Donald Fleming McKay was born in 1942 in Owen Sound, Ontario.

He is a Canadian poet, essayist, editor, and educator. He was educated at Bishop's University, University of Western Ontario (M.A., 1966) and Swansea University College, Wales (Ph.D., 1971). He taught Canadian literature and creative writing for twenty-seven years in universities, including the University of Western Ontario and the University of New Brunswick (1990-1996), where he edited The Fiddlehead. He is the author of several books of poetry, including “Long Sault” (1975), “Lependu” (1978), and “Apparatus”. He has twice won the Governor General's Award, for “Night Field” (1991) and “Another Gravity” (2000). In 2007, he won the Griffin Poetry Prize for “Strike/Slip.” McKay currently resides in Newfoundland.