BYRON REMPEL ran away from his home as a Mennonite in a Canadian prairie village and joined a Parisian circus (la cirque Massila), which was followed by a turn as assistant elephant caretaker for a travelling Italian circus (il Circo Medrano). A fascination for jungle life led to a gig as writer-in-residence for a Maya archaeological dig in Belize. Among other professions, Byron has tended bar in London, picked grapes in Beaujolais and picked stones in Manitoba.
Byron Rempel has written journalism since the 1980s for newspapers, magazines and internet sites. He also wrote a monthly humour column, and a column deciphering Quebec for Western Canadians. Byron has been a copy writer for airlines, record companies and art festivals. He has edited novels, as well as primary level texts for Belizean schools. He has authored two novels, one double biography of twins, and an autobiographical exaggeration.
Byron Rempel has been involved in the Quebec writing community since the 1990s, specifically through the Quebec Writers Federation. The organization promotes and supports English-language writing in Quebec, a slice of Canadian life that has produced internationally renowned writers like Leonard Cohen, Mordecai Richler, and Yann Martel. Byron Rempel has been a QWF member for 20 years, served on the board for five years, and produced their quarterly newsletter for three years.
Byron Rempel has now made amends with his past, and has returned to the rural life on a ranch in the Laurentians north of Montreal. He still knows how to juggle.
AWARDS
Truth is Naked, 2006
One of the 2006 Globe & Mail Book of the Year selections
Finalist Quebec Writers’ Federation Mavis Gallant Prize for Non-Fiction
No Limits, 2008
Ullr Award for ski literature
Finalist Quebec Writers’ Federation Mavis Gallant Prize for Non-Fiction
Most Improved, Pee Wee Hockey, 1972
Links: Facebook (Byron Rempel), Twitter (#TrueByron), LinkedIn, Quebec Writers’ Federation