"It's not typically a ringing endorsement when I tell you in November about the book I've been reading since June, but this is no ordinary book. Margaret Laurence and Jack McClelland, Letters, edited by Laura K. Davis and Linda M. Morra, has been one of the highlights of my literary 2018, a mainstay on my bedside which I'd pick up and read a couple of pages from every night."
Kerry Clare, Pickle Me This
Kerry Clare, Pickle Me This
"Few epistolary volumes have as strong a claim to true importance as Margaret Laurence and Jack McClelland, which captures the life and character of both an essential Canadian writer and one of the most industrious publishers in Canadian history."
Jeffrey Weingarten, Canadian Literature, a Quarterly of Criticism and Review
Jeffrey Weingarten, Canadian Literature, a Quarterly of Criticism and Review
"For scholars, this volume offers a wealth of insight into Canadian publishing history and into Laurence's creative practice... These entertaining letters tell an absorbing story about the development of Canadian literary culture, as well as about the relationship of two extraordinary individuals. As the editors note, 'It is difficult not to be seduced by Margaret Laurence and Jack McClelland's correspondence."
Faye Hamill, Times Literary Supplement
Faye Hamill, Times Literary Supplement
About
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Laura K. Davis is a college professor and author who works in the areas of Canadian literature and writing studies.
She has published books, articles, and reviews on Canadian writers such as Margaret Laurence and Alice Munro, and on educational topics such as how to teach writing. She is currently a full time faculty member in the program of English at Red Deer College, Alberta, Canada. She holds a Ph.D. from the University of Alberta, an M.A. from the University of Victoria, and a B.A. from the University of British Columbia. 
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In your life there are a few places, or maybe only the one place, where something happened, and then there are all the other places." |
My Story
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After graduating from high school, I packed up and moved from St. Albert, Alberta to Vancouver, British Columbia to attend UBC, where I would pursue and attain a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. I fell in love with the city, literature, and university life. Soon it would become my aspiration to read, write, and teach for a living.
Yet my interest in writing and the arts began long before. As a child, I loved classical music, and at age seven I began to play the piano, a practice I continued for over ten years, when I received my grade ten certificate with the Royal Conservatory of Music. Around the same time that I began to play the piano, I told my school teacher that I wanted to be an author when I grew up. When I was eight, I became enthralled with Margaret Laurence's children's book, The Olden Days Coat, and later I would watch CBC's film version of L. M. Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables many times over. Little did I know, then, that such texts would feature prominently in my career. I would return to them to read and teach as a scholar specializing in Canadian literature. As I furthered my studies, I became interested in writers such as Joy Kogawa, Anne Marie MacDonald, Michael Ondaatje, David Chariandy, and many others. My graduate studies took me to the University of Victoria, where I attained a Masters in English, and then to the University of Alberta, where I earned my Doctorate in English. I now teach at Red Deer College and make my home in Red Deer, a city much like the one where I grew up. My work resides at the intersections of history, culture, and literature; and my approach to the study of literature emphasizes the material and intellectual contexts in which texts are produced. l aim to inspire in my students an appreciation for literature and expression; an understanding, through literature, of the complexities of their own lives and societies; empathy and compassion for others; and a desire to pursue their own goals. As well as teaching, researching, and writing, I enjoy spending time with my husband, our three kids, and our dog, practicing yoga, and training for my next marathon. |
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