James Strecker’s thirteen books of poetry include Black on black jazz musicians and Pas de Vingt on ballet, both illustrated by Harold Town, Who Is Not an Animal? Poems on Animal Lives and Rights 1984-2018, Creativity and Creators in the Arts: Poems Celebrating the Muse, 1984-2018, and Song Lyrics: Selections from 1986-2018. He is also the editor of ten literary collections, a book on Canadian crafts, books on incest, bullying, and prison life, and autobiographies of jazz singer Jackie Washington. His poems have appeared in dozens of international publications and been set to music by classical composers Wolfgang Bottenberg, Michael Horwood, and Barend Schipper and jazz singer Elizabeth Shepherd.
As a journalist or columnist, James Strecker has appeared in Canada’s major newspapers and several alternative publications. His poetry and sculpture are featured on the website of the National Library of Canada and he has been Poet-in-Residence on the CBC national radio. He is also director of Creativity Unlimited Consulting, a human development consultant certified in the Intensive Journal, Focusing and Graphoanalysis, a song lyricist, a film consultant, an occasional artist and photographer, a workshop presenter, a former college professor for thirty years, and the retired publisher of Mini Mocho Press. He holds an M.A. in Drama and received the City of Hamilton Arts Award in 1992 for professional achievement and contribution to the arts. He is a vegan and married to Margaret since 1967.