Frances Beatrice Taylor (May 15, 1891 — June 10, 1979) was a

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

journalist, poet, and playwright.

Early life

Frances Beatrice Taylor was born in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central C ...

, the daughter of Robert Leslie Taylor and Mollie Chipman Smith Taylor. Her father was a barrister.

Career

Taylor was editor of the woman's department of ''

The London Free Press ''The London Free Press'' is a daily newspaper based in London, Ontario, Canada. It has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Southwestern Ontario. History ''The London Free Press'' began as the ''Canadian Free Press'', founded by Willi ...

''. She also wrote (under the byline "F. B. Taylor") a column and reviewed music, theatre, and books for the daily newspaper for more than forty years, from 1919 to her retirement in the 1960s.James Stewart Reaney
"My London: Frances Beatrice Taylor a Poet, Playwright and Pioneer"
''London Free Press'' (September 17, 2016). Taylor began writing poetry for publication as a teenager. In 1919, her "Pioneer of the Air" shared first prize from the Ottawa Arts and Letters Club for best Canadian poem. Her poem "Immutable" was published in ''The New York Times'' in 1927. She published a Christmas story, ''The Song of Korthan'' (1923). Her poetry was collected in a volume, ''White Winds of Dawn'' (1924). Taylor also wrote two plays that were produced in London, Ontario: ''Masque of All Souls'' and ''Bayberry Candles''. She was a member of the

Canadian Authors Association The Canadian Authors Association is Canada's oldest association for writers and authors. The organization has published several periodicals, organized local chapters and events for Canadian writers, and sponsors writing awards, including the Gover ...

and the London Women's Press Club. She was one of the founders of the London Drama League.Sheila M. F. Johnston
''Let's Go to the Grand!: 100 Years of Entertainment at London's Grand Theatre''
(Dundurn 2001): 45.

Personal life

Taylor lived with her friend and colleague Marion Ellis. Frances Beatrice Taylor died in 1979, aged 88 years.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Taylor, Frances Beatrice 1891 births 1979 deaths Canadian women journalists Canadian women poets 20th-century Canadian women writers 20th-century Canadian journalists 20th-century Canadian poets People from Huron County, Ontario Writers from Ontario Journalists from Ontario Canadian women non-fiction writers