Canada: Don McKay
Inter Pares supporter Don McKay is one of Canada's leading poets. Don has published nine books of poetry and has received two Governor General's Literary Awards and the Canadian Authors Association Literary Award for Poetry. Short-listed twice for the Griffin Poetry Prize, and a respected editor, he has also taught creative writing for over thirty years at universities across Canada.
Don weaves imagination, vision, passion, and meaning into words that reflect our world back to us. His enduring relationship with the environment is evident in his two books of essays: Vis-à-Vis: Fieldnotes on Poetry and Wilderness, and Deactivated West 100. Don's interest in nature extends to his membership in the faculty of "In the Field", a program in contemplative philosophy, environmental thought, and writing at St. Peter's College, Saskatchewan.
We met Don in 2004 in Campbell River, B.C., where he was writer-in-residence at the Haig-Brown House. We found him to be warm, gracious, and down-to-earth. We spoke about his mother, the late Margaret Fleming McKay, who was a social worker and a long-time Inter Pares supporter. In 1995, in her desire to support the next generation of social justice activists, Margaret enabled Inter Pares to establish a Fund in her name, where gifts we receive are invested for a minimum of ten years.
The commitment of Don McKay, and the legacy of his mother, Margaret Fleming McKay, continues to enrich a wide network of people who care about justice, peace, and the beauty of our planet.
For more information on the Margaret Fleming McKay Fund please visit our Web site at www.interpares.ca/en/giving/endow.php.
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