Photo Credit:
Photo credit
Jeff George
Caroline Woodward
BIO
Biography

I am a writer, and former publishers' rep, bookseller, managing editor, publicist, creative writing teacher and most recently, a lighthouse keeper formerly based on the Lennard Island Lightstation near Tofino, BC from 2008-2021. I have written nine books for adults and children so far, and an adult literacy collection of short stories. In June of 2024, my third picture book, Have You Ever Heard A Whale Exhale? illustrated by Claire Victoria Watson will be published by Pownal Street Press and distributed by Raincoast Books. I have reviewed books in at least four genres for the quarterly BC Bookworld since 2014, and on BCBookLook online as well. Please visit my website www.carolinewoodward.ca for more biographical information.

Disturbing the Peace (1990) was nominated for the Ethel Wilson Fiction Prize/BC Book Prize in 1991, Alaska Highway Two-Step (1993) was nominated for the Arthur Ellis Best First Mystery Novel by the Crime Writers of Canada in 1994 and was a Globe & Mail Pick for Best 100 Books of 1993, Singing Away the Dark was a finalist for the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Prize in 2011 as well as the 2010-2011 Amelia Frances Howard-Gibbon Illustrator's Award, the 2011 Ruth and Sylvia Schwartz Award (Picture Book category), and the 2011-2012 Chocolate Lily Award (Picture Book category). It was also a 2012 Best Books for Kids and Teens Our Choice selection by the Canadian Children's Book Centre and a top pick in the US-based School Library Journal. It has been published in Quebec in French, translated by Fanny Britt, by Le Groupe d'éditions La Courte Échelle as well as by Korean, Bulgarian, Japanese and Chinese co-publishers to date.

Light Years: Memoir of a Modern Lighthouse Keeper (2015) was nominated for the Bill Duthie BC Booksellers Prize in 2016 and A West Coast Summer (2018) was also nominated for the 2016-2017 Chocolate Lily Award (Picture Book Category).

ADDRESS
City: New Denver , Province/Territory: British Columbia
EMAIL
GENRE
short fiction, novels, memoir, essays, travel articles, adult literacy, chapter books 8-11 years, picture books, y/a
LANGUAGES
English
PUBLICATIONS
Publications
Title
A West Coast Summer
Publisher
Harbour Publishing
Year
2018
Title
Alaska Highway Two-Step
Publisher
Polestar Press & Harbour Publishing
Year
1993 (first edition) & 2017 (second re-edited edition)
Title
Singing Away the Dark
Publisher
Simply Read Books
Year
2010 (first edition) 2018 (second special library edition)
Title
Light Years: Memoir of a Modern Lighthouse Keeper
Publisher
Harbour Publishing
Year
2015
Title
The Village of Many Hats
Publisher
Oolichan Books (publisher now defunct-rights have reverted to author)
Year
2012
Title
Penny Loves Wade, Wade Loves Penny
Publisher
Oolichan Books (publisher now defunct-rights have reverted to author)
Year
2010
Title
Chanter Dans Le Noir
Publisher
La Courte Echelle
Year
2012
Title
Work is a 4-Letter Word
Publisher
National, Provincial and Regional Adult Literacy Secretariats
Year
2000
Title
Disturbing the Peace
Publisher
Polestar Press (publisher now defunct-rights have reverted to author)
Year
1990
Title
A Blue Fable
Publisher
self-published with New Printing Press: Kathmandu, Nepal
Year
1981
AWARDS
Awards
Name
Northern Lights College Honorary Associate of Arts Degree
Publication
For a body of work contributing to Canadian literature and international literature often reflecting the Peace River region, the place and its people.
Year
2017
LINKS
PUBLIC PRESENTATIONS AND WORKSHOPS
Presentation details
Audience Size
Audience size
20 to 425+, depending on age and format
Presentation Genre
Fear & Imagination for children, Excerpts from fiction or memoir with or without slides for adults
Presentation Length
30 minutes to 60 minutes depending on audience age
Presentation Description
Presentation description

Please see notes beside each book for notes on presentations specific to each book and each audience. More information is available on my website, www.carolinewoodward.ca and by contacting me directly with queries specific to each title and age group. I have given over 100 readings including those as a guest presenter at the Sechelt Writers Festival twice, the Whistler Writers Festival, the Vancouver Island Children's Bookfest, and numerous others.

Presentation Fee(s)
$300/contact hour as per current Canada Council rates
Workshop details
Audience Size
Please contact the author directly for updates on availability for workshops for adults or children.
School presentation details
Audience Size
24 - 32
Intended Audience
24 or less for K-3 and 4-7, 32 for Grades 8-12
Presentation Length
30-60 minutes
Presentation Description
Presentation description

Please see notes above, read the descriptions on my website or contact me directly to work with me and each particular book for a presentation tailored to your classroom needs. Thank you.

Presentation Fee(s)
$300 per contact hour
Programs & Interests
Interested in participating Union’s Ontario Writers-in-the-Schools program:
All members are eligible for the Union’s Ontario Writers-in-the-Schools program. Are you interested in participating in this pro
Yes
Interested in participating in the Northern Ontario WITS program:
The Union’s Northern Ontario Writers-in-the-Schools program funds in-person visits to northern Ontario schools when possible. Ar
Yes