Heather Pearson Kirk

Heather Kirk has written professionally for more than 30 years, producing newspaper and magazine articles, scholarly articles, radio scripts, poetry, and fiction. She has also taught for over 25 years in universities and colleges. She is a member of the Writers' Union of Canada and the Canadian Society of Children's Authors, Illustrators, and Performers.

Heather's writing has been published in many periodicals, including Beaver, Books in Canada, Canadian Author, Canadian Children's Literature, Canadian Literature, Canadian Materials, Canadian Women's Studies, Contemporary Verse II, Essays on Canadian Writing, Grain, Literary Review of Canada, Quill & Quire, and Wascana Review.

Heather's books include the young-adult novel, Warsaw Spring, and its sequel, A Drop of Rain. Heather also rewrote the classic Canadian novel, Wacousta, by John Richardson. In 2006, Heather published a biography titled Mazo de la Roche: Rich and Famous Writer. In 2007, she published a scholarly work about de la Roche titled Who Were the Whiteoaks and Where Was Jalna?.

Since 1990, Heather has taught grammar, writing, and children's literature part time at Georgian College. Previously she taught English full time for eight years (1976-1984) at the University of Alberta, the University of Warsaw and Grande Prairie Regional College.

Heather holds a B.A. from Dalhousie University (1973), an M.A. from the University of Toronto (1975), and an M.A. from York University (1989). Graduating with first-class honours in English, Heather received a James Tupper Fellowship and a Canada Council Special M.A. Scholarship. Her M.A. Thesis at U of T was on British children's literature 1894-1914. Her area of specialization at York U was Canadian literature.