Joe Blades

Joe Blades
Originally uploaded by random acts of poetry

Joe Blades has been giving readings and publishing his poetry since 1980. He is a writer, artist, and publisher, plus he is on the editorial board of revue ellipse magazine.

Blades is a graduate of the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (BFA, 1988), he is also an alumni of the Banff Centre, Maritime Writers Workshop, Sage Hill Writing Experience, and the Simon Fraser University Book Publishing Immersion Workshop. In 2008, he completed a Certificate in Film and Television through the NB Filmmakers’ Co-operative. Currently, he is a M.Ed. (Adult Ed.) grad student at UNB-Fredericton.

Blades has given readings, lectures, and workshops across Canada, in the eastern USA, Scotland and Eastern Europe. He exhibits bookworks, photographs, and objet d’art primarily in Canada and Europe. Since 1995, he has been a community radio producer–host at CHSR 97.9 FM with the five-time Barry Award-winning Ashes, Paper & Beans: Fredericton’s Writing & Arts Show. He was curator of Videopoems: a screening for the 2003 Tidal Wave Film Festival, and he is the editor of ten books and chapbooks including UGLY: an instant spoken word chapbook anthology (Broken Jaw, 2007.

Blades’ poetry and art has appeared in over 55 trade and chapbook anthologies, and in numerous periodicals. Blades has authored 30 poetry chapbooks and limited edition artist books. His published full-length poetry books are Cover Makes a Set (SpareTime Editions), River Suite (Insomniac Press), Open Road West (Broken Jaw Press), Casemate Poems (Widows & Orphans) and from the book that doesn’t close (Broken Jaw Press. Two of his books have been translated and published in Serbia. Several other books, including Casemate Poems (Collected) (Chaudiere Books), are in the works.

Blades is an active member of the BlackTop MotorCycle Gang writers’ group, an Adjunct Artist with the Learning Through the Art project of The Royal Conservatory of Music, a CHSR Broadcasting Inc. Board Member, and Vice President–Membership Chair of The League of Canadian Poets.