B. W. Powe

Who is B. W. Powe?

Bruce William Powe is a Canadian writer poet, novelist, essayist, philosopher, and teacher.

Powe lived in Toronto from 1959 until 1996; he attended York University for English studies where in 1977 graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree. Powe received a Master of Arts degree from the University of Toronto in 1981; he studied there with Marshall McLuhan and Northrop Frye. He received his Ph.D from York University in October 2009. He was tenured and promoted to Associate Professor of Literature at York in July 2010. His Ph.D is on Marshall McLuhan and Northrop Frye, their crossings in history, their agon and complementarity, and the stirring alchemy of their thought. The thesis was also concerned with the role and position of these visionaries in Canada, and the role and position of guides and mentors.

Powe currently teaches in the Department of English at York University. He lectures on visionary literature, teaching writers from Hildegard von Bingen and Dante to Bob Dylan and Joni Mitchell, and conducts honour seminars on Marshall McLuhan and Northrop Frye. Powe continues to teach first year introduction to literature courses.