A Poet's Contribution: Ray Fraser

            Traveling from areas such as Montreal to Paris, it is fortunate for Fredericton, New Brunswick that Ray Fraser, a poet, has chosen its community as a home. Born on May 8^th in the year 1941, Fraser grew up in Chatham, Ontario. He was an average student throughout grade school, attending public schools and playing on local hockey teams. It seems that Fraser had a growing interest in sports, as he continued to play hockey, as well as football, when he attended St. Thomas University in Chatham.

          

          Fraser enrolled at St. Thomas in order to receive an art degree, and his writing career began to take shape during his third year, when he co-edited a journal entitled Tom-Tom. In the year 1964, Fraser graduated with his degree and quickly became a full-time writer. There is no doubt that his smarts and seemingly natural talent helped him to accomplish this. Now living in Montreal, Fraser created a group with a number of other writers that was called the Montreal Story Tellers; a book would later be written about this group by an author named J.R. Struthers.

            Throughout his career, Fraser has certainly published a wide variety of works. However, he does not appear to have the reputation that one with his talent should have. Having written or edited up to twenty-two books, Fraser is, although, admired by those who know of his work. He has received a number of awards, one of these being for one of his best-known titles, When the Earth Was Flat, which outlines important events from his life. Some of Fraser’s other titles include Poems for the Miramichi and The Black Horse Tavern.

            In addition to his writing, Fraser is also actively involved in his community. He has made donations to University of New Brunswick, and is also a founder of the Flat Earth Society.