A teacher, essayist and author, Clark Blaise has had a profound influence on Canadian letters. He is known as an innovator for blurring the line between fiction and autobiography. His writing frequently draws on his own personal story, which includes a nomadic childhood spent in numerous American cities with his Canadian parents, and a professional career in both Canada and the United States. Admired by peers, he is credited with advancing the short story as a literary genre. He is also an acclaimed non-fiction author, as well as a revered teacher and mentor who was integral in founding Concordia University's post-graduate program in creative writing, now one of the largest of its kind in Canada.