John McAuley (1947-2026)

Sad to hear, from Stephen Morrissey, that Vehicule poet John McAuley has died; author of the classic Nothing Ever Happens in Pointe-Claire, published by Vehicule Press in 1977. Through the 1970s and into the 80s and beyond, McAuley was one of the self-described Vehicule Poets--alongside Ken Norris, Endre Farkas, Stephen Morrissey, Claudia Lapp, Artie Gold (1947-2007) [see my obituary for him here] and Tom Konyves--a loose cluster of upstart poets in Montreal experimenting with sound, visuals and lyric, and forging relationships with literary communities in Toronto and Vancouver, including around Coach House Books and Talonbooks. His last outing, as far as I'm aware, was his inclusion in the anthology The Vehicule Poets Now (2004).

John William Gordon McAuley Obituary

John William Gordon McAuley passed away peacefully in Montreal on February 13, 2026. Born in 1947 in Montreal, John was the eldest son of Charles Gordon McAuley and Jacquelin Louise Rollit. He is survived by his brothers Charles, David, and Michael. John was predeceased by his loving partner of 40 years Ritva Seppanen. He will be missed by Ritva's son Christopher Nicholson and his wife Helene of Medicine Hat, Alberta, as well as Ritva's grandchildren Emma and Dylan Nicholson. John received his B.A. and M.A. from Sir George Williams University. He taught at Concordia University in the English Department from 1978-2018. In addition to teaching, John was one the Vehicule Poets in Montreal and published five books of poetry. The family is very grateful to all the medical staff at the Montreal General Hospital and the Royal Victoria Hospital who cared for John in the last two months of his life. There will be a private interment for family only. Donations to the Alzheimer Society of Canada would be greatly appreciated.