Steven Mayoff

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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

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

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

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

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