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Pamela Porter
Born Pamela Paige Porter
(1956-07-14) July 14, 1956 (age 68)
Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States
Occupation Writer
Nationality Canadian
Period 2002 – present
Genre Poetry, children’s fiction
Notable works The Crazy Man
Spouse Rob Porter
Children 2

Pamela Paige Porter (born July 14, 1956) is a Canadian writer who creates novels and poems. She was born in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. She also lived in other states like Texas, Louisiana, Washington, and Montana. Pamela later moved to Canada with her husband, Rob Porter. They now live in North Saanich, British Columbia.

Pamela Porter is well-known for her young adult novels. Her book The Crazy Man has received a lot of praise. Her poetry has also won important awards, like the Prism International Poetry Prize. Her poems have been published in many literary magazines in both Canada and the United States.

About Pamela Porter

Growing Up and Discovering Writing

Pamela Porter lived in Albuquerque, New Mexico, until she was in kindergarten. Her family moved often because her father worked for an insurance company. They lived in places like Dallas, Texas, and Monroe, Louisiana. When she was 12, she attended Robert E. Lee Junior High in Louisiana. She remembers that her school was very strict.

While in Louisiana, Pamela became aware of how some people were treated unfairly. She watched the evening news every day. This made her very interested in world events and the civil rights movement, which was about making sure everyone had equal rights.

Pamela first found her love for poetry by looking through her English language arts book. She started reading poetry books from the library. She especially liked poems that were short. She also discovered poems by Robert Frost, like "Desert Places." Pamela always felt she was meant to be a writer. She even preferred playing a game called "Authors" over "Scrabble" when she was a child.

Education and Music

Pamela Porter went to Southern Methodist University for her first degree. She later earned a special degree in poetry writing from the University of Montana. When she first started university, she was very interested in learning different languages. She studied German for several years. She even thought about becoming a translator.

Besides writing, Pamela is also a talented musician. She is known for playing the piano and guitar, and for singing. Her university teachers even encouraged her to study music as her main subject.

When she was 19, Pamela took her first writing class. She learned from many great teachers, including John Skoyles and Lorna Crozier. After getting her writing degree, she received a scholarship. This allowed her to attend a special writing conference in Vermont.

Family Life and Teaching

Pamela met her husband, Rob, in a bell choir. Before they had children, they traveled a lot. They lived in places like Sunspot, New Mexico, and Seattle. Later, they moved to Ulm, Montana, to be closer to Rob's family. Now, Pamela and Rob live near Sidney, British Columbia, in Canada.

For many generations, Rob’s family has visited Saskatchewan every summer. They go there to work on their family farm. Pamela Porter has also taught writing at the University of Victoria as a sessional instructor.

Pamela Porter's Books

Books for Children

  • Sky (Toronto: Groundwood Books, 2004)
  • The Crazy Man (Toronto: Groundwood Books, 2005)
  • I’ll Be Watching (Toronto: Groundwood Books, 2011)

Picture Books for Young Children

  • Yellow Moon, Apple Moon, illustrated by Matt James (Toronto: Groundwood Books, 2008)

Poetry Collections

  • Poems for the Luminous World (Victoria, BC: Frog Hollow Press, 2002)
  • Stones Call Out (Regina, SK: Coteau Books, 2006)
  • The Intelligence of Animals (Omaha, NE: The Backwaters Press, 2008)
  • Cathedral (Vancouver: Ronsdale Press, 2010)
  • No Ordinary Place (Vancouver: Ronsdale Press, 2012)
  • Late Moon (Vancouver: Ronsdale Press, 2013)
  • House Made of Rain (Vancouver: Ronsdale Press, 2014)
  • Defending Darkness (Vancouver: Ronsdale Press, 2016)
  • Likely Stories (Vancouver: Ronsdale Press, 2019)

Books Translated into Other Languages

  • 노란 달, 사과 달 (Seoul: Glbburi, 2008) (This is a Korean translation of Yellow Moon, Apple Moon)
  • 어느 날 그가 왔다 (Seoul: Sanha Publishing Co., 2012) (This is a Korean translation of The Crazy Man)
  • Lune jaune, à bientôt (Toronto: Groundwood Books, 2014) (This is a French translation of Yellow Moon, Apple Moon)

Awards and Honors

Awards for The Crazy Man

Awards for Other Works

  • 2009 New Mexico Book Award for Yellow Moon, Apple Moon
  • 2010 Vallum Magazine Poem of the Year Award
  • 2011 Prism International Grand Prize for Poetry
  • 2011 Pat Lowther Award in Poetry finalist for Cathedral
  • 2012 FreeFall Magazine Poetry Award
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