James Strecker leads several simultaneous lives.

As a poet, he is the author of nine books including Black on black jazz and Pas de Vingt on ballet, both with illustrations by Harold Town, and Beside the Hemlock Garden: On Lives and Rights which focuses primarily on animal rights. He is also the editor of over a dozen books including the beautifully illustrated Sheridan: The Cutting Edge in Crafts, the best-selling Out of Incest: A Book of Hope by Diane Esther, two books by former convict John Rives, and six anthologies of southern Ontario writers. He has also co-authored two autobiographical books with jazz singer Jackie Washington and two CD-ROMs which feature Strecker’s writing. His poems have been published in dozens of international literary journals and set to music by the composers Wolfgang Bottenberg, Michael Horwood, and Barend Schipper.

As a journalist, James Strecker has written feature articles for major newspapers including The Globe and Mail, The Toronto Star, The Ottawa Citizen, and The Hamilton Spectator. His column The Eclectic Chair was a staple in Arts & Entertainment Forum and Artsbeat for fifteen years, and he appeared regularly in Canadian Voices and the Journal of the International Glenn Gould Society. His poetry and sculpture are featured on the website of the National Library of Canada. His commissions include the CBC, the International Glenn Gould Society, and the Canadian Art and Design Centre, while his numerous awards include the City of Hamilton Arts Award in 1992 for professional achievement and contribution to the arts.

James Strecker received his M.A. in Drama from the University of Toronto in 1971. As a human development professional, he was trained and certified as an Intensive Journal Consultant by Dialogue House in New York in 1980, as a Graphoanalyst by the International Graphoanalysis Society in Chicago in 1983, and as a Focusing Trainer by the Focusing Institute of Chicago in 1996. From 1974 to 2004, he taught courses on writing, creativity, arts, journalism, English, media, communications, and animal rights at Sheridan College in Oakville, where he was a professor. In 1989 he co-founded Mini Mocho Press, with its current catalogue being 28 titles, and has worked as a freelance writer, theatre reviewer, columnist, and freelance photographer for twenty years. Since 1985 he has been the director of Creativity Unlimited Consulting, a service for creative individuals.

Strecker’s writing-related activities include Canada Council reading tours in 1988 and 1989, writer-in-residence positions at Mohawk College in 1986 and 1987, at Definitely Superior in 1988, and Creative Arts in 1986, and over 100 poetry readings in Canada, the United States, and Europe. As a frequent workshop presenter and guest lecturer, Strecker’s appearances include McMaster University, the Ellen Terry House in England, Hillfield College, and the Canadian Authors Association. Strecker has been often profiled and reviewed in major periodicals and interviewed often on the CBC. In 1989-90 he served as Poet-in-Residence on the CBC’s Musical Friends. More recently, he has served as chief consultant and researcher for several films including a documentary on actor John Neville.


JAMES STRECKER BOOKS


All books available from Mini Mocho Press
(OP indicates Out of Print)

Book Publications

Poetry

  • Bones to Bury (Mosaic Press, Oakville,1984) Includes photographs of author’s sculpture
  • Pas de Vingt (Mosaic Press, Oakville,1984) Includes illustrations by Harold Town and forewords by Veronica Tennant and Karen Kain
  • Corkscrew (Image Publishing, Hamilton,1986) OP
  • Routes (Image Publishing, Hamlton,1986) Includes photographs by Bill Smith and a foreword by B. B. King OP
  • Recipes for Flesh (Mini Mocho Press, Hamilton, 1989) OP
  • Black (Mini Mocho Press, Hamilton, 1990) Includes illustrations by Harold Town and a foreword by Oscar Peterson
  • Echosystem (Mini Mocho Press, Hamilton, 1993) OP
  • Selected Poems (Mini Mocho Press & Mohawk College, 1997) Audio tape with text and computer disc OP
  • Beside the Hemlock Garden (Mosaic Press, 2002)

As Editor

  • 17 Hamilton Poets (Image Publishing, Hamilton, 1987)
  • A Hamilton Anthology: Poetry (Image Publishing, Hamilton, 1988)
  • Image Fiction (Image Publishing, Hamilton, 1988)
  • Dead Time: Poems from Prison (Mini Mocho Press, Hamilton, 1989)
  • Out of Incest: A Book of Hope (Mini Mocho Press, Hamilton, 1989)
  • Shackles and Silence: Poems from Prison (Mini Mocho Press, 1992)
  • The Golden Horseshoe Anthology: Fiction, poetry, drama (Mini Mocho Press, Hamilton, 1992) OP
  • Sheridan: The Cutting Edge in Crafts (The Boston Mills Press/Stoddart, Erin & Toronto, 1999)
  • Now See Here! An Anthology of Southern Ontario Poets & Illustrators (Mini Mocho Press, 2000)
  • Dead Leaves and Other Flowers, Walter Bevan (Mini Mocho Press, 2001)
  • This I Believe, illustrated by Keith Stelling (Mini Mocho Press, 2001)
  • A Journey Out of Bullying: From Despair to Hope (Mini Mocho Press, Hamilton, 2005)
  • Cats, Cats, Cats and More Cats: The Pride Rescue Anthology, with Margaret Strecker (Mini Mocho Press, Hamilton, 2007)
  • The Perfection of Guilt: New and Selected Poems (Mini Mocho Press, Hamilton, 2008)

As Co-author

  • Talks with Jackie Washington (Image Publishing, Hamilton, 1987) OP
  • More Than A Blues Singer (Mini Mocho Press, Hamilton, 1996)
  • Literature: A Practical Approach (Mini Mocho Press & Mohawk College, Hamilton, 1997) CD-ROM OP
  • Walking Alone (Mini Mocho Press & Mohawk College, Hamilton, 1998) CD-ROM