Isabel Ecclestone Mackay (''née'' MacPherson) (November 25, 1875 – August 15, 1928) was a Canadian novelist and poet.

Biography

Born in

Woodstock, Ontario Woodstock is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada. The city has a population of 40,902 according to the 2016 Canadian census. Woodstock is the seat of Oxford County, at the head of the non-navigable Thames River, approximately 128 km from ...

, she was the daughter of Donald McLeod MacPherson, an early Scottish settler of Oxford County, and Priscilla Ecclestone of England. She was educated at the

Woodstock Collegiate Institute Woodstock Collegiate Institute is a school in Woodstock, Ontario, Canada. It is part of the Thames Valley District School Board. The school was founded in 1841 by an Act of Parliament as Woodstock's first grammar school. Its growth forced a serie ...

. At the age of 15 she started writing for Canadian newspapers and magazines. From 1890 to 1909 she contributed to the ''Woodstock Daily Express'' using the

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

"Heather". In 1895, she married Peter John Mackay, a court stenographer. Together they had three daughters: Phyllis, Margaret, and Janet Priscilla. The family moved to

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

in 1909, after Peter landed a position with the

British Columbia Supreme Court British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...

. The couple would remain in Vancouver until their deaths, with Mackay making her mark as a prominent member of the literary community. Among her close friends were

E. Pauline Johnson Emily Pauline Johnson (10 March 1861 – 7 March 1913), also known by her Mohawk language, Mohawk stage name ''Tekahionwake'' (pronounced ''dageh-eeon-wageh'', ), was a Canadians, Canadian poet, author, and performer who was popular in the lat ...

and

Marjorie Pickthall Marjorie Lowry Christie Pickthall (14 September 1883, in Gunnersbury, London – 22 April 1922, in Vancouver), was a Canadian writer who was born in England but lived in Canada from the time she was seven.Barbara Godard,Pickthall, Marjorie Lowry ...

, both of whom Mackay cared for at the end of their lives. She also played an integral role in the release of their final books, as a member of the trust that oversaw the release of Johnson's ''Legends of Vancouver'' (1911) and as a hostess to Pickthall who wrote ''The Wood Carver's Wife'' (1922) at the Mackay summer home in

Boundary Bay , image = Boundary Bay Regional Park in Tsawwassen.jpg , image_size = 260px , alt = , caption = Looking east across Boundary Bay from Tsawwassen , image_bathymetry = , alt_bathymetry ...

. Over the last 34 years of her life, she published six novels, four collections of poems and five plays, in addition to contributing over three hundred poems and short stories to various publications. Mackay was the founder of the British Columbia chapter of the

Canadian Women's Press Club 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 ...

, serving as its vice-president in 1914 and, subsequently, as its president 1916. She also served as the Vice-President of the Vancouver chapter 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 ...

from 1922 to 1926. In 1926, her play "Treasure" won the open Canadian

Imperial Order of the Daughters of the Empire The Imperial Order Daughters of the Empire (IODE) is a women's charitable organization based in Canada. It provides scholarships, bursaries, book prizes, and awards, and pursues other philanthropic and educational projects in various communities ac ...

contest. Mackay died of cancer on August 15, 1928. She had been sick for a year prior to her death. __NOTOC__

Bibliography

Children's books

Novels

* * * *''The Window-Gazer.'' Toronto: McClelland & Stewart (1921) *''Fires of Driftwood.'' Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, (1922) *
Blencarrow
'' Toronto: Thomas Allen, (1926) *''Indian Nights.'' Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, (1930)

Poetry

* *''The Complete Poems of Isabel Ecclestone Mackay''. Toronto: McClelland & Stewart, (1930)

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Mackay, Isabel Ecclestone 1875 births 1928 deaths 20th-century Canadian dramatists and playwrights 20th-century Canadian novelists 20th-century Canadian poets 20th-century Canadian women writers Canadian women dramatists and playwrights Canadian women novelists Canadian women poets People from Woodstock, Ontario Writers from Ontario