George McWhirter was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland in 1939 and came to Canada via Spain in 1966. He taught high school in Port Alberni before going to UBC in 1968. He retired from the Creative Writing Department as a Professor Emeritus in 2005 to write and translate full-time. He translates from Spanish and has had a long association with Mexican poets José Emilio Pacheco, Homero Aridjis and Gabriel Zaid. In March 2007, he was named Vancouver's inaugural Poet Laureate for two years. He is married to Angela Mairead Coid and has two children. Full details of bio, publications & productions are on his website.