Tara McGowan-Ross (born May 1, 1992) is a Canadian Mi'kmaw multidisciplinary artist, poet and writer.[1] She is the host of Drawn & Quarterly’s Indigenous Literatures Book Club[2] and a critic of independent and experimental theatre for BroadwayWorld.[1][3]
Tara McGowan-Ross | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 1, 1992 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
| Alma mater | Concordia University |
| Genre | Poetry, memoir |
| Notable works | Nothing Will Be Different |
| Relatives | Don Ross (father) |
Background edit
The daughter of guitarist Don Ross, McGowan-Ross was born in Toronto[4] and grew up in Cannington, Ontario. Her mother died of breast cancer when she was young.[5] As a teenager, McGowan-Ross became involved with Toronto's punk scene.[2] At age 17, she moved to Halifax, where she finished high school.[4]
She later moved to Montreal, Quebec to study at Concordia University, where she received her bachelor's degree in Philosophy and minored in Creative Writing.
Works edit
McGowan-Ross is the author of three books: two collections of poetry — Girth and Scorpio Season — and a memoir, Nothing Will Be Different. She is currently working on a debut novel.
McGowan-Ross' first published book was Girth, in 2016.[6]
She began working on a memoir after a health scare that sparked intense self-reflection.[5] Her 2021 memoir Nothing Will Be Different was met with warm reception by critics[7][5] and was shortlisted for 2022 Hilary Weston Writers' Trust Prize for Nonfiction.[8] The book details much of McGowan-Ross's early twenties, focusing on themes of illness, grief, sobriety, philosophy, and relationships.[9]
Personal life edit
McGowan-Ross is married; her husband is a painter.[4] She considers herself to be an anti-capitalist.[4]
References edit
- ^ a b "Tara McGowan-Ross | Writers' Trust of Canada".
- ^ a b Yoon, Jennifer (2019-01-23). "Mi'kmaw artist hosts Indigenous literature book club at Mile End's Drawn and Quarterly". CBC. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
- ^ "Articles by Tara McGowan-Ross". www.broadwayworld.com. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
- ^ a b c d Heslop, Kevin Andrew (2023-11-28). "The Tara McGowan-Ross Interview Part the First". The Miramichi Reader. Retrieved 2024-01-09.
- ^ a b c Nikki, Manfredi (October 30, 2022). "Tara McGowan-Ross reflects on the messiness of her 20s in memoir Nothing Will Be Different". CBC. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
- ^ McGowan-Ross, Tara (2016). Girth. Insomniac Press. ISBN 978-1-55483-176-0.
- ^ "Tara McGowan-Ross: Nothing Will be Different • Montreal Review of Books".
- ^ "Writers & Books". Writers' Trust of Canada. Retrieved 2024-01-08.
- ^ McGowan-Ross, Tara (2021). Nothing Will Be Different. Dundurn Press (published October 2021). ISBN 9781459748736.