FRANK WESTCOTT
FRANK WESTCOTT
* THE MUSIC POET *
***2023 SO FAR: In the U.K. , January, February, March issues of Write Away Magazine for songwriters published my short story "WINTER" in three parts, and the May issue published part one of my short story: "MY LAST STORY: HEMINGWAY'S CIGAR or IT MUST HAVE BEEN IN THE WATER". And in April, that magazine published my article about inspiration & a song I wrote thinking about John Lennon. In July 2023, my short story "WHITMAN'S DANCER" came out Las Vegas's Henderson Writers Group's 2022 anthology WRITERS BLOC 12, which can be accessed on any Amazon platform. In August, I learned my humorous short fiction story called "BUM-TITTY BUN-BUN" will be published sometime in the Fall of 2023, in Las Vegas's Henderson Writers Group's 2023 anthology WRITERS BLOC 13! Then in September, I learned my memoir, creative non-fiction piece, "THE UNTOLD STORY" was LongListed [in the Semi-Finals] for the International Amy Macrae Award for memoir. And also in September, my new poem ALL COMES TO PASS was LongListed [in the semi-finals] for the David & Ruth Lampe/Gwendolyn MacEwen Awards for poetry. My goodness, what an astonishing few months! Such an honour, all this. And in December 2023 I learned ~ My wee, one act play "GRAMPA AGNEW SQUIRES" was named BEST OVERALL SCRIPT in the South Simcoe Arts Council's writing competition. ***2022 saw more, regular monthly writing for Write Away Magazine, and my non-fiction piece "FINDING THE MAGIC!" about my creative process was published in the anthology "MOTHER THE VERB, SWAN SISTER TREASURE BOOK".* IN 2021 A FUN HAPPENING a song of mine on a radio-stream-thing out of Owen Sound, Ontario in 2021. This is the song: "LET'S GET A'GOIN!" You Tube Link Click And in 2021 a lot of music-writing related monthly writing for Write Away Magazine in the U.K.
*Some 2019 performance venues were Word-Up in Barrie, Ontario; Bailey's in Keswick, Ontario, The Ranch, Barrie, Ontario; The Georgina Art Gallery, Sutton, Ontario; Ichabod's Lounge, Las Vegas & more.
NEAT STUFF: In 2011 My short fiction story The Poet, was a winner of the Carter V Cooper (CVC) Short Fiction Competition sponsored by & winners chosen by Gloria Vanderbilt. She came to Toronto to present the prize.
In 2014 my 2,000 word poem AND SHE LAY HERSELF DOWN was a finalist CANADA's Gwendolyn MacEwan Poetry Competition. AND SHE LAY HERSELF DOWN was later published in the 2016 issue of ELQ: Exile, the Literary Quarterly, Volume 39 No. 4.
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2016 & 2017
Then in July 2016, a story I wrote in Las Vegas was a finalist for 2016's Carter V Cooper (CVC) Short Fiction Competition. Gloria Vanderbilt final judge. This story was called IT WAS A DARK DAY~NOT A STORMY NIGHT~ IN TUCK-TEA-TEE-UCK-TUCK and was published in the CVC Anthology #6, in October, 2016 & in 2017's ELQ: Exile, The Literary Quarterly, ELQ Volume 40 No. 4. Also in 2016, my short story ONE SHOWER TOO MANY came second in The Writers of Simcoe's nationwide Canadian short story competition. Then in 2017 my short story THE HEAT WAS UNBEARABLE was published in the anthology CLI-FI: Canadian Tales of Climate Change, Exile Editions, Toronto, Canada.
December 2019, performed my song 'Somewhere Sweet' at the grand piano at ICHABOD'S in Las Vegas.
December 2019, performed my song 'Somewhere Sweet' at the grand piano at ICHABOD'S in Las Vegas.
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LONG AGO TO NOW-ISH
*In 1979, I established Blue Heron Press in Alliston, Ontario, Canada. Blue Heron Press published one book of my poetry and two books of what Canada's Master Gatherer, John Robert Colombo, called aphorisms.
*For part of 1979 & 1980 I wrote a weekly, general interest column for The Herald, Alliston. Ontario.
* * *FOR EVEN LONGER BIO SEEKERS ***
*1989 Hounslow Press published my non-fiction book THE BEAVER NATURE’S MASTER BUIDER. At the time, this was considered the most comprehensive book on the animal ever published... & more life & lit followed after that in its own way & time... mine...
In Summer 2019, my poem LISTENING TO THE WIND was published in MOSAIC, SUMMER ISSUE.
In 1979, I established Blue Heron Press, Alliston, Ontario to get it all started. I self-published one book of my poetry and two books of what John Robert Colombo called my aphorisms. At that time too, I began writing a general interest column for the weekly paper, The Herald, Alliston. I did the column for about nine months. With Blue Heron Press my aphorisms came out in the books SMALL THINGS, 1979 and BEING, 1981. My Blue Heron Press poetry book was called HER LIGHT WAS LIKE UNTO A STONE and came out in 1981. This was one long, long poem. With two traditional publishers, Vesta Publication in Cornwall, Ontario and Hounslow Press in Toronto, I published several non-fiction books, a chapbook for children and a book of poetry. From Vesta Publications, I had these titles published: BASIC LESSONS IN ENGLISH GRAMMER (education), 1980; THE OLD MAN & THE HIDDEN FOREST (children’s chapbook), 1981; CAPTAIN DREAMER (poetry), 1982; SO YOU WANT TO BE A WRITER (how to), 1983. From Hounslow Press came my book THE BEAVER NATURE’S MASTER BUIDER (non-fiction), 1989. This was the most comprehensive book on the animal published at that time. It took three years of research and writing to complete.
