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Biographies of Contributors akiwenzie-damm, kateri Bennett, Bruce Born 1965, Toronto, Ontario Born 1940, Pennsylvania kateri akiwenzie-damm is an Anishnabe poet and Bruce Bennett works as a professor of English and writer of mixed blood from the Chippewa of Nawash creative writing. He has written several books of First Nation. Her writing has been published in poetry and is now working on a book of original various anthologies, journals, and magazines in fables. Canada and abroad. Brand, Dionne Baird, Alison Born 1953, Guayguayare, Trinidad Alison Baird has written several books and has been Dionne Brand is a poet, short story writer, novelist, making up stories since childhood. Her first poem essayist, and film-maker. She is an activist for both was published when she was twelve years old. Her Black and feminist concerns. Brand moved to grandparents lived in China for some years, and her Toronto in 1970 and was educated at the University father was born there. A Chinese vase patterned with of Toronto and the Ontario Institute for Studies in dragons, which her family brought back to Canada, Education. She has written six books of poetry and fascinated her when she was a child and may have numerous books and essays on the history of the inspired her to write about magic and enchantment. plight of Black women. She won the Governor Her children’s fantasy novel, The Dragon’s Egg, was General’s Award for poetry in 1997. nominated for the Ontario Silver Birch Award. Boswell, Hazel Begum, Nasa Born 1882, Quebec City, Quebec; died 1979 Nasa Begum is a Black, disabled woman who is a writer and activist involved in the work of many Hazel Boswell was just a young girl when she first movements in England. She works as a project co- became interested in the legends and the folklore of director with Living Options Partnership which French Canada. She turned her love and promotes the involvement of people in service understanding of the unique culture and traditions of development. Begum loves grassroots politics, demos, the Quebec people into stories she could share with shopping, other people’s parties, and being with her readers. “The White Owl” was first published in friends. Legends of Quebec: From the Land of the Golden Dog in 1966. Beltrame, Julian Born Italy Brontë, Emily Born 1818, Yorkshire, England; died 1848 Julian Beltrame emigrated to Canada from Spineda, Italy. He obtained a job as a newspaper editor and The Brontë sisters, Charlotte, Emily, and Anne, were reporter for a number of Canadian papers. This all writers who became famous novelists. Their books Halifax story comes from the five years he spent as a were filled with stories about their lonely lives as wartime correspondent for the Southam News. young girls growing up on the moors of Yorkshire, England. Emily Brontë wrote only one novel, Wuthering Heights (1847), which became a romantic masterpiece. Her vivid style of description proved her to be a writer of enduring and lasting power. Biographies of Contributors 283 Colombo, John Robert Cummings, Edward Estlin Born 1936, Kitchener, Ontario (e. e. cummings) John Robert Colombo has been described as “a pack- Born 1894, Cambridge, Massachusetts; died 1962 rat of Canadian culture and history,” having been, in e. e. cummings is known for his rebellion against the the span of his long career, an editor, teacher, rules of written text. He often did not use punctuation essayist, anthologist, translator, poet, collector of or capitalization in his writings and experimented Canadian quotations, and much more. His curiosity with the arrangement of printed matter. His poem, and wide interests have resulted in a wealth of books, “nobody loses all the time,” can be found in this and he is recognized as a national figure in the world anthology. of words and publishing. Danby, Ken Colville, Alex Born 1940, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario Born 1920, Toronto Since he abandoned abstract art and turned to realist Alex Colville is one of Canada’s best known painters. painting in the 1960s, Ken Danby has become one of A Nova Scotian since 1929, he has had a long and Canada’s most popular artists. His paintings have varied career as artist, war artist and teacher. In been exhibited worldwide, and his work is included 1963, he resigned from Mount Allison University to in the collections of The Museum of Modern Art in devote himself to painting. While his subject matter New York, The National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, from his immediate environment—his family, and The Art Institute of Chicago, as well as those of animals, or the landscape near his home—is many private and corporate owners. Danby says of immediately recognizable, it is never simply realistic. his work that his instincts told him to work from His work is full of interpretation, reflection, and can nature; it