John Stiles was born in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. His debut novel, The Insolent Boy, received acclaim in Canada and the US. He has written two collections of poetry: Scouts Are Cancelled: The Annapolis Valley Poems (2002) and Creamsicle Stick Shivs (2006). John's writing has appeared in numerous journals and magazines such as Pagitica, The Literary Review of Canada, Storyteller Magazine, Taddle Creek and the anthology The IV Lounge Reader. John's documentaries have appeared on Much Music and in International film festivals across Canada. He currently lives in London, UK. A documentary film about his struggles as a writer (strongly resembling Taking the Stairs) is currently on the festival circuit; it has appeared at Toronto's Hot Docs and won the Atlantic Film Festival's top documentary prize.