Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall

Shaughnessy Bishop-Stall is a journalist, teacher, actor, and author, among some even less pragmatic things. His first book, Down to This: Squalor and Splendour in a Big-City Shantytown — about a year he spent living with the homeless — was shortlisted for several prestigious awards, none of which it won. His first novel, Ghosted, about a guy who becomes a professional ghostwriter of suicide letters, was nominated for the Amazon First Novel Award, which he also lost.

His work has appeared in dozens of magazines — most of which no longer exist. He played the role of Jason, a well-dressed, bad mannered journalist, on CBC’s The Newsroom — in what turned out to be its final season. He used to own a bar in Toronto, called the Lowdown, but that didn’t work out either. He is, however, a helluva talker — although the title of his new book, Hungover: The Morning After and One Man’s Quest for a Cure, kind of speaks for itself.

Shaughnessy has given talks, been interviewed, and served as host at numerous international writers’ festivals, universities, fundraisers, and on countless TV and radio programs. He teaches creative writing at the University of Toronto.