Member Review
Canadian writers take so much for granted. Canada Council programs. Festivals and readings. Cheques arriving from the Public Lending Right Commission and Access Copyright. The Writers’ Trust of Canada Awards. Apparently, some of us believe that these things sprang unbidden from a naturally generous culture, and will always be with us. But they exist thanks mainly to the sustained creative efforts and constant vigilance of The Writers’ Union of Canada. We owe. We owe those who have gone before us, and we owe those who will come after.
Member Profile
Rene Schmidt
René Schmidt was born in Holland in 1954 and immigrated to Canada in 1957. He remembers not wanting to speak English. He had many jobs including underground mine worker, truck driver, construction worker, taxi driver, ship officer trainee and upholsterer. René studied theatre performance at Ryerson and is a graduate of York University's Creative Writing Program and Faculty of Education. As a young teacher René wrote heroic stories for his students, using their names in title roles. René's first book, Canadian Disasters by Scholastic Canada, became a bestseller and three expanded editions followed. Leaving Fletchville, a fiction novel, deals with parenthood, racism, friendship and bullying. Recently René built a house, directed a youth drop in centre and taught Senior Drama at a local high school. He is happily married to Shirley. Their sons Adrian and Daniel now travel the world and do interesting jobs. René enjoys writing, cutting wood, riding his motorcycle, and trying to figure out his iphone. He is rewriting some Y.A. manuscripts and compiling a series of humorous short stories for adults.
