Peter Midgley

Location: Edmonton, AB

I was born in Namibia and grew up there and in South Africa before moving to Edmonton. I have worked as an editor for 34 years and although I currently edit mostly nonfiction and scholarly materials, I am a generalist with experience in most genres (I have worked on everything from children’s literature to novels and poetry, and magazine editing). My clients come from all over the world—among others, Belgium, Botswana, Canada, Ghana, Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria, Palestine, Qatar, South Africa, UK, USA, and Zimbabwe. Many of the books I have edited have gone on to win awards, including the Danuta Gleed Short Story Award, The Nigeria Prize for Fiction, and the Governor General’s Award.

I am also an award-winning author of children’s books (translated into 27 languages), poetry, non-fiction and plays. I have completed a manuscript of short stories and a novel, and I have written and edited several scholarly books. I am fully bilingual in Afrikaans and English and have translated works from Dutch, French, Xhosa, and Latin into these languages.
I have 13 years’ experience as in-house editor (Production and Acquisitions) and am comfortable taking on project management for authors and publishers on contract.

I have received the Tom Fairley Award for Editorial Excellence from Editors Canada (poetry, 2013) and the Lois Hole Award for Editorial Excellence from the Book Publishers Association of Alberta (nonfiction, 2015). I shared the international IBBY Asahi Award for Literature promotion for my children’s book, Thuli’s Mattress, while my poetry, nonfiction, and drama have all been shortlisted for awards. My work has appeared in numerous collections and anthologies in Canada, Nigeria, and South Africa, and in Avenue Edmonton, Write!, WestWord, CV2, and numerous online venues.