John P. Portelli is a Professor Emeritus in the Department of Social Justice Education, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE), University of Toronto. He has authored, co-authored and co-edited 41 books including 14 collections of poetry, two collections of short stories, and two novels. His collection of poetry Here Was was short-listed for the Canadian Book Club Award, and has been translated and published in Romanian, Turkish, Farsi, Arabic and Spanish. One of his short stories collections is available in English: Everyday Encounters (Burlington, ON: Word and Deed, and Malta: Horizons, 2019). His first novel is also available in English, Everyone but Fajza, (Word and Deed, and Horizons, 2021). His latest two collections of poetry are: Once I Forget (Quebec: Daraja Press and Malta: Horizons, 2025), and The Lost Coyote (Cairo: Sulfur Editions and Malta: Horizons, 2026). In February on 2026 Horizons published his second novel in Maltese, L-Universita` Mafja (The Mob University) which is being translated into English. Seven of his books have been short-listed for the Malta National Book Council Literary Award.

Awards:

David Hunt Teaching Award, OISE, University of Toronto (2013). Invited

Lansdowne Visiting Scholar, Faculty of Education, University of Victoria (February 2012)

A.E.S.A. Critics’ Choice Award (2008) for Key Questions for Educators (co-edited with William Hare).

Canadian Society for the Study of Education (C.S.S.E.) Mentorship Award (2005).

A.E.S.A. Critics’ Choice Award (2001) for The Erosion of Democracy in Education; From Critique to Possibilities (co-edited with R. Patrick Solomon).

Invited Noted Scholar, Faculty of Education, University of British Columbia (summer 1998).

Canadian Association for the Foundations of Education (C.A.F.E.) Book Award (1998) for Philosophy of Education: Introductory Readings (co-edited with William Hare).

American Educational Studies Association (A.E.S.A.) Critics’ Choice Award (1997) for Children, Philosophy, and Democracy (co-edited with Ronald Reed).

McGill University Graduate Studies Research Scholarship (1983 – 84).

McConnell Graduate Fellowship, McGill University (1980 – 83).

The Guy Desautels Memorial Prize (1979) for the best graduate thesis in the Department of Philosophy, McGill University.

Canadian Commonwealth Scholarship (1977 – 79).