Sheila Turcon works as an Archivist in McMaster’s Archives and Research Collections. Her background is in English literature and Canadian and British history. After completing her M.A. she began work in 1980 at the Bertrand Russell Centre where she has worked on and off (depending on funding) for many years. She has recently been editing the letters between Russell and Lady Constance Malleson. Articles and reviews by her appear in the journal Russell – she also edited a newsletter for the Centre for five years. She joined the Archives in 1985, finally getting a continuing part-time position a few years ago. Her research interests away from work include a study of the small fishing settlement of Roussainville on the north shore of Lake Superior – established around 1840 and where her grandmother was born.
Sheila Turcon