her role as an influential voice in Canadian literature, often recognized for blending eco-feminist themes with sharp social commentary.^[8][17]

Bibliography

Poetry

Susan Musgrave has published nineteen books of poetry, spanning over five decades, with her work appearing through various Canadian and international publishers.^[65] The following is a chronological list of her poetry collections:

• Songs of the Sea-Witch (1970, Sono Nis Press)^[66]
• Entrance of the Celebrant (1972, Macmillan)^[66]
• Grave-Dirt and Selected Strawberries (1973, Macmillan)^[66]
• The Impstone (1976, McClelland & Stewart; first major collection focusing on personal and mythical themes)^[66]
• Becky Swan's Book (1977, Porcupine's Quill; note: also listed as 1978 in some bibliographies)^[66][21]
• A Man to Marry, a Man to Bury (1979, McClelland & Stewart)^[66]
• Tarts and Muggers: Poems New and Selected (1982, McClelland & Stewart)^[66]
• Cocktails at the Mausoleum (1985, McClelland & Stewart)^[66]
• The Embalmer's Art (1991, Exile Editions)^[66]
• In the Small Hours of the Rain (1991, Reference West)^[66]
• Forcing the Narcissus (1994, McClelland & Stewart)^[66]
• Things That Keep and Do Not Change (1999, McClelland & Stewart)^[66]
• Twenty-Eight Uses for Al Purdy's Ashes (1999, Reference West)^[66]
• What the Small Day Cannot Hold: Collected Poems 1970-1985 (2000, Porcepic Books; collected edition of early work)^[66]
• When the World Is Not Our Home: Selected Poems 1985-2000 (2009, Thistledown Press; selected works from later period)^[66]
• The Obituary of Light: Sangan River Meditations (2009, Thistledown Press)^[66]
• Origami Dove (2011, McClelland & Stewart)^[21]
• Exculpatory Lilies (2022, McClelland & Stewart; longlisted for the 2023 Griffin Poetry Prize)^[65][21]
• Hunger (2025, Wilfrid Laurier University Press; selected poems with introduction by Micheline Maylor)^[21][67]

Selected editions and reprints unique to her poetry include Selected Strawberries and Other Poems (1977, Sono Nis Press; reprint of Grave-Dirt and Selected Strawberries).^[66] Additional chapbooks and limited editions, such as The Spiritualization of Cruelty (1992, Lake Galleries), highlight her ongoing output, but are not counted among the primary nineteen collections.^[66]

Fiction

Susan Musgrave has published four novels, spanning themes of West Coast life and interpersonal dynamics, with her fiction often drawing subtle inspirations from her personal experiences on Vancouver Island and Haida Gwaii.^[25] Her debut novel, The Charcoal Burners, was published in hardcover by McClelland and Stewart in 1980 (ISBN 978-0771066504), followed by a paperback edition from Totem Books in 1981 (ISBN 0002221942).^[25][68] The Dancing Chicken appeared in 1987 from Methuen Publications (ISBN 978-0458811809), marking her second foray into adult fiction.^[25][69] In 2000, Musgrave released Cargo of Orchids through Knopf Canada (ISBN 0-676-97308-6), with a subsequent Vintage Canada paperback in 2001; an Italian translation, Cargo di Orchidee, was issued by Meridiano Zero in 2005.^[25] Her most recent novel, Given, was published by Thistledown Press in 2012 (ISBN 978-1-927068-02-1), continuing with characters from Cargo of Orchids in a British Columbia outport setting.^[25][66]

Non-fiction

Susan Musgrave has contributed to non-fiction through essays, memoirs, and cookbooks that often blend personal reflection with cultural and geographical insights, particularly drawing from her life on Haida Gwaii.^[26] Her works in this genre explore themes of writing, family, travel, and island living, distinguishing themselves by their witty, confessional style that challenges conventional boundaries between personal narrative and social commentary. One of her earliest non-fiction collections, Great Musgrave (1989, Prentice-Hall), comprises essays that mix confessional elements with sensationalism, prompting readers to question the authenticity of literary self-representation.^[26] This was followed by Musgrave Landing: Musings on the Writing Life (1994, Stoddart Publishing), a series of personal essays reflecting on the creative process and her experiences in British Columbia's coastal communities.^[26] In 2005, Musgrave published You’re in Canada Now, Motherfucker: A Memoir of Sorts (Thistledown Press), a memoir-like collection of essays addressing family dynamics, writing challenges, travel mishaps, sexuality, and mortality, noted for its irreverent humor and raw introspection.^[26] Shifting toward culinary non-fiction, A Taste of Haida Gwaii: Food Gathering and Feasting at the Edge of the World (2015, Whitecap Books) combines recipes with anecdotal reflections on foraging, local Haida Gwaii traditions, and community life, earning the 2016 Taste Canada Gold Award for Culinary Narratives.^[26] More recently, she co-authored Together at SoBo: More Recipes and Stories from Tofino's Beloved Restaurant (2023, Random House Canada) with Lisa Ahier, featuring seasonal recipes intertwined with stories from Tofino's culinary scene, emphasizing sustainable, West Coast ingredients.^[26] Musgrave's essays also appear in anthologies, including selections in Horizons (edited by Ken Roy, Harcourt Brace, 1994) and Far and Wide (edited by Sean Armstrong, Nelson, 1994), where she contributes pieces on personal and cultural themes.^[37] These works highlight her engagement with island life, as seen in her Haida Gwaii-inspired reflections, without delving into fictional narratives.

