bio
I was born in Swansea, Wales, in 1947 and grew up in Kent in southern England, passing much of my childhood in Maidstone and attending boarding school in Canterbury. The Scott family emigrated to Canada in 1957, crossing the Atlantic on the Empress of France and taking the train to Calgary, where we first lived. Calgary was a bit of a shock to our delicate English systems, and we soon moved again, to North Vancouver. I’ve spent most of my life in the Greater Vancouver area.
From about 1960, the family lived in Burnaby, still vaguely rural in those days. I graduated from Burnaby Central High School in 1965, then went to UBC, emerging with a BA in 1969. I put this fine degree to immediate use, working with the Corporation of Burnaby sidewalk crew. I was the well-educated guy jackhammering up old sidewalks and loading the pieces onto dump trucks.
To escape the sidewalk business I moved to Fredericton, New Brunswick, attended graduate school at UNB and, after much delay, was reluctantly issued an MA in Canadian literature. This led to further fascinating employment opportunities, such as vat-tender in a maraschino-cherry factory, income-tax preparer and (my favourite) Canada Post special delivery courier. I was a closet writer from an early age. In the 1970s I started selling freelance articles to local media, including many art reviews to the Vancouver Sun, and in 1980 got a job as assistant editor with Western Living magazine. From that point on, my career highlights, such as they are, are described on this website in the editing and journalism sections.
In 1997, seeking a quiet (ha!) place to write and work, I moved to the Sunshine Coast, northwest of Vancouver, with my partner, artist Katherine Johnston. We now live in the small town of Sechelt, within sight of the sea, and plug away at our various projects, both creative and not-so-creative. We’ve travelled a fair amount over the years, and especially enjoy kayaking and hiking in BC.