Anderson, R. J.

Rodney J. Anderson (born 15 April 1935) is a Canadian poet, musician and Chartered Accountant. After spending decades living in Toronto, he currently lives in Cobourg, Ontario with his wife, Merike Lugus. Born in Toronto, Ontario, Rod Anderson graduated from the University of Toronto in 1956 with a Chemistry degree. In 1959, he would be designated a Chartered Accountant. After a career in accounting he turned to poetry and eventually music composition. In 1988 he won in the poetry category in a competition by Cross-Canada Writers' Quarterly (ISSN 0227-2652). His poems have been anthologized in The Antigonish Review, Contemporary Verse 2, Cross-Canada Writers' Magazine, DIS-EASE, Fiddlehead, Germination, Grain, Implosion, Matrix, Museletter, Poetry Canada Review, Poetry Toronto, Quarry Magazine, Toronto Life, The Toronto Sun, Waves, and Zymergy and in three anthologies: Garden Varieties, The Dry Wells of India, and More Garden Varieties. He has written two opera librettos for the Canadian Opera Company, including Dulcitius, performed by the COC ensemble in 1988 and a three-act opera Mario and the Magician, with music by Harry Somers performed at the Elgin Theatre, Toronto in 1992. Rod is a member of the Canadian League of Poets.