His diverse works have been published worldwide in numerous magazines and anthologies both in print and online, and he has been translated into French, Italian, Albanian, Serbo-Croatian, and Farsi. Having written and edited for many dictionaries in three countries, Sutherland may be the only Canadian poet who is also a lexicographer.
After earning his Bachelor of Journalism from Carelton University in 1969, Sutherland worked as a reporter and staff writer for several major newspapers and magazines, among them the Toronto Star, the Globe and Mail, and the Wall Street Journal. He became a freelance writer and editor in 1970, and was the founding editor of Northern Journey from 1971-1976, a columnist for Quill & Quire, and the managing editor of Books in Canada. He served as the Writer-in-Residence at the University of Edinburgh, and in 1982-83 he taught at David Thompson University Centre.
Born in Pictou County, Nova Scotia, Sutherland now lives in Toronto.