| Biography: |
Gordon Kirkland has spent most of his life writing in one form or another. It's only since 1994 however, that he has considered himself to be a fulltime writer. That was the year his syndicated column first appeared in print. Since that time he has amassed several thousand publication credits spanning newspapers, magazines and books, and has gained popularity as a wry and offbeat commentator on life from the perspective of a husband and father.
Earlier in his working life he held management and executive positions, both in private industry and in the Canadian federal government. Immediately prior to becoming a humor columnist and freelance writer, he was the Senior Consultant in the Vancouver office of a large multinational firm of management consultants and chartered accountants. His primary practice area was international trade. This career took him to speaking engagements in exotic cities, such as, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Jakarta, Indonesia and Canmore, Alberta. As a result, for many years, his writing consisted of material with exciting titles such as A Guide To The Canadian Aquaculture Industry's Business Potential In Malaysia (Govt. of Canada, 1990).
All this ended, when he became physically disabled, because of a spinal injury he suffered in a serious golfing accident in August of 1990. (His car was rear-ended while he was on the way to the golf course, resulting in a dramatic change to his handicap.) He is now able to walk again with the assistance of Tara, his Labrador Retriever assistance dog.
Syndicated Columnist
His column, Gordon Kirkland At Large, is now a regular feature in a growing number of Canadian and American newspapers. Many other newspapers have used his work as a guest column. He writes on a variety of topics, all from the perspective of a man at the half-century mark who is: the husband for the past thirty years and counting to Diane his "first wife;" the father to two "now-grown-thank-goodness" sons who have provided him with ample material over the years; and, the former master to the late, great "dumbest dog to ever get lost on a single flight of stairs" a.k.a. Nipper the cocker spaniel who passed away in 2001.
In writing the column each week, Kirkland's goal is to let his readers share a laugh with him, at him, and hopefully at themselves.
The column passed it's tenth anniversary in print on August 27, 2004.
Award-Winning Author
Gordon's first book, Justice Is Blind - And Her Dog Just Peed In My Cornflakes, was awarded the Stephen Leacock Award of Merit For Humor in 2000. It is a collection of his columns and other writing covering the full gamut of the fun and foibles he comes face to face with every day.
Thistledown Press released his second book, Never Stand Behind A Loaded Horse in March of 2004. Gordon is quick to point out that all of his stories, even the title story for this book, have come from personal experiences. This book was also awarded the Stephen Leacock Award of Merit for Humour.
In February of 2005 his latest book, When My Mind Wanders It Brings Back Souvenirs, was released in the United States by AuthorHouse™.
To date Gordon has made over 200 appearances reading from this books in a total of over 90 cities in Canada and the United States. He enjoys the interaction with audiences whether they are in his hometown or thousands of miles away in cities like Atlanta, Dallas, or Las Vegas.
Kirkland has also been recognized for his writing on the serious side of humor writing. His craft essays have appeared in the 2002 Writer's Digest Novel & Short Story Writer's Market (Bringing Humor To Your Fiction Writing) and the Media Weavers' Writers Northwest Handbook (Funny You Should Write That.)
Conference Speaker
Gordon Kirkland is also a sought after speaker for conferences and corporate meetings. He speaks on topics such as using humor to deal with stress and pain, the importance and use of humor in the workplace, and the state of the publishing industry.
Faculty Member At Writers Conferences and Schools
He is also a frequent faculty member at writers' conferences and schools in Canada and the United States. His presentations range from humor writing to journalism topics. In the past he has spoken to conferences ranging from the Surrey Writer's Conference (Surrey, BC), The Writer's Roundtable (Dallas, TX) The Pacific Northwest Writers Conference (Seattle, WA) and The National Society of Newspaper Columnists 1999 Conference (Louisville, KY.)
He has recently been honored as the first Canadian writer to be added to the faculty of the prestigious Erma Bombeck Writers' Workshop at the University of Dayton (Dayton, OH.)
In 2002 he taught the humor-writing program at the Victoria School of Writing, a five-day intensive program in Victoria, BC. He will be teaching humor writing for Simon Fraser University's Writing and Publishing Program in 2003/04.
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Gordon lives in Pitt Meadows, BC, a semi-rural suburb of Vancouver with his wife Diane, and his assistance dog Tara. They have two grown sons, Mike and Brad.
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