Alumni Book Nook: Dr. Michael W. Thomas (PhD’85)

University of Saskatchewan (USask) graduate Dr. Michael W. Thomas (PhD’85), who earned his doctorate in English at USask in 1985, is a poet, fiction writer, and dramatist. He currently lives in the U.K., where he is also a singer, musician, and composer.

Thomas, who has served as the poet-in-residence at the Robert Frost Poetry Festival in Key West, Florida Keys, has given numerous poetry and fiction readings and run workshops throughout the U.K., Europe, and the U.S. His latest novel, The Erkeley Shadows, published by Amazon KDP/The Swan Village Reporter, was released in December 2023. His website is www.michaelwthomas.co.uk.

I have been teaching in a variety of roles, mainly in higher education. My most recent post, before I retired, was as an associate lecturer with the UK’s Open University, tutoring on the master’s degree in English literature.

1967: The Summer of Love. Not for Jonathan Parry, perhaps, but certainly a time of big change. Soon his family will emigrate to Canada. But he, at least, won’t be leaving the old country wholly behind. In his heart he carries a dreadful secret, and its consequences track him like an implacable assassin from teenage to manhood, from the Canadian Prairies to the Maritime provinces and back. What he endures could fill a book—and does. His life story finds its way into the hands of Will Apland, an officer with the Saskatoon police force. Initially, Will treats it as a diversion, something to while away a Halloween weekend alone. But, almost imperceptibly, Jonathan’s tale begins to infect his thoughts—one man’s history rubs up against another’s. So it is that, by the time he reaches the final page, Will is a man transformed. For him, this strange tale has become a call to arms, an exhortation to seek vengeance—or worse.

It started as a short story. After showing the story to some other writers, I felt that there was potential to develop the two central characters and make it a more substantial narrative.

Indirectly, this is true. Because the main character goes on a trans-Canadian journey, I found that I was able to make use of places in which I’d lived (Saskatoon and Wolfville, Nova Scotia), as well as places I’d visited and passed through. For some of the details, I found myself researching the life of John Diefenbaker and the history of the Roughriders.

Suspenseful, atmospheric, mysterious, confessional, and picaresque.

I would hope that they would enjoy a novel with, primarily, a Saskatoon setting. I’m not talking about my novel here, but a lot of good writing has come out of Saskatchewan and, while much of it has gained due recognition, this should be the case with much more.

God’s Machynlleth and Other Poems (1996)
Port Winston Mulberry - poems (2009)
The Mercury Annual - novel (2009)
Batmans Hill, South Staffs - poems (2013)
Pilgrims at the White Horizon - novel (2013)
Come to Pass - poems (2014)
The Girl from Midfoxfields - poems (2014)
Early and Late - poems (2018)
The Portswick Imp - short fiction (2018)
The Stations of the Day - poems (2019)
Sing Ho! Stout Cortez - short fiction (2021)
A Time for Such a Word – poems (2024)

I benefited very much from my time at USask, and I enjoyed mentally revisiting places I knew while developing the novel. They provided a rich and varied backdrop for many of its episodes.