Bev Brenna is the author of 16 books, 14 of them for young people, including The White Bicycle—winner of a Printz Honor and shortlisted for a 2013 Governor General's Award; Wild Orchid, listed on CBC's Young Adult Books That Make You Proud to Be Canadian; Sapphire the Great and the Meaning of Life—winner of a 2021 Joan Betty Stuchner award for humour; and The Girl with the Cat, winner of a 2022 Saskatchewan Book Award. Bev also writes adult poetry and short fiction, and she has been the Children's Editor at Red Deer Press since July, 2021.
After many years as a classroom and special education teacher and consultant, Bev worked as a faculty member in the College of Education, University of Saskatchewan, teaching courses in ELA as well as researching literacy and Canadian children's literature--which she now continues as a Professor Emerita. Her scholarly books include Stories for Every Classroom (Canadian Scholars Press, 2015) and Contemporary Canadian Picture Books (Brill Publishing, 2021).
In addition to her interest in writing, Bev is a landscape painter and has two solo watercolour exhibitions in 2024. One of these is with a CARFAC gallery at the Last Mountain Lake Cultural Centre (Jan 20 - March 24); the other is at the Broadway Health Collective Gallery in Saskatoon, SK (Jan 13 - March 31).
Bev lives with her husband in a tall yellow house on the prairies.
Bev is delighted to do visits in person or via Zoom, and her presentations combine brief author readings and talks, storytelling, and research related to Canadian literature for children and young adults.
Bev's published research studies have included these topics: Canadian verse novels; graphic novels; Canadian picture books; Canadian literature presenting characters with exceptionalities.
She has travelled to libraries and schools across Saskatchewan, visited Whitehorse, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec on author tours, and looks forward to continuing to support teachers, educators, students, and fellow writers! She has also presented papers for educators and researchers across Canada and the United States.
Bev's previous workshops have involved aspects of the writing and editing process and included writing time and feedback.
Bev is delighted to do classroom visits in person or via Zoom, and her presentations combine brief author readings and talks, storytelling, and connected activities.
She has travelled to schools across Saskatchewan, and visited Whitehorse, Prince Edward Island, and Quebec on author tours, and looks forward to continuing to support teachers and students!
As a longtime elementary teacher, Bev is keen to encourage young readers and writers and their developing processes.
