Chan, Gillian
Biography
Gillian was born in England in 1954. Her father was in the Royal Air Force which meant that the family moved every two or three years, traveling all over England and spending three memorable years in Germany. Before the age of eleven, she went to five different schools and she quickly discovered that a good book was a useful thing to have until you settled in and made new friends. The pace slowed down once she became a teenager and she only went to two high schools. Although there is a family story that she announced her intention to be a writer when she was only five, Gillian's intended career changed constantly throughout her childhood and teenage years and was normally influenced by whatever she had just read. By the time she was sixteen, she narrowed it down to two possible careers -- an archaeologist (she still has a passion for Vikings) or an English teacher.
When Gillian didn't get into university to study archaeology, she decided to work for a while before trying teaching. She had a variety of jobs which included working in stores, in banks, and in restaurants, all of which have provided material for her writing. In 1976, she started teacher training, graduating with a degree in English and Education in 1980. In her last year of university, Gillian worked as a bar tender which was useful in two ways: first of all, she made enough money to live on; and, secondly, she met her husband, Henry Chan whom she married in 1982.
Gillian taught English for ten years in high schools and then came to live in Canada in 1990, settling in Dundas, Ontario where she still lives.
(From: http://www.gillianchan.com/biography.html)
Awards/Recognitions
Hamilton and Region Arts Council Award for Children/Teen Book, 1994 (for GOLDEN GIRL AND OTHER STORIES)
Hamilton and Region Arts Council Award for Children/Teen Book, 1996 (for GLORY DAYS AND OTHER STORIES)
Other Information
Related Websites or Blogs:
Gillian Chan at Writers' Union
Published Work
2005. The Turning. Toronto: Kids Can Press. (Fiction)
2004. An Ocean Apart: The Golden Mountain Diary of Chin Mei Ling. Markham, Ont.: Scholastic Canada. (Fiction)
2002. A Foreign Field.Toronto : Kids Can Press.(Children's)
2001. The Carved Box. Toronto, Ontario : Kids Can Press Ltd.(Children's)
1996. Glory Days and Other Stories. Toronto : Kids Can Press.(Children's)
1994. Golden Girl and Other Stories. Toronto : Kids Can Press. (Children's)
