lian goodall has had an interest in sharing stories since she first made up poems for her little sisters. She began reviewing Canadian children’s books in the 1980s and currently has a regular column in the Guelph Mercury and St. Catharines Standard. Her first published book was with Warwick Press in 1999, Diego Maradona: The Man With the Magic Feet, the story of the great Argentinian soccer player. Her second, William Lyon Mackenzie King: Dreams and Shadows came out with XYZ publishing in 2003. She is presently the Program Officer at the Mackenzie King Estate in the Gatineau Park, Quebec, which is not too far from her home in Ottawa, Ontario, where she lives with one of her two daughters.

Goodall has a degree in history from the University of Guelph. Part of her studies focused on racism in Victorian children’s literature. It is little surprise that she chose a related theme for her third book for young people, Singing Towards the Future: The Story of Portia White, (2004), which was shortlisted for a 2005 Hackmatack Award. It relates the fascinating musical journey of this famous Nova Scotian, whose career as a recital singer reached its peak in the 1940s. The story of her journey from poverty to the international stage, lian believes, is one that merits special celebration.

Her next biography project, Photographing Greatness: The Story of Karsh, will be published in the fall of 2007.

Links: liangoodall.com