Lesson 21 — Activity 3: About the Author

Used with permission from Lesley Choyce

Although Lesley Choyce was born in the United States, he has lived in Canada for close to 30 years and is now a Canadian citizen. He lives near Halifax, Nova Scotia, where he combines writing and publishing with teaching literature at Dalhousie University.

In addition to writing poetry and recording music, he has written many books, some for teenagers and some for adults. His novels deal with a variety of topics that are important to him, including nature and the environment. Some of Lesley's interests include surfing and animals, both of which appear in this novel. As you read the novel, you will see the influence of Choyce's interest in poetry, especially in his descriptions of nature.

Another area of interest for Choyce is how people deal with disaster. For example, he is interested in how people use their resources and talents to deal with situations that affect the environment.

Image courtesy of iStock

This excerpt from Lesley Choyce's poem, "House Call," gives you an idea about the author's ability to combine his concerns about the environment and relationships between people. Lesley uses words that describe a story.

Choyce's attitudes and interests are evident in Big Burn as he writes about the environmental concerns that an east coast town faces.

Self-check!