Myra Paperny


Myra Paperny is a Canadian author and former academic. After briefly reporting for the Vancouver Province and Vancouver News Herald in the early 1950s, Paperny taught creative writing at Mount Royal College and University of Calgary between the mid 1950s and mid 1970s. Upon leaving academics, Paperny wrote multiple books between the 1970s to 2000s. In 1976, The Wooden People won the 1976 Canada Council Children's Literature Prize in text.

Early life and education

On 19 September 1932, Paperny was born in Edmonton, Alberta. For her post-secondary education, Paperny received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of British Columbia in 1953. She additionally earned a Master of Science from Columbia University the following year and specialized in journalism.

Career

While attending university, Paperny began her career as a newspaper reporter with the Vancouver Province in 1952 and the Vancouver News Herald in 1953. Paperny switched to academics in 1965 when she briefly taught creative writing at Mount Royal College for a year before moving to the University of Calgary in 1966. She continued to teach at Calgary until 1975 and moved on to public relations. Outside of academics, Paperny edited Councilwoman from 1970 to 1973 before she published The Wooden People in 1976. Paperny did not write another children's book until the late 1980s with Take a Giant Step in 1987 and Nightmare Mountain in 1988. Her completed fourth book, The Greenies, was published in 2005.

Writing style and themes

For the majority of her first works, Paperny used her and her family's recollections while incorporating detailed research on Alberta. With The Greenies, Paperny intended to set her story in British Columbia after World War II. She instead decided to write about Jewish children who moved to Canada after World War II as orphans.

Awards and honors

Paperny was awarded the 1976 Canada Council Children's Literature Prize in text for The Wooden People.

Personal life

Paperny is married and has four children.