Steven Mayoff

My spoken lyric video Best Served Cool, excerpted from my upcoming novel Poor Man’s Opera (Galleon Books, 2026), is now up on YouTube.

Steven Mayoff (he/him) is a Canadian novelist, poet, lyricist and librettist living on Prince Edward Island, aka Abegweit, home of the Mi’kmaq for thousands of years before any of us settlers showed up. I am proud and humbled to call this island my home and grateful to share it with the First Nations community.

#canlit #fiction #novel #speculativefiction #satire #politics #lyric #libretto #measureformeasure #shakespeare #spokenword #galleonbooks #canada #autocracy #tyranny #toronto #montreal #citystate #citizens #citizenry #ruler #power #corruption #castration #religion #monastery

https://youtu.be/0hvHNa39LlA?si=yTJH2P4mEDYVoOWm

https://thethirdshore1.substack.com/p/some-rise-by-sin-a-review-of-poor

The spoken word video of the 4th and last excerpt of my upcoming novel Poor Man’s Opera is now up onYouTube. Man’s Opera will be published by Galleon Books on August 15, 2026 ©Poor Man’s Opera by Steven Mayoff 2026 Steven Mayoff (he/him) is a Canadian novelist, poet, lyricist and librettist living on Prince Edward Island, aka Abegweit, home of the Mi’kmaq for thousands of years before any of us settlers showed up. I am proud and humbled to call this island my home and grateful to share it with the First Nations community. #spokenword #canlit #novel #fiction #galleonbooks #poormansopera #genderfluid #dystopian #sex #satire #politics #citystate #authoritarian #literarymusical #cabaret #brothel #talkradio #kristallnacht

What I’m currently working on. #opera #libretto #music #novel #canlit #fiction #ourladyofsteerage

Reposting part 2 of interview I did with Keith Burgoyne re: Swinging Between Water and Stone at Studio A at the Charlottetown Learning Centre in 2025, just to remind everyone what an avid reader, excellent interviewer and all-around cool cat Keith is. He was the moderator for my Charlottetown launch of The Island Gospel According to Samson Grief. And a fantastic job he did too.

And now I can announce that he will be the moderator for the launch of Poor Man’s Opera on October 13th at Bookmark. More info as it comes in.

Poor Man’s Opera will be released on August 15, 2026 by Galleon Books

#novel #canlit #fiction #galleonbooks #readings #booklaunches #sidehustle #moderator #keithburgoyne #interview #charlottetownlearningcentre #poormansopera #satire #theislandgospelaccordingtosamsongrief #swingingbetweenwaterandstone #bookmark

https://youtu.be/O2VxM_xY4o0?si=5dzUO2IB_NjGfdJ1

My spoken poem video Birthday Address is now up on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/mUw6DZnMgqI?si=9cri2QBbaHWFqYPh

#america #usa #250anniversary #trump #tyranny #satire #blamegame #juliuscaesar #shakespeare #endofanempire #celebration #takeamericaback #neighbours

Currently working on an opera libretto called Mariasse, based on the 1936 timeline from my novel Our Lady of Steerage. I wanted to write a “name” opera like Norma or Lulu. Only at it a few days but already on Scene 3. This oblique strategy card is probably one of the best pieces of writing advice I’ve ever had. #obliquestrategy #operalibterro #ourladyofsteerage #timeline #1936 #canlit #fiction #writingadvice #workinprogress #adaptations

The more clips I watch of Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan talking about their new book, “Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump” the more Caligula looks like Andy Hardy by comparison. Little Boots vs Little Hands. One made a horse a senator, the other made his whole country look like a horse’s ass. One declared himself a god and the other… um, yeah ditto.

#caligula #andyhardy #trump #maggiehaberman #jonathanswan #nyt #regimechange #littleboots

My spoken lyric video Prayer for the Blessed Order of Castrati is an excerpt from my upcoming novel Poor Man’s Opera.

Steven Mayoff (he/him) is a Canadian novelist, poet, lyricist and librettist living on Prince Edward Island, aka Abegweit, home of the Mi’kmaq for thousands of years before any of us settlers showed up. I am proud and humbled to call this island my home and grateful to share it with the First Nations community.

#canlit #fiction #novel #speculativefiction #satire #politics #lyric #libretto #measureformeasure #shakespeare #spokenword #galleonbooks #canada #autocracy #tyranny #toronto #montreal #citystate #citizens #citizenry #ruler #power #corruption #castration #religion #monastery

https://youtu.be/QOY90ZRWaLE?si=pMv060JKhYguZw1o

The spoken word video for the 3rd excerpt from my upcoming novel Poor Man’s Opera is now up on YouTube.

Steven Mayoff (he/him) is a Canadian novelist, poet, lyricist and librettist living on Prince Edward Island. His web site is www.stevenmayoff.ca

#canlit #fiction #novel #speculativefiction #satire #politics #measureformeasure #shakespeare #spokenword #galleonbooks #canada #autocracy #tyranny #toronto #montreal #citystate #citizens #citizenry #ruler #power #corruption

https://youtu.be/xJCGVxCQs-0?si=AxD9lxKF_pKIDxEt

An early and insightful review of Poor Man’s Opera (Galleon Books, 2026) by Dr. Amy Tucker on her substack The Third Shore. Big shout out to Christopher Shoust of Lost Telegram Press, who helped get me this review and is actively looking for others for this book.

