Pearl Luke
Encyclopedia
Pearl Luke is a Canadian
novelist.
Born in Peace River
, Alberta
, Luke attended University of Calgary
and earned first a BA and then an MA in English Literature. She lives on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia
, with her partner, poet/novelist Robert Hilles
.
For the first forty years of her life, Luke lived in Alberta, where she was active in the literary community, especially in Calgary, where she was an editor-at-large for Dandelion and worked for book publishers Detselig Enterprises and Thomson/Carswell. She gave many public readings and taught numerous writing workshops. In 2001, she moved to British Columbia and has been similarly active in the literary community there. On Salt Spring Island she is a founding member of Salt Spring Writers and Friends, a charity that provides scholarships for beginning writers on the island. She also serves on the Author's Committee for the Writers' Trust of Canada
.
In her award winning first novel, Burning Ground, Luke writes a love story about a bisexual character working in a fire lookout in northern Alberta. This book won her the 2001 Commonwealth Writers' Prize
for Best First Book (Caribbean and Canada Region), and was a finalist for the George Bugnet Award, the Chapters/Robertson Davies First Novel Award and the Libris Award. Burning Ground was based in part on her experiences as a student working summers on various fire towers.
Her second novel, Madame Zee is a fictional account of the life of Mabel Rowbotham, mistress to the infamous Brother Twelve and his 1920s British Columbia cult of "gold, sex, and black magic", as written about by non-fiction author John Oliphant. Madame Zee was a long-list nominee for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and was selected as a book of the month pick by both Chatelaine
and Canadian Living
.
Luke teaches Advanced Composition online for DeVry University
. She also mentors beginner and intermediate writers online, both privately through her website and through the University of British Columbia
program Booming Ground.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
novelist.
Born in Peace River
Peace River, Alberta
Peace River is a town in northwestern Alberta, Canada, situated along the banks of the Peace River, at its confluence with the Smoky River, the Heart River and Pat's Creek. It is located northwest of Edmonton, and northeast of Grande Prairie, along Highway 2. The Peace River townsite is nearly ...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, Luke attended University of Calgary
University of Calgary
The University of Calgary is a public research university located in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1966 the U of C is composed of 14 faculties and more than 85 research institutes and centres.More than 25,000 undergraduate and 5,500 graduate students are currently...
and earned first a BA and then an MA in English Literature. She lives on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...
, with her partner, poet/novelist Robert Hilles
Robert Hilles
Robert Hilles is a Canadian poet and novelist who lives on Salt Spring Island with his partner, novelist Pearl Luke.Born in Kenora, Ontario, Hilles studied at the University of Calgary, earning a BA in Psychology and English in 1976...
.
For the first forty years of her life, Luke lived in Alberta, where she was active in the literary community, especially in Calgary, where she was an editor-at-large for Dandelion and worked for book publishers Detselig Enterprises and Thomson/Carswell. She gave many public readings and taught numerous writing workshops. In 2001, she moved to British Columbia and has been similarly active in the literary community there. On Salt Spring Island she is a founding member of Salt Spring Writers and Friends, a charity that provides scholarships for beginning writers on the island. She also serves on the Author's Committee for the Writers' Trust of Canada
Writers' Trust of Canada
The Writers' Trust of Canada is a non-profit organization which provides financial support to Canadian writers.Founded by Margaret Atwood, Pierre Berton, Graeme Gibson, David Young and Margaret Laurence, the Writers' Trust of Canada was registered as a non-profit organization in 1976...
.
In her award winning first novel, Burning Ground, Luke writes a love story about a bisexual character working in a fire lookout in northern Alberta. This book won her the 2001 Commonwealth Writers' Prize
Commonwealth Writers' Prize
Commonwealth Writers is an initiative by the Commonwealth Foundation to unearth, develop and promote the best new fiction from across the Commonwealth. It's flagship are two literary awards and a website...
for Best First Book (Caribbean and Canada Region), and was a finalist for the George Bugnet Award, the Chapters/Robertson Davies First Novel Award and the Libris Award. Burning Ground was based in part on her experiences as a student working summers on various fire towers.
Her second novel, Madame Zee is a fictional account of the life of Mabel Rowbotham, mistress to the infamous Brother Twelve and his 1920s British Columbia cult of "gold, sex, and black magic", as written about by non-fiction author John Oliphant. Madame Zee was a long-list nominee for the International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award and was selected as a book of the month pick by both Chatelaine
Chatelaine (magazine)
Chatelaine is an English-language Canadian magazine of women's lifestyles. Both Chatelaine and its French-language version, Châtelaine, are published monthly by Rogers Media, Inc., a division of Rogers Communications, Inc...
and Canadian Living
Canadian Living
Canadian Living is a monthly Canadian lifestyle magazine, which publishes articles relating to food, fashion, crafts, and health and family advice....
.
Luke teaches Advanced Composition online for DeVry University
DeVry University
DeVry University and DeVry Institute of Technology are divisions of DeVry Inc , a proprietary, for-profit higher education organization that is also the parent organization for Keller Graduate School of Management, Ross University, American University of the Caribbean, Apollo College, Western...
. She also mentors beginner and intermediate writers online, both privately through her website and through the University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
program Booming Ground.