TLA: Robert Paul Weston

Time to catch up on the Round Up.
Next up, Robert Paul Weston!

Author Robert Paul Weston has lived in many places and done many things. Former homes include Canada, the United Kingdom and Japan. Former jobs include language teacher, trampolinist, baker’s assistant, television script writer (Power Puff Girls) and financial document shredder. Currently he lives in Toronto and teaches creative writing at the University of Toronto.

His debut book for children is the critically acclaimed Zorgamazoo (Razorbill, 2008), which according to his website is for ages seven and up…”or read it aloud to anyone at all!” Booklist’s Ian Chipman claims its “bouncing and fanciful rhymes” marks the book as a “descendant of Dr. Seuss and Roald Dahl.” The Globe and Mail waxed poetic (literally) about the book, stating:

“There’s something infectious
contagious, sublime
about a 280-plus page novel written
completely in rhyme.”

This totally rhyming novel follows the adventures of a young girl as she explores secret tunnels that run beneath the city and finds herself embroiled in the magical battle of the kingdoms she discovers there.

His second novel Dust City (Razorbill, 2010); a fractured fairy tale for young adults featuring wolves, the fallout from the death of a red hooded girl, and synthetic fairy dust, was released last year. Readers have much to look forward to from this up and coming author.




Do not miss this videoclip of his amazing performance of an excerpt from the beginning of Zorgamazoo in which he completely embodies the vicious nanny, Mrs. Gremelda Krabone (AKA “Old Krabby”) and the crazed lobotomist, Doctor Reginald LeFang. Even the other poets on our panel were laughing!


Image credit: SV; Marianne Follis

Thanks to Marianne Follis for research and writing our intros!



Posting (not poem) by Sylvia M. Vardell © 2011. All rights reserved.