Ethel Kirk Grayson (March 20, 1890 – November 27, 1980) was a Canadian writer and educator.
Biography
The daughter of William Grayson, a lawyer, and Ellen Babb, she was born in
Moose Jaw
Moose Jaw is the fourth largest city in Saskatchewan, Canada. Lying on the Moose Jaw River in the south-central part of the province, it is situated on the Trans-Canada Highway, west of Regina. Residents of Moose Jaw are known as Moose Javians ...
and received her early education there, going on to earn a BA from the
University of Toronto
The University of Toronto (UToronto or U of T) is a public research university in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, located on the grounds that surround Queen's Park. It was founded by royal charter in 1827 as King's College, the first institution ...
University of Manitoba
The University of Manitoba (U of M, UManitoba, or UM) is a Canadian public research university in the province of Manitoba.Curry School of Expression in
Massachusetts
Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...
for a year where she studied special studies. She lectured on English literature at Alberta College in
Edmonton
Edmonton ( ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Alberta. Edmonton is situated on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Metropolitan Region, which is surrounded by Alberta's central region. The city ancho ...
, at Mount Allison Ladies' College in New Brunswick and at MacMurray College for Women, for the Department of English, in Illinois. Having loved lecturing, Grayson also had the privilege of speaking in Canadian clubs on the East Coast.
Grayson traveled in Europe, Africa and South America with her cousin Vaughan.
Grayson contributed poetry and prose to various literary periodicals. The most famous poems from Grayson are in a series called ''Beggar's Velvet.'' Three of her books named ''Apples of The Moon'', ''Willow Smoke,'' and ''Fires in the Vine'' were written with strong Canadian influence. Her work earned her a number of honours, including winning the Canadian Poetry Prize Award four times and receiving awards from the periodicals ''Shards'' and ''The Writer''. She published one play ''Flower of the Storm''.
Grayson had traveled around the world to five continents. She died in Moose Jaw at the age of 90.
A memorial scholarship was established in her name.
Selected works
Source:
* ''The Seigneur's Daughter'', novel (1920), appeared in installments in ''Women's Century''
* ''Willow Smoke'', novel (1928)
* ''Apples of the Moon'', novel (1933)
* ''Fires in the Vine'', novel (1942)
* ''Beggar's Velvet'', poetry (1948)
* ''Unbind the Sheaves: A Prairie Memoir'', memoir (1964)
''Unbind the Sheaves: A Prairie Memoir''
''Unbinding the Sheaves'', written in 1964 was described as a prairie memoir by the author, Ethel Kirk Grayson. The novel is viewed as a reflection of the authors memories in Saskatchewan during the pioneer days in the steam engine era. The story focuses on the excitement that the steam engine train and new settlers brought to the townsfolk of the city of Moose Jaw, and the way people lived during this changing time. The novel is described to have no constant story line as it jumps from one year to another and then back, it also changes the setting as the story takes the readers on trips to other provinces, such as Alberta and Manitoba. ''Unbind the Sheaves: A Prairie Memoir'' is thought to describe a world which the people (people from the 1960s ) find relevant and yet as if it's from a different era.