James Hawes is a Montreal author, publisher and filmmaker. His writing has appeared in various journals from across Canada in print and online. He has published four chapbooks: Bus Metro Walk (Monk Press, 2018) was longlisted for the inaugural Nelson Ball prize in 2020, The Hotdog Variations (above/ground press, 2020), under an overpass, a fox (Turret House 2022) which was shortlisted for the 2023 Nelson Ball prize, and This Inhabited Object (Turret House 2025). His first full-length poetry collection Breakfast with a Heron (Mansfield, 2019) was shortlisted for the 2020 ReLit award. His most recent film project was The Dog Wore a Hat which was made in collaboration with Cobourg Ontario poet Stuart Ross, based on his sound poetry. In 2022 he started Turret House, a micro-press dedicated to promoting new and experimental poetry by emerging and established Canadian authors (turrethousepress.ca). He is currently working on his first collection of short fiction, as well as a documentary short-subject film titled Napkin Art, based on the poetry and life of Montreal poet Peter Van Toorn.