Walsh, Ann

• Walsh, Ann Lorraine

Ann Lorraine Walsh was born to Alan Barrett and Margaret Elaine (née Clemons) on September 20, 1942 and attended school in South Africa, England, Holland and Saskatchewan before her family finally settled down in Vancouver, British Columbia in 1953. She received her Bachelor of Education from the University of British Columbia in 1968 and soon thereafter moved to Williams Lake with her husband, John Walsh, where she worked in a variety of teaching positions including: classroom teacher, teacher-librarian, and college instructor at the former University College of the Cariboo (now Thompson Rivers University).

Ann Walsh had always wanted to write. She wrote her first book, Your Time, My Time, in 1982 after taking a short ten-day short writing course in Wells, B.C. with writer/poet Robin Skelton. Since then she has authored numerous books for children and young adults. Several of her historical fiction novels for younger readers are set during the gold rush in BC during the 1800s. She has also published a book of poetry, was the instigator and editor of three anthologies of short stories for young adult readers, and has done many readings and workshops for all ages. Walsh’s work for adults has been heard on CBC and has appeared in newspapers and magazines, both literary and glossy, around the world. She is a winner of the Canadian Children’s Book Centre Our Choice Award, the Forest of Reading Golden Oak Award, and was a Canadian Library Association Notable selection. She was also shortlisted for the Forest of Reading Silver Birch Award and the B.C. Book Prize.

Walsh is a member of the Writer’s Union of Canada (since 1990), the Canadian Children’s Book Centre (since 1986), the Federation of B.C. Writers (since 1984), Director Canadian Society of Children’s Authors, Illustrators and Performers (since 1990), The Children’s Writers & Illustrators of B.C. (since 1989) and is a founding member of the Williams Lake Writers Group (est. 1984).

Along with writing and teaching, Ms. Walsh was also a creative writing instructor at Island Mountain Arts in the summer of 1998; community correspondent for CBC Radio’s “Almanac” from 1992-1995 and served as convocation speaker for the University College of the Cariboo in 1994.

Ms. Walsh and her husband currently live in Victoria, BC.

Authored Publications

• Whatever, Vancouver, BC, Ronsdale Press, 2013.
• Forestry A-Z, co-author Kathleen Cook-Waldron, Victoria, BC, Orca Book, 2008.
• Horse Power, Victoria, BC, Orca Books, 2007.
• Flower Power, Victoria, BC, Orca Books, 2005.
• By the Skin of His Teeth, Toronto, ON, Dundurn, 2007. (Victoria, BC, Beach Holme, 2004)
• The Doctor’s Apprentice, Toronto ON, Dundurn, 2007. (Victoria, BC, Beach Holme, 1998)
• Shabash! Toronto, ON, Dundurn, 2008. (Victoria, BC, Beach Holme, 1994)
• Across the Stillness: Poetry from the Cariboo, Victoria, BC, Press Porcepic, 1993.
• The Ghost of Soda Creek, Toronto, ON, Dundurn, Toronto, 2008. (Victoria, BC, Beach Holme, 1990)
• Moses, Me and Murder! (A Story of the Cariboo Gold Rush) Vancouver, BC, Pacific Educational Press, 1988.
• Your Time, My Time, Toronto, ON, Dundurn, 2008. (Victoria, BC, Press Porcepic, 1984)

Playwright

• The First of Sixty (playlet), 1989.
• Banana Who? (juvenile), first produced in Williams Lake, British Columbia, Canada, by Williams Lake Players' Club, 1980.
• The Making of a Hero (juvenile), first produced in Williams Lake, British Columbia, Canada, by Williams Lake Players' Club, 1979.

Editorial Work

• Dark Times, edited by Ann Walsh, Vancouver, BC, Ronsdale Press, 2005.
• Beginnings: Stories of Canada's Past, edited by Ann Walsh, Vancouver, BC, Ronsdale Press, 2001.
• Winds through Time: An Anthology of Canadian Historical Young Adult Fiction, edited by Ann Walsh, Victoria, BC, Beach Holme, 1998.

Works in Anthologies

• “Getting Away From it All” in Kowai Heya-Nazono, edited by Lisa Tuttle, Japan, 2012. (Skin of the Soul)
• “Rhubarb, Rhubarb, Rhubarb” in Heart of the Cariboo Chilcotin: Three, edited by Karla Decker, Victoria, BC, Heritage House, 2008.
• “Death of a Barber” in The Trail of 1858, Vancouver, BC, Harbour Publishing, 2008
• “Cariboo Gold” in Heart of the Cariboo Chilcotin: More Stories Worth Keeping, edited by Diana Wilson, Victoria, BC, Heritage, 2007.
• “Driving Mr. Bill” in radiant danse uv being: A Poetic Portrait of Bill Bissett, edited by Jeff Pew & Stephen Roxborough, Nightwood Editions, 2006.
• “A Song for Sara,” in Canadian Poems for Canadian Kids, edited by Jen Hamilton, Vancouver, BC, Subway Press, 2005.
• “All is Calm” in Dark Times, Vancouver, BC, Ronsdale Press, Vancouver, 2005.
• “Rule of Silence” and “Introduction” in Beginnings: Stories of Canada's Past, edited by Ann Walsh, Vancouver, BC, Ronsdale Press, 2001.
• “Cariboo Gold” in British Columbia Almanac edited by Mark Forsythe, Vancouver, BC, Arsenal Pulp Press, 2000.
• “Introduction” in Winds through Time: An Anthology of Canadian Historical Young Adult Fiction, edited by Ann Walsh, Victoria, BC, Beach Holme, 1998.
• “Lontano da tutto” in Non Solo Con Il Rasoio: 17 Racconti Horror Scriti Da Donne, a cura di Lisa Tuttle. Milano: Arnoldo Mondadori Editrice, maggio 1994. Italian (Skin of the Soul)
• “Kaukana poissa kaikesta” in Sielusi Hipiä, toimittanut Lisa Tuttle. Helsinki: Kääntöpiiri, 1993. Finnish. (Skin of the Soul)
• “All is Calm” in The Blue Jean Collection, edited by Peter Carver, Saskatoon, SK, Thistledown, 1992.
• “Ah, Sweet Stewart” in Great Canadian Murders and Mysteries, edited by Don Bailey and Daile Unruh Kingston, ON, Quarry Press, 1991.
• “Weg von allem” in Hexenmond: Frauen Schreiben Horror, ed. by Lisa Tuttle. Goldmann Verlag.; Deutsche EA. (1990). German (Skin of the Soul)
• “Getting Away from it All” in The Skin of the Soul, edited by Lisa Tuttle, London, England, Women’s Press, 1990.
• “All is Calm” in Global Reading Safari: Reflections in Fiction, edited by James Barry. Nelson Canada Publishing, 1994.
• “Long Winter Dreaming” in Solstice 2: The Truth and Fictions of Aging edited by A. Burke, published by Prairie Journal of Canadian Literature, Issue 11 (1989).
• “Yea, and Verily” in Skelton at Sixty, edited by Barbara E. Turner, Toronto, ON, Porcupine's Quill, 1987.
• Hungry Poets’ Cookbook, Long Beach, CA, Applezaba Press, 1987.

