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When I was little, I lived in New York City with my mother. She used to take me to work with her at Doubleday Books. She showed me how books were edited, designed, typeset, printed and bound. When I got older, she worked as a book designer at University of Toronto Press. She invited me to take a calligraphy class with a group of designers and that began a lifelong obsession with the shape of letters. I went on to train as a calligrapher and taught the history of letterform at the University of Waterloo for many years.

 

When I was growing up, I worked for my grandmother, a writer who owned a bookstore in Stratford Ontario (Fanfare Books. It’s still there!) During the day, I talked to people about what books they were reading and the plays they were seeing at the Stratford Festival. At night I worked backstage at the theatre and fell in love with the language of Shakespeare, and the potential of theatre. I was drawn to collective creations and the development of new work and I trained as an actor.

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In Stratford, I met Tim Wynne-Jones who loved books and theatre as much as I did. We spent all of our time together reading, writing, seeing plays, and making art. When we moved to Toronto together, he designed books and I went to theatre school. Our world was a constant exploration of ideas and how to express them.

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Over 40 years and three children later, we are both still questioning and challenging ourselves and each other. Tim's career as a writer, and my work with young people, inspired me to do a Masters in Writing for Children and Youth. We are both passionate about the ability of art to change lives.

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My love for letters, words and questions is at the heart of everything I do.

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If you want more I have an official bio here.