*In the early years 1979-1989, I did a variety of workshops on writing of all kinds, many readings of my work and simply celebrated the literary. I had two articles appear in Canadian Author & Bookman, spoke at a Canadian Authors’ Association conference in Toronto, and wrote a series on writing for Writers’ Lifeline, a writers’ journal out of Cobalt, Ontario. I called this series SO YOU WANT TO BE A WRITER. This later became my book by the same title. In those years, I also had a humorous short story published as runner up in The Barrie Examiner’s writing contest. That was 1988. The story was called ARTHUR & ME . The Barrie Examiner was a Barrie, Ontario newspaper. Two of my Christmas short stories were published in The Herald’s (Alliston) Christmas short story contest’s honourable mention category. These stories were TOMORROW WILL BE CHRISTMAS, 1982 and A BOY & A GUITAR, 1985. In the later 1980’s, I had five short stories published in the weekly newspaper The Cookstown Advocate, 1986-87. These were a humorous series: Hilda & Hemingway in: “HEY HILDA”; “WHO THE HELL’S HEMINGWAY?”; “HAVE YOU SLEPT WITH A MAN LATELY?”; “WHAT’S IT TO YA, ANYWAY?” and “OH-OH HENRY!” In 1987, John Robert Colombo included several of my aphorisms from SMALL THINGS and BEING in his book COLOMBO’s NEW CANADIAN QUOTATIONS published by Mel Hurting.
In the early 1990’s, I self-published five short stories as Frank Westcott’s Apocrypha Stories. These were five short stories published as individual entities in 8 ½ x 11 format, each with their own specially designed mailing envelopes. Sold very few. These stories were: THE WRITER & THE WHORE, 1993; THE FISHERMAN, 1993; LUCKY, 1993; SOTU, 1994 ; WINTER, 1995.
I continued writing feverishly, drafts, from that point, until 2003, when I published a wee play PIGEONS in Exile the Literary Quarterly, ELQ: Volume 27, NO. 1.
Then after another long publishing-hiatus, as mentioned in 2011 my short story The Poet won the Gloria Vanderbilt/Exile Short Fiction Award, as mentioned, the co-winner in the emerging writer category. That same year, The Poet was published in Exile the Literary Quarterly: ELQ Volume 35, No. 1 and in the CVC, Carter V. Cooper Anthology Series, Book One, Exile Editions.
In 2014, my short story LAST MAN STANDING was published in Exile, the Literary Quarterly, ELQ Volume 38, No. 2 and in the anthology FRACTURED: TALES OF THE CANADIAN POST-APOCALYPSE, Exile Editions. 2014 also brought my 2,000 word poem AND SHE LAY HERSELF DOWN to light. It was a finalist for that year’s Gwendolyn MacEwen Poetry Prize. This poem was published in 2016’s Exile, the Literary Quarterly, ELQ Volume 39 No. 4. In summer 2016, my short story IT WAS A DARK DAY~NOT A STORMY NIGHT~ IN TUCK-TEA-TEE-UCK-TUCK was a finalist for that year’s Carter V. Cooper/ Exile $15,000 Short Fiction Competition, and later included in CVC Anthology Series, Book Six, as well as being published in 2017's ELQ: Exile, The Literary Quarterly, ELQ Volume 40 No. 4. Also in 2016, my short story One Shower to Many came second in the Writers’ Community of Simcoe County’s nationwide contest. And 2017 my short story THE HEAT WAS UNBEARABLE was published in the anthology CLI-FI: Canadian Tales of Climate Change, Exile Editions, Toronto, Canada.
EDUCATOR
I taught school grades 4,5,6,7 & worked in a variety of special education roles in Ontario, having my Ontario Education's Specialist Certification in Special Education. At one time I was principal of a school for mentally challenged children. MARTIAL ARTS I have enjoyed my pursuing of the martial arts, attaining my Brown Belt in Shotokan Karate, deferring further advancement to preserve my hands-N-feet-N-mouth for musical interests. I enjoy it for its movement capabilities, stretching & kata, making the body move in ways it would not otherwise, finding it/that a paramount skill-enhancement-tool in life generally, keeping things loose-flexible-&-mind-aware. I use it more for recreation & overall lifestyle balance than self-defence. Perhaps a larger design than its original intent, or perhaps a return to its original, at least early, intent. OTHERWISE In my non-creative time & endeavours, I enjoy hobby-photography, time with my family, especially my grandchildren. The luxury of now... and yoga, TV, movies, theatre, hiking, walking in parks, Vegas, Disney World , the Country Music Hall of Fame... & various online connections... that enable me to communicate & connect with others in new & happy ways I never dreamed possible. GREATEST NON-FAMILY JOY: Playing my instruments: Guitar, Piano, Keys, Ukulele or Drums & "LIVE"PERFORMING my original songs, 200+ now, entertaining others & occasionally doing a tune or two, by others, deep or fun.