Magazine, Newspapers & Radio publications

• Arts Forum, (Summer/Fall 2009)
• Canadian Living – “Rhubarb” (April 2004)
• Canadian Living magazine – “O Canada” (2004)
• CBC Radio One - “First Person Solitaire” (essay reading aired Feb 16 and July 20, 2003)
• CBC Radio One – “Oh Canada” (Dec. 2003)
• Interior Woman - “Foot in Mouth Tongue in Cheek” (Winter 2000)
• Prairie Fire: Canadian Magazine of New Writing, vol.19, no3, Winnipeg, MB - “The Darius Bird’ (Fall 1998)
• Cottage Magazine, Ontario – “Droppings to Die For” (1996)
• The Vancouver Sun – “Days of Sun and Flowers” (May 1994)
• Bella, England – “Child Support” (1993)
• Hant i Veckan, Sweden – “Stewart Bitz” (translated ,1990)
• The Interior, vol. 1, no. 1, 100 Mile House Writers Workshop, 100 Mile House, BC – “Fall Fog” and “Cariboo Fences” (1988)
• The Interior, vol. 2, no. 1, 100 Mile House Writers Workshop, 100 Mile House, BC – “Mother Sometimes” and “The King” (1989)
• The Vancouver Sun – “The Rubber Peanut Butter Sandwich Circuit” (April 1991)
• Woman’s World, New Jersey – various short fiction (1986, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1994)
• Quarry Magazine, vol.36, no.4, Kingston, ON – “Still Waters” (Dec. 1987)
• B.C. Woman to Woman, Vancouver, BC – various short fiction (1986, 1987, 1989)
• Prairie Journal of Canadian Literature, Calgary, AB – “Long Winter’s Dreaming” (1989)
• Quarry, Kingston, ON – “Still Waters” (1987)
• Jack and Jill magazine, vol. 34, no. 5 - “In the Sun” (1972)

Notable Awards & Achievements

• Chocolate Lily nomination; runner-up Bolen Book Prize for Whatever, 2014
• Best of 2007 List (Resource Links) for Horse Power, 2007
• Chocolate Lily nomination for Flower Power, 2006
• Golden Oak (shortlist) for Beginnings, Stories of Canada's Past, 2005
• Geoffrey Bilson Award nomination for The Doctor's Apprentice, 1999
• Shelia Egoff Award finalist (BC Book Prizes) for The Doctor's Apprentice, 1999
• Shortlisted, Silver Birch Award for SHABASH! 1996.
• "Notable" selection by the Canadian Library Association for The Ghost of Soda Creek, 1990.
• Shortlisted, Geoffrey Bilson Award for Historical Fiction for Moses, Me and Murder, 1989.
• Best Canadian children’s book by Emergency Librarian for Your Time, My Time, 1984.
• Shortlisted, YA Novel Award (Saskatchewan Library Association) for Your Time, My Time, 1984.
• Canadian Children's Book Centre for all titles, including anthologies which were instigated, compiled and edited by Ann Walsh, 1984-present
• “All is Calm” has been included in five other anthologies/textbooks since its first publication in The Blue Jean Collection.
• “Getting Away From it All”, first published in the anthology The Skin of the Soul has been selected by Addison Wesley (Longman) Publishing (U.K.) for use in a textbook/anthology as an example of horror genre. It has also been translated and published in Germany, Italy, Sweden, Norway and Japan.

Created on 4 Dec 2020 by KS based on original finding aid by EHR.

• English

• Canadian Who's Who 2007: Volume XLII, edited by Elizabeth Lumley, Third Sector Publishing, 2000. ProQuest Ebook Central, http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/unbc-ebooks/detail.action?docID=3263306.
• Ann Walsh – Cariboo Writer http://annwalsh.ca/index.html
• “Walsh, Ann 1942-“ Encyclopedia.com https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/educational-magazines/walsh-ann-1942
• Ann Walsh member profile, Writers Union of Canada, https://www.writersunion.ca/member/ann-walsh
• “Interview with children’s author Ann Walsh” by Shawn L. Bird (September 17, 2013) https://shawnbird.com/tag/moses-me-and-murder/
• Interview with Ann Walsh by BC Booklook (April 7, 2008) https://bcbooklook.com/2008/04/07/interview-ann-walsh/