Maura Hanrahan
"Maura Hanrahan is a writer to watch."Saint John, N.B. Telegraph-Journal Maura Hanrahan is the author, co-author and editor of 11 books in several genres including fiction, creative non-fiction, memoir and biography. Maura's latest book is Sheilagh's Brush: A Novel, published by Inanna, Toronto in 2010. Set in rural Newfoundland in the 1920s, Sheilagh's Brush is about the struggles of two very different sisters to cope with internal and external forces shaping their lives. Maura's best-seller, Tsunami: The Newfoundland Tidal Wave Disaster, has sold tens of thousands of copies across Canada and beyond. It was short-listed for the Rogers Cable Non-fiction Book Award and won the 2005 History and Heritage Award. The year before, The Doryman was short-listed for the History and Heritage Award. These books and Domino, set in Labrador, are perennial favourites. Maura's short fiction, non-fiction and travel writing have won awards in Britain (the Independent), San Francisco (the American Anthropological Association), and Regina, Saskatchewan (the Canadian Mental Health Association). Maura has a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics, where she was a Rothermere Fellow. She has worked on social policy issues in several provinces and at the national and international levels. She is recognized by the Supreme Court of Canada as an expert on Aboriginal issues. Maura is also an award-winning painter. She is married to the novelist, editor and teacher Paul Butler. Visit their web site: www.writingworkshops.ca. "Sheilagh’s Brush is a deeply moving portrait of two Newfoundland sisters who face down work and weather and loss in order to finally embrace their lives. Maura Hanrahan writes powerfully of the pain and joy of motherhood and ultimately delivers a mighty portrait of women’s lives writ large across the blue of sea and sky. I read it in great gulps." Erica Eisdorfer, author of The Wet Nurse’s Tale. |