Children's literature

Susan Musgrave has authored a variety of books for young readers, including board books for infants and toddlers as well as poetry collections and illustrated stories for children up to age eight. These works frequently explore themes of love, nature, seasons, dreams, family, and playful emotions, using rhythmic verse and whimsical narratives to captivate young audiences.^[34] Her in-print children's books, published primarily by Orca Book Publishers, emphasize affectionate and seasonal motifs suitable for the youngest readers. My Love is For You (2019), a board book for babies and toddlers aged 0-2, features illustrations by Marilyn Faucher and centers on expressions of love intertwined with natural elements and changing seasons.^[34] More Blueberries! (2015), also a board book for ages 0-2 illustrated by Esperança Melo, employs playful rhyming text to depict twins' enthusiastic enjoyment of their favorite fruit.^[34] Similarly, Love You More (2014), illustrated by Esperança Melo, is a board book for the same age group that conveys deepening familial love through observations of nature across the seasons.^[34] Kiss Tickle Cuddle Hug (2012), another board book, focuses on emotions and affectionate gestures, using simple language to mirror children's facial expressions and interactions.^[34] Among her out-of-print titles, Musgrave's early works blend poetry, fantasy, and adventure, often drawing on imaginative themes for slightly older children. Gullband Thought Measles Was a Happy Ending (1974), a hardcover and paperback illustrated by Rikki Ducornet and published by JJ Douglas, presents a fantastical poetry narrative involving mischief and unexpected resolutions.^[34] Hag Head (1980, reissued 1989), illustrated by Carol Evans and published by Clarke, Irwin (later Fitzhenry and Whiteside), captures the spirited fun of Halloween trick-or-treating with humorous, youthful escapades.^[34] Kestrel and Leonardo (1990), a poetry paperback illustrated by Linda Rogers and published by Studio 123, follows imaginative journeys of travel and dreams through verse.^[34] Finally, Dreams are More Real Than Bathtubs (1999), a hardcover for ages 4-8 illustrated by Marie-Louise Gay and published by Orca Book Publishers, delves into themes of dreaming, family life, and personal growth.^[34]

Compiled or edited by Musgrave

Susan Musgrave has served as editor for several anthologies that highlight diverse Canadian voices, often emphasizing feminist perspectives, regional identities, and social issues. Her editorial approach prioritizes selections that amplify underrepresented narratives, particularly those from women writers and British Columbia-based authors, fostering collections that blend personal introspection with broader cultural commentary.^[70][37] One of her earliest editorial projects was Clear Cut Words: Writers for Clayoquot (1993), published by Reference West in association with the Hawthorne Society. This anthology compiles writings from Canadian authors in support of the environmental protests against logging in Clayoquot Sound, British Columbia, featuring contributions that blend poetry, prose, and activism to underscore ecological urgency and regional advocacy. Key contributors include established West Coast writers focused on nature and social justice themes.^[66][37] In 1994, Musgrave edited Because You Loved Being a Stranger: 55 Poets Celebrate Patrick Lane, published by Harbour Publishing. The collection gathers original poems from 55 Canadian poets honoring the renowned writer Patrick Lane on his 55th birthday, showcasing a range of styles from intimate tributes to experimental forms that reflect Lane's influence on contemporary Canadian literature. Contributors include prominent figures such as Margaret Atwood, Lorna Crozier, and Roo Borson, emphasizing themes of mentorship, creativity, and poetic community.^[70][35] Musgrave's editorial work extended to The Fed Anthology: Brand New Fiction and Poetry from the Federation of BC Writers (2003), published by Anvil Press to mark the organization's 25th anniversary. This volume features previously unpublished works by members of the Federation, highlighting emerging and established British Columbia voices in fiction and poetry with themes of regional identity, innovation, and cultural diversity. Representative contributors include George K. Ilsley and other local talents selected for their fresh perspectives on West Coast life.^[71][37] From 2001 to 2004, Musgrave edited a series of Annick Press anthologies exploring adolescent female experiences through personal essays by Canadian women writers, each volume curated to capture pivotal moments in teen lives while promoting feminist self-expression. Nerves Out Loud: Critical Moments in the Lives of Seven Teen Girls (2001) includes essays on transformative challenges, with contributors such as Kit Pearson and Susan Juby. You Be Me: Friendship in the Lives of Teen Girls (2002) delves into the complexities of youthful bonds. Certain Things About My Mother: Daughters Speak (2003) examines mother-daughter dynamics, featuring writers like Hiromi Goto and Sue Goyette. Finally, Perfectly Secret: The Secret Lives of Seven Teen Girls (2004) uncovers hidden aspects of adolescence, with essays by Anita Rau Badami and Lorna Crozier. These works collectively prioritize authentic, introspective voices from Canadian feminist authors.^[70]

Song lyrics

Susan Musgrave has contributed lyrics to musical works, primarily through collaborations that adapt her poetic themes into song formats. Her lyrical contributions often explore themes of loss, nature, and social issues, set to music by composers and performers. One notable example is "Ode to the Missing but Not Forgotten," for which Musgrave wrote the lyrics in 2006. This piece was composed by guitarist Brad Prevedoros with vocals by singer Amber Smith, addressing the disappearances of women in Vancouver's Downtown Eastside amid the Robert Pickton case. The song served as a tribute to the missing women, raising awareness and funds for related support initiatives during its performances.^[38] Another significant contribution is the text for Kiskatinaw Songs (2006), a choral composition by Sid Robinovitch based on Musgrave's poetry from her 1977 collection of the same name. This work, scored for SATB chorus in four movements—"Lure," "Transformation Song," a third untitled movement, and "Net Maker's Song"—evokes natural and transformative themes inspired by British Columbia's landscapes. It was commissioned by the Vancouver Chamber Choir and has been performed in choral settings, with an additional arrangement for mezzo-soprano and piano.^[72][73]