J. D. Carpenter
J. D. "David" Carpenter is a poet and novelist who lives in Prince Edward County, Ontario.
Carpenter was born in 1948 and grew up in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. He attended York University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1971, and Queen's University, where he received a Bachelor of Education degree in 1972. He first worked as a journalist for Daily Racing Form and as a freelance writer. He then taught high school English for 25 years.
Carpenter began his writing career as a poet, publishing four books of poetry between 1976 and 1994: Nightfall, Ferryland Head ; Swimming at Twelve Mile ; Lakeview ; and Compassionate Travel. He then turned to crime fiction during the 1990s and has published six novels: The Devil in Me ; Bright's Kill ; 74 Miles Away ; Twelve Trees ; The County Murders, and The Lake Pirates.
His first novel appeared on the Globe and Mail's bestseller list and was nominated for an Arthur Ellis Award; his subsequent novels have also received critical acclaim.
His most recent books of poetry are All Us Cats on Stage and A Road through the Corn: Prince Edward County Poems, 1982-2022. He is currently working on a book of list poems.
He is also locally known for writing and performing jazz poetry with musical accompaniment.