Background
Barton was born in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1957 but was raised in Calgary.
Barton was born in Edmonton, Alberta, in 1957 but was raised in Calgary.
He studied at the University of Alberta, University of Calgary, University of Quebec, Victoria University, and Columbia University in New New York In 1986, he graduated from the University of Western Ontario, with a Master of Library and Information Science. Also, Barton studied Book Editing at the Banff Publishing Centre in 1994.
Barton studied poetry with Eli Mandel, Gary Geddes, Robin Skelton, Joseph Brodsky, and Daniel Halpern.
Barton has written ten books of poetry. He originally wanted to study architecture but did poorly in calculus and was enrolled in English courses in the Faculté Saint-Jean at the University of Alberta. He became a poet upon realization that there were fewer factors affecting his ability to excel in his chosen vocation.
Since 1980 his poems have appeared in seventy-five magazines and thirty anthologies in North America, the United Kingdom, India, and Australia.
Barton was co-editor of Arc Poetry Magazine from 1990 to 1995. He edits The Malahat Review and is poetry editor for Winnipeg"s Signature Editions.
He co-founded the Poem of the Year Contest in 1996. He was writer-in-residence at the Saskatoon Public Library.
In 2010 he was writer-in-residence at University of New Brunswick.
Additionally he worked as a librarian and editor for five museums in Ottawa. He has lived in Victoria, British Columbia since 2004. He and Billeh Nickerson co-edited the anthology Seminal: The Anthology of Canada’s Gay Male Poets, published in 2007 by Arsenal Pulp Press.
In 2012 his Selected Poems were published by Nightwood.
1986: Patricia Hackett Prize, University of Western Australia 1988: Archibald Lampman Award, for West of Darkness: Emily Carr, a self-portrait 1995: Archibald Lampman Award, for Designs from the Interior 1995: Ottawa Book Award 1999: Archibald Lampman Award, for Sweet Ellipsis 2003: Canadian Broadcasting Company Literary Award (Second Prize) 2006: National Magazine Award (Silver).