Let that sink in. One publisher is helping promote the book of another. That is true outlier community spirit and the rest of the publishing industry at all levels should be taking notes.

https://thethirdshore1.substack.com/p/some-rise-by-sin-a-review-of-poor

#novel #fiction #canlit #autocracy #satire #shakespeare #measureformeasure #galleonbooks #losttelegrampress
#outlier #community #canadian #canada

My review of There is No Decent Place to Stand by Jeremiah Prenn (Galleon Books, 2026) is in The Seaboard Review of Books.

https://www.theseaboardreview.ca/p/there-is-no-decent-place-to-stand-jeremiah-prenn

I am pleased to announce that my upcoming novel, Poor Man’s Opera, whose narrator is a gender-fluid Tarot reader and unofficial advisor to a powerful political figure in the futuristic city-state of New Old York, now has an official release date which is August 15, 2026.

A Charlottetown launch is now in the works and I’m hoping for launches in Toronto and Moncton as well. Dates will be announced as they become confirmed.

Poor Man’s Opera will be published by Galleon Books.

#canlit #novel #fiction #satire #tarot #genderfluid #galleonbooks #politics #citystate #booklaunch #releasedate

My spoken lyric video 9/11–24/7 is now on YouTube.

Steven Mayoff is a Canadian novelist, poet, lyricist and librettist. His web site is www.stevenmayoff.ca

#lyric #spokenword #911 #politics #terrorism #security #dembones #power #axisofevil #georgewbush #worldtradecenter #pentagon #twintowers #shoebomb #homelandsecurity #freedom

https://youtu.be/JS_947361Hg?si=gDFHW7O3lWVuB0fH

My spoken lyric video A Foorm of Forgetting is now up on YouTube.

© A Form of Forgetting by Steven Mayoff 2016

Steven Mayoff is a Canadian novelist, poet, and lyricist living on Prince Edward Island. His web site is www.stevenmayoff.ca

#spokenword #lyric #memory #milankundera #ourladyofsteerage #forgetmeknot #happilyeverafter #testamentsbetrayed

https://youtu.be/iUBLALRNt7U?si=XUlUjr3gc_L4gJjI

I am a published fiction writer and poet and a lyricist who has written a 28-page libretto, adapted from my own 10-poem cycle.

I am seeking a composer who writes or at least is influenced by pop, jazz, classical and cabaret styles.

The libretto tells a simple love story with a gender-bending twist and the atmosphere of a waking dream. The language is heightened and poetic. There are simple stage directions that hint at the possibilities of staging.

To get a better idea of my writing accomplishments and interests, I would encourage you to go to my web site www.stevenmayoff.ca and have a look around before reaching out to me. You can email me via the contact page or directly at steve@stevenmayoff.ca
#composer #lyricist #lyrics #songcycle #poetrycycle #theatre #libretto #youkali #music #musical #collab #jazz #contemporary #classical #popmusic #cabaret #genderbending #european #collaboration #author #poet #published #lovestory #dream #youkali #poem #leonardcohen #kurtweill #scottwalker #romance

My spokenpoetry video Thief, excerpted from my poem cycle Youkali Cycle, is now up on YouTube.

©Thief by Steven Mayoff 2024

Steven Mayoff is Canadian novelist, poet and lyricist living on Prince Edward Island. His web site is www.stevenmayoff.ca

#spokenword #poetry #canlit #swingingbetweenwaterandstone #galleonbooks #love #lust #cathedral #romance #youkalitango #rogerfernay #kurtweill #cabaretmusic #lottelenya #utelemper #youkali #thief #faith #stainedglass #dream

https://youtu.be/RZ7XAkFLLIQ?si=_DtsFno2FULECMon

My spoken lyric video Kitchen Sink Opera ( from my upcoming novel Poor Man’s Opera) is now up on YouTube.

©Kitchen Sink Opera by Steven Mayoff 2025

Steven Mayoff is a Canadian novelist, poet and lyricist living in Prince Edward Island. His web site is www.stevenmayoff.ca

#lyric #spokenword #canlit #novel #fiction #galleonbooks #poormansopera #genderfluid #dystopian #sex #satire #politics #citystate #authoritarian #medicalprocedure #secondclasscitizens #literarymusical #cabaret #brothel

https://youtu.be/YSQ-0zNM81o?si=37cnluTy2mMXnEdI

The spoken word video, a second excerpt from my upcoming novel Poor Man’s Opera is up on YouTube.

©Poor Man’s Opera by Steven Mayoff 2025

Steven Mayoff is a Canadian novelist, poet and lyricist living in Prince Edward Island. His web site is www.stevenmayoff.ca

#spokenword #canlit #novel #fiction #galleonbooks #poormansopera #genderfluid #dystopian #sex #satire #politics #citystate #authoritarian #medicalprocedure #secondclasscitizens #literarymusical #cabaret #brothel

https://youtu.be/z6YhHlmpJHA?si=vz5qm-oKxVN7qRIG

My review of Night Terminus by Ellis Scott appears in The Seaboard Review of Books

https://www.theseaboardreview.ca/p/night-terminus-by-ellis-scott

#fiction #canlit #mortality #aidsandhiv #mentors #travel #novel

@weaniejeanie53@mas.to I have a cat who honours his inner dog. Nice to see a dog nurturing their inner cat.