I came to Canada after graduating from London University, with a History (Hons) degree and a Post-graduate Certificate in Education. For seven years I lived in Sackville, New Brunswick, where three of my children were born. My life and surroundings there were so different from those I had known in London as a student, that it was only after I had left the Maritimes that I realized what a deep, abiding love that region had evoked in me. It is still the place that I regard as my Canadian “home”.

Once my children were in school, I began teaching full-time. I’ve taught people of all ages from 10 year olds to adults in Canada, Britain and Thailand. For many years I taught for the Toronto (District ) School Board and then became an administrator, serving as Vice-Principal in several high schools. While teaching I developed a variety of teaching materials and wrote with colleague, Frances Parkin, text books for ESL students and a book for teachers, ESL is Everybody’s Business. I also wrote poetry and the occasional short story, as well as two mystery novels with a friend.

In 1998, I, my husband, dog and cat all moved to Northumberland County. Two writing groups kept me interested, productive and supported in my forays into short stories and poetry, which have been published in anthologies, on-line journals and newspapers. Then I became intrigued by a story about one of the earliest families of settlers in this area. Slowly my novel, Alone: A Winter in the Woods began to grow and develop.

This book was my chief focus for a long time, but I also sat on the Board of the Spirit of the Hills Arts Association. and chaired the Spirit of the Hills Writers’ Group. The group became interested in the new radio station in Cobourg, Northumberland 89.7 FM. Gwynn Scheltema and I proposed a twelve week series in which we would interview writers of all kinds: novelists, memoirists, editors, poets and publishers from our region and invite them to read from their work. The programme, which first aired in the fall of 2013, is still running! Please visit our website http://www.wordonthehills.com where all our episodes from Word on the Hills are archived and available at any time and from anywhere.

Since then, I have also edited, with others, four anthologies titled Hill Spirits Volumes 1-4 which showcase local writers as well as a collection of writing, reflecting our experience of living under Covid, titled Our Pandemic Times, with Kim Aubrey.

And in 2021 I published The Yellow Magnolia and other poems, Glentula Press and in 2022 The Many Faces was released by Aeolus House. These latest poetry collections can be purchased at local independent bookstores, such as Let’s Talk Books in Cobourg and Lighthouse Books in Brighton or ordered by email at felicity936@gmail.com.