Harbourfront Festival Prize winner Stuart Ross

Writer, editor, and publisher Stuart Ross has been named the recipient of the 2019 Harbourfront Festival Prize. Ross, who currently resides in Coburg, Ontario, is a prolific author of poetry, fiction, short stories, and memoirs, most recently this spring’s poetry title Museum of the Opposable Thumbs (Anvil Press). A former editor at Mansfield Press, Ross now spearheads the poetry imprint A Feed Dog Book at Anvil. He is well known as a teacher and mentor to young Canadian writers, maintaining strong connections in the industry.

The Harbourfront Festival Prize, now in its 35th year, comes with a $10,000 purse. This year’s recipient was decided by a three-person jury comprising Toronto International Festival of Authors artistic director Geoffrey E. Taylor, Toronto Star books editor Deborah Dundas, and Q&Q publisher Alison Jones.

Ross will be presented with the award at a TIFA event on Oct. 27, featuring readings by the authors on the Governor General’s Literary Award for English-language Fiction shortlist. The event will be moderated by Carol Off. A longtime advocate for small presses in Canada, Ross will also participate in TIFA’s small-press market and a roundtable discussion about small presses, both of which take place on Oct. 26.