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Nancy Mattson lives in London, where she moved in 1990 from the Canadian prairies. She was born in 1947 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, but when the Red River flooded in 1950 her family moved to higher ground in Edmonton, Alberta. She spent all her childhood summers on her Finnish grandparents’ homesteads in Saskatchewan. Nancy began writing poetry in 1977 after completing her MA in English Literature at the University of Alberta. Her poetry, non-fiction and reviews have been published in Canada, the US, the UK, Ireland and Finland in magazines, anthologies, the odd scholarly journal, a printed encyclopaedia and a couple of parish newsletters. In 1982 she edited and co-authored a history book which provided the inspiration for her first collection, Maria Breaks Her Silence (Regina: Coteau, 1989), based on the life of a 19th century Finnish woman who emigrated to Canada. This was shortlisted for the Gerald Lampert Memorial Award for best first book of poetry in Canada. Adapted for the stage as Lye Soap and Dancing Cows, it was also broadcast on CBC Radio. Maria is out of print but second-hand copies do pop up on Amazon or Abebooks. Her second full collection is Writing with Mercury (Hexham: Flambard, 2006), with cover art by Elaine Kowalsky. Nancy is also one of five poets featured in the anthology, Take Five 06, edited by John Lucas (Nottingham: Shoestring, 2006). The poems in these two volumes are set in contemporary England, Canada, Finland and Italy and use memory, myth, history and family stories to create a rich linguistic and cultural texture. Nancy is pleased to be one of 20 writers selected by Dr. Beth L. Virtanen to appear in Finnish North American Literature in English: A Concise Anthology (Edwin Mellen Press, 2009). Her work has appeared in many other anthologies, including: Andy Croft’s Speaking English: Poems for John Lucas (Nottingham: Five Leaves, 2007); Myra Schneider & Dilys Wood’s Images of Women (Darlington: Arrowhead, in association with Second Light, 2006); Kate Braid & Sandy Shreve’s In Fine Form: The Canadian Book of Form Poetry (Vancouver: Polestar, 2005); and John Rety’s In the Company of Poets: An anthology celebrating 21 years of readings at the Torriano Meeting House (London: Hearing Eye, 2003). Nancy has worked as an editor, university lecturer, government research officer, conference organizer and in the marketing department of a City investment firm. She is married to poet and mathematician Michael Bartholomew-Biggs. Together they organise the popular Poetry in the Crypt reading series, which has been running for over 10 years at St Mary Islington in north London. She has been invited to read her poetry at many fine venues from Torbay to Vancouver, Sudbury to Minneapolis, Finland to New Zealand, the Troubadour in London to the Greyhound in Wivenhoe. Although she feels too young to be a grandmother, Nancy is delighted to have two grandchildren and three stepgrandchildren. Publications: Writing with Mercury (Hexham: Flambard, 2006). ISBN 1-873226-6-1. In anthology,
Take Five 06, ed. John Lucas (Nottingham: Shoestring,
2006).
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poetry favourites: Hearing Eye Press & Torriano Meeting House Coffee-House Poetry at the Troubadour Finnish North American Literature Association
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