The Ottawa Sub
Since 1997 Mary Ellen has been writing freelance articles on various subjects. Her first piece, Sunday No Longer a Day of Rest, was in reaction to the provincial government decision to allow liquor stores to open on Sundays. She read that one on CBC radio. In it she lamented the government’s decision and extolled the virtues of her childhood Sundays.
Her teaching assignments have ranged from teaching adult ESL (English as a second language) to being a special education teacher for elementary school students. Having retired from teaching, she is now devoting more time to writing. Mary Ellen entered the world of blogging in 2012. As a mother of three adult children, and now a grandmother, parenting and education issues have formed a large part of her writing repertoire.
Other topics that she has explored in her op-ed pieces and her blog are immigration, local neighbourhood issues, sports, the arts, politics, travel and the environment.
Her work has appeared in The Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, The Ottawa Citizen, The Ottawa Sun, Renaissance The Retired Teachers of Ontario magazine, Newswest (Ottawa), Chicken Soup for the Soul Christmas in Canada, and Thirty at Thirty An Anthology of Prose and Poetry Celebrating 30 Years of Ottawa Independent Writers.
She is currently working on a book of humorous vacation mishaps. The stories relate family vacation stories, set against the backdrop of news events of the day.
1997 seems like a long time ago now. Since starting this writing phase of her life, Mary Ellen has been known to sneak into an LCBO store on a Sunday herself.
“Mary Ellen took one of my writing workshops years ago. Since then I've been lucky enough to read her many superbly crafted published articles. There is always an underlying warmth and wisdom, and gentle, dry humour. The writing is always readable, subtle, and actually has something important to say.” Ottawa author Richard Taylor
Since 1997 Mary Ellen has been writing freelance articles on various subjects. Her first piece, Sunday No Longer a Day of Rest, was in reaction to the provincial government decision to allow liquor stores to open on Sundays. She read that one on CBC radio. In it she lamented the government’s decision and extolled the virtues of her childhood Sundays.
Her teaching assignments have ranged from teaching adult ESL (English as a second language) to being a special education teacher for elementary school students. Having retired from teaching, she is now devoting more time to writing. Mary Ellen entered the world of blogging in 2012. As a mother of three adult children, and now a grandmother, parenting and education issues have formed a large part of her writing repertoire.
Other topics that she has explored in her op-ed pieces and her blog are immigration, local neighbourhood issues, sports, the arts, politics, travel and the environment.
Her work has appeared in The Toronto Star, The Globe and Mail, The Ottawa Citizen, The Ottawa Sun, Renaissance The Retired Teachers of Ontario magazine, Newswest (Ottawa), Chicken Soup for the Soul Christmas in Canada, and Thirty at Thirty An Anthology of Prose and Poetry Celebrating 30 Years of Ottawa Independent Writers.
She is currently working on a book of humorous vacation mishaps. The stories relate family vacation stories, set against the backdrop of news events of the day.
1997 seems like a long time ago now. Since starting this writing phase of her life, Mary Ellen has been known to sneak into an LCBO store on a Sunday herself.
“Mary Ellen took one of my writing workshops years ago. Since then I've been lucky enough to read her many superbly crafted published articles. There is always an underlying warmth and wisdom, and gentle, dry humour. The writing is always readable, subtle, and actually has something important to say.” Ottawa author Richard Taylor