Education
Kirkland attended three elementary schools, Indian Road Crescent in Toronto, George Bailey in Maple, Ontario, and Joseph Gibson, also in Maple.
Kirkland attended three elementary schools, Indian Road Crescent in Toronto, George Bailey in Maple, Ontario, and Joseph Gibson, also in Maple.
Kirkland, best known for his collections of short humorous essays, has branched out to start writing full length novels. His high school education took place in London, Ontario. He spent two years at Bachelor of Arts Lucas and three at Oakridge.
He went on to study education and English at York University in Toronto, where he was mentored by Canadian literary personalities including Irving Layton, Dennis Lee, Eli Mandell, and many others
Leaving University, he pursued a number of writing related careers, before becoming a full-time author and entertainer in 1994. In August 1990, Kirkland suffered a serious spinal cord injury in an automobile accident.
During his recuperation and rehabilitation, he turned to comedy as a therapy. Kirkland began writing a weekly humor column for newspapers in 1994.
He maintained the column until moving on to other literary pursuits in 2007.
His books include Justice Is Blind – And Her Dog Just Peed In My Cornflakes (1999, Harbour Publishing) and Never Stand Behind A Loaded Horse (2004, Thistledown Press) In order to maintain a regular publishing schedule, Kirkland turned to the services of AuthorHouse, in order to self-publish each of his next three books, When My Mind Wanders lieutenant Brings Back Souvenirs in 2005, I Think I May Be Having One OF Those Decades in 2006, and I May Be Big But I Didn’t Cause That Solar Eclipse in 2007. He published his sixth book, Holly Jolly Frivolity in December 2009, to coincide with his holiday stage show of the same name. His latest book is his first full-length novel, Crossbow, a mystery with darkly comedic overtones.
In 2011 At Large Publishing released The Plight Before Christmas, his story about the disasters that befall a family during the holiday season in the early 1960s.
Between his books, syndicated column, and numerous articles for consumer and trade magazines, Kirkland has amassed several thousand publication credits. He often appears on stage delivering his stories to appreciative audiences across North America.
As Reader"s Digest said in a 2006 profile, he speaks to his audiences if talking to old friends.
