Jude Neale
Jude Neale is a Canadian poet, opera singer, mentor, and creative writing teacher. Based on Bowen Island, BC, she has published twelve collections of poetry and has been a finalist for the Pat Lowther Memorial Award, the Gregory O'Donoghue Poetry Prize (Ireland), and the Troubadour Poetry Prize (UK).
Her first book, published in 1992, began a prolific writing career that continues to the present day. Her most recent collection, And Now There Is Me, explores life, love, family, and the natural world with what critics have called “a long train of imagery that rolls by” and “an art that risks clarity for the sake of truth.”
“Rich creativity that resembles Dylan's rolling trains of imagery... Jude Neale's yearning joins with ours as we pause with her, at the precipice of each pair, readying ourselves to jump. Grace and reclaimed agency.”
— Mitch Toews, October 2025
Neale's work has appeared in The Antigonish Review, Ascent Aspirations, Quill, and Leaf Press, among others. Britain's Poet Laureate, Sir Andrew Motion, has praised her “simplicity (always much harder to achieve than it appears)”. Critics have compared her to Simon Armitage for her revealing, cathartic work, and to Mary Oliver for her love of the natural world.
Teaching & Mentoring
Neale has facilitated poetry workshops for the Burnaby Writers' Society, where she has been featured three times as part of their Spoken INK reading series. She has worked with writers of all ages and abilities — from elementary students to established authors. Her workshops are known for creating a safe, encouraging space where participants discover their own voices:
“I'm amazed at the quality of my own writing and always leave believing strongly in my own voice.”
— Participant, Burnaby Writers' Society
“Jude had some of the best prompts that I've ever seen. Jude wasn't judgy at all about our writing. She helped us be not afraid to make mistakes.”
— Isidore Eastland, age 11
Jude served as writer-in-residence at the Historic Joy Kogawa House in 2020, where she wrote Inside the Pearl with photographs by her husband, Paul Hoosen.
Collaborations
Jude has collaborated with many artists across disciplines:
- Thomas Beckman — Composer/viola; performed the world premiere of St. Roch Suite with the Prince George Symphony Orchestra
- Nicholas Jennings — Paintings for Water Forgets Its Own Name (2023)
- Bonnie Nish — Co-author of Cantata in Two Voices, written in fifty creative days
- Paul Hoosen — Photography for Inside the Pearl (2021)
- Jane Kenyon — Textile/poetry installation at the Hearth Gallery, Bowen Island (2021)
She continues to write, teach, and perform on Bowen Island.