Coleman, Victor

Victor Coleman was born in Toronto on September 11, 1944. Primarily known as a poet, he also has been an editor, audio producer and founding member of numerous publications and artist-run centres. He is regarded as a central figure in the Canadian the new wave modernist literary scene. Self-educated, he entered the book trade as a production assistant for Oxford University Press in Toronto. In 1965, he founded Island magazine and Island Press. He also joined the Coach House Press in 1965 as a linotype operator and delivery boy and soon became an editor. He remained at Coach House until 1974. He was instrumental in founding numerous periodicals such as Is, Image Nation, the Goose & Duck, Open Letter and the Coach House Newsletter; and in introducing educational activities such as the Rochdale Poetry workshops, Coach House writing workshops and The Dream Class. As director of "A Space" (1975-1978), Coleman was involved in performance art, new music, choreography, design and arts criticism. In 1979 he moved to the artist-run centre "31 Mercer", which produced several publications while sponsoring readings, exhibitions, dance, text-related performance and high-profile social events. The journal Eternal Network resulted in 12 publications between 1975 and 1979 and six new titles since 1991. Coleman was involved in founding ANNPAC (Association of National Non-Profit Artist-run Centres) and in organizing a new Canadian small press association. He directed and programmed the National Film Theatre at Queen's University where he taught creative writing, set up exhibitions, organized a Poetry Front reading series and produced a bi-annual student publication. He has published several volumes of poetry and has been included in anthologies of Canadian poetry. Coleman has contributed to the development of avant-garde or post-modernist writing and to the development of a literary community in Canada