I have written for most of my life: from Christmas skits to perform with my siblings at family parties when we were young, to a Christmas Story I shared with little ones for decades in schools.  In between I had a monthly humour column in my high school newspaper and published my first poetry in those same years.

During my thirty-three year career teaching children in Kindergarten to Grade Four I kept writing. Several of my scripts were produced for the award-winning children’s television program The Big Comfy Couch.   Poetry and stories for young ones appeared in reading series books published by Holt, Rinehart and Winston, MeadowBook Press, and Curriculum Plus.

My poetry for adults has been published by Vox Benedictina, Hidden Brook Press, Novalis and The Windsor Review.  One of my poems received First Place from the annual Canadian Church Press Awards. Another was a finalist in CBC Canada Writes. My essays have appeared in the Toronto Star and the Globe and Mail. 

Since retiring from teaching, I have been able to devote much more time to writing and working as a Storyteller in schools.  I have studied with Catherine Graham and Susan Glickman at the University of Toronto, and Richard Scrimger at the Humber School for Writers.  I have delighted in Writing Retreats with Ellen Bass, Marie Howe, Maureen Buchanan Jones, Dorianne Laux, Molly Peacock, Sue Reynolds and Pat Schneider.

 

For a copy of my CV, please click here. 

Susie Whelehan & Pat Schneider at the WestWind Retreat
Autumn 2013.

My latest work is a full-length collection of my poetry, The Sky Laughs at Borders, published October 2019 by Piquant Press. Woo HOO!

I have had the good fortune to collaborate with wonderful writers in producing two books:

Meditating Mamas: A Spiritual Resource for New Mothers, Novalis, 2000 which I wrote with Rebecca Cunningham, and My Wedding Dress: True-Life Tales of Lace, Laughter, Tears and Tulle published by Vintage Canada, 2007.  This is an anthology of memoirs by twenty-six women from across Canada which I contributed to as an author as well as compiled and co-edited with Anne Laurel Carter. It is still in print and makes a lovely Shower gift!