Carolyne Van Der Meer is a journalist, PR professional and university lecturer. Her writing portfolio is extensive and includes articles published in more than 100 different magazines, journals and newspapers around the world. She holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in English Studies and a Graduate Certificate in Creative Writing from the Humber School for Writers in Toronto.
She is the author of Motherlode: A Mosaic of Dutch Wartime Experience (Wilfrid Laurier University Press, 2014); Journeywoman (Inanna, 2017) and Heart of Goodness: The Life of Marguerite Bourgeoys in 30 Poems | Du cœur à l’âme: La vie de Marguerite Bourgeoys en 30 poèmes (Guernica Editions, 2020). Carolyne has been teaching in McGill University’s Public Relations and Communications Management program for a decade, where her focus is on PR tools. She has also facilitated workshops on corporate communications and media relations, including for the QWF. She is interested in giving writing workshops to CEGEP students that would explore multi-genre expression, including journal writing, poetry and short story writing, all as elements of life writing, as exemplified in Motherlode. She is also available for workshops on linking poetry to the exploration of historical figures and telling their stories, as shown in the award-winning Heart of Goodness.