Ryan KNIGHTON

Ryan KNIGHTON, BA (Hons.), MA (SFU)

Photo by Scott Smith, from As Slow As Possible.

Professional Biography:
On his 18th birthday, Ryan Knighton was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a genetic condition that has slowly blinded him over the past 15 years. Some of those early years also found Knighton at Simon Fraser University, where he earned both his BA (Hons) and MA degrees in English, focusing his studies on 20th century poetry and poetics in English, Canadian Literature, genre theory and rhetoric. In 1998 Knighton joined the English Department at Capilano University and began to publish books from a variety of genres.

Publications and Appearances:
He is the author of the poetry collection Swing in the Hollow (Anvil press, 2001) and co-author with George Bowering of Cars (Coach House Books, 2002), a microfiction collection. Knighton’s third book, Cockeyed -- a memoir about the trials and misadventures that made him an off-beat writer and an even more off-beat blind man -- was published internationally to rave reviews (Penguin, 2006 -- Canada; Public Affairs Books, 2006 -- U.S.; Atlantic Books, 2007 – United Kingdom; Shanghai Interzone Books, 2008 -- China; JC Culture and Publishing, 2008 – Taiwan; Rowholt, 2009 -- Germany). People magazine named Cockeyed one of the hottest reads of 2006, and The Boston Globe described Knighton’s memoir as "an unexpectedly wry view of a life that twisted into the extraordinary."  Cockeyed was shortlisted for the 2007 Stephen Leacock Medal for Humour, and was also shortlisted for the Evergreen Award by the Ontario Library Association. 

In 2008, Ryan was awarded the Alfred P. Sloan Fellowship to attend the Sundance Screenwriters' Lab, where he developed the first draft of a screen adaptation of Cockeyed.  Past recipients of lab fellowships include Quentin Tarantino, P.T. Anderson and Miranda July, among many others.  The film of Cockeyed is currently in development with Jodie Foster directing.

Ryan Knighton is also a National Magazine Award-nominated journalist and freelance broadcaster. He has written about popular culture, politics, education and disability for a variety of publications, including The New York Times, The Guardian, Esquire, The Believer, The Utne Reader, The Globe and Mail, Salon.com, The Walrus, The Vancouver Sun, Vancouver Magazine, The Montreal Gazette, and Saturday Night. His television appearances have included stints on CBC’s The Hour, MTV Live, Bravo’s Arts and Minds, CBC Newsworld’s Hot Type, Book Television and Bravo’s newest documentary series, In The Mind Of. Knighton has also recorded and composed numerous radio documentaries for CBC’s “Definitely Not the Opera.”

As Slow As Possible, a feature documentary film that follows Knighton on an unorthodox road trip, was released in 2007 as a joint production of Triptych Media and Giraffe Productions. The film captures Knighton -- who has about 1% of his vision left -- as he travels to a German monastery to hear a single musical note change on an organ that, to this day, continues to play the longest, slowest song in history. The film is directed by Scott Smith, who is best known for his feature films Falling Angels and Rollercoaster.