Michael Clarkson

Career

Clarkson began his journalism career in 1967 as a freelance newspaper writer. He moved to Niagara Falls, Ontario, when his freelancing career fell apart, and collected welfare for several months before getting a job at the Niagara Falls Review. In 1978, his depression led him to Cornish, New Hampshire, to try to meet his favorite author, J. D. Salinger, who had famously retreated from public life after giving his last interview in 1953. David resigned to avoid the charges.

Clarkson moved to the Toronto Star in 1995. He took a buyout and retired from the newspaper in 2004. In 2020, he wrote and produced a documentary on suicides at Niagara Falls that focused on the death of his friend and poet, Robert Billings. They have two children.

During the 1980s, Clarkson participated in rescue missions for people who went over Niagara Falls. 1987 National Newspaper Award honorable mention for Enterprise Reporting, shared with John Nicol, St. Catharines Standard 1988 Western Ontario Newspaper Awards' Sault Star award for News Feature, shared with John Nicol, St. Catharines Standard 1988 Western Ontario Newspaper Award for Family Section Feature Writing, shared with John Nicol, St. Catharines Standard 1990 Western Ontario Newspaper Award for News Feature, St. Catharines Standard, for an article on the stress suffered by police who investigate their colleagues. 1991 Western Fairs Association Award honorable mention for print, Calgary Herald, for a behind the scenes look at the Calgary Stampede. 1992 National Newspaper Award for Sports Writing, Calgary Herald, for stories on the AIDS-related deaths of 40 male figure skaters and coaches. 1995 Media Awards for Excellence in Health Reporting from the Canadian Nurses Association, shared with Sharon Adams, Calgary Herald, for the series "Coping with Change" on finding solutions to Calgarian's problems experienced as a result of changing times.

Selected bibliography Articles

"The Catcher in the Rye grows old in solitude", November 1979, winner of the 1992 National Newspaper Award for Sports Writing winner of the 1992 National Newspaper Award for Sports Writing "Proof Positive", March 12, 1994 "Survival Tactics", March 20, 1994 "A Matter of Balance", March 26, 1994 "Job loss opens doors", March 26, 1994 "Retiree crafts a new life", March 26, 1994 "Adapt or Perish", March 31, 1994 "Pulling Together", April 23, 1994

Books

Competitive Fire: Insights to Developing the Warrior Mentality of Sports Champions (1999) Intelligent Fear: How to Make Fear Work for You (2002) Pressure Golf: Overcoming Choking and Frustration (2003) Quick Fixes for Everyday Fears: How to Manage Everything from Fear of Change to Fear of Flying (2004) When Beds Float: Examining The Poltergeist Enigma (2005) Poltergeist: Examining Mysteries of the Paranormal (2006) The Secret Life of Glenn Gould: A Genius in Love (2010) The Poltergeist Phenomenon: An In-depth Investigation Into Floating Beds, Smashing Glass, and Other Unexplained Disturbances (2011) The Age of Daredevils (2016) The River of Lost Souls (2017)

Selected filmography

Superman II (1980), extra