was through nature that he learned “the often be beautiful and disturbing at the same time. individual fundamentals of image making.” He strives The first major retrospective of his work was held at to generate a sense of presence in his paintings, to the Art Gallery of Ontario in 1985. It then travelled “bring out some emotions, a feeling of life … I create widely both inside and outside Canada, including imagery that intrigues me.” Japan. It was the first time the work of a living Canadian artist was seen in that country. In 1984, his work was the subject of a film called Alex Colville — Debassige, Blake Randolph The Splendour of Order. Born 1956, West Bay, Ontario Artist Blake Randolph Debassige is a leading member of the “second generation” of Ojibwa artists Chung, Civiane influenced by Norval Morrisseau. Debassige’s Born 1977, Toronto, Ontario paintings and graphics often involve the teachings of Chung’s piece, “Tradition,” was originally written for the Anishabe, which bring together the spiritual a high school assignment in 1994. During “Asian systems of the world, by using cosmic order, the Heritage Month,” Chung decided to write a paper cycles of the seasons, and the interdependence of about her relationship with her mother and the animal, plant, and human life. He frequently relates difference in their cultural backgrounds. Her teacher these themes to the destruction of the environment was so impressed with the writing that she and the breakdown of family life. encouraged her to have it published. It first appeared in In 2 Print magazine. Chung hopes to enter the field of publishing once she graduates from the University DeGrandis, Giselle of Toronto. Giselle DeGrandis is 15 years old and enjoys writing about web sites. 284 Biographies of Contributors de Maupassant, Guy her own hand at writing. She uses a simple and direct style of writing, and many of her themes focus on the Born 1850, Normandy, France; died 1893 family. In 1991, she won the Governor General’s Guy de Maupassant was a prolific author, publishing Award for Children’s Literature for her novel, Pick-Up nearly 300 short stories and six novels in a brief Sticks. She is currently the first children’s author to be career which ended with his madness in 1891. He is writer-in-residence at Massey College in Toronto. considered one of the finest short story writers of all time, and his work has had a great influence on all European literature. Escher, M. C. Born 1898, Leeuwarden, Netherlands; died 1972 Doctor, Farzana Dutch-born artist Maurits Corneille Escher used optical illusion and visual trickery in his work. He Born Zambia used the concept of metamorphosis in many of his Farzana Doctor’s family is originally from India. She visuals, such as Verbum (1942) and Metamorphosis is a member of the Saheli Theatre Troupe, a feminist (1939-1940), which showed the gradual and educational South Asian women’s theatre transformation of one shape into another. His work collection. Doctor lives and works as a social worker became increasingly popular because of his unique in Toronto. use of distorted and unconventional subject matter. Dudek, Louis Fetherling, Douglas Born 1918, Montreal, Quebec Born 1949, Wheeling, West Virginia Poet, critic, and professor, Louis Dudek graduated Douglas Fetherling moved to Canada in 1966–1967. from McGill University in 1939 and then went on to Here, he established himself as a poet and writer. His study at Columbia University. He began teaching work includes poetry, fiction, art and film criticism, poetry and Canadian and European literature at Canadian history, cultural history, travel books, and McGill in 1952, where he taught until his retirement memoirs. His varied interests and involvements in in 1982. Dudek always had an interest in alternative Canadian literature have made him a valued writing and he founded Contact Press, also in 1952, contributor to this country’s culture. to showcase Canadian poets. He has published nine volumes of poetry and a number of book-length meditative poems. Findon, Joanne Born 1957, Surrey, British Columbia Edwards, Margaret Bunel Joanne Findon is a writer and university instructor. She studied at the University of British Columbia and Margaret Bunel Edwards, who lives in Ottawa, is a earned her M.A. and Ph.D. at the University of children’s novelist and short story writer of French Toronto. Findon is known for her expertise in the Huguenot descent. She has published over 500 stories area of Celtic studies and she won The Toronto IODE and articles, many of them for children. She often Award for The Dream of Aengus in 1995. draws on her own childhood experiences and family history for her writing. Fleischman, Paul Ellis, Sarah Born Monterey, California Born 1952, Vancouver, British Columbia Paul Fleischman is the author of several novels and collections of poetry for young people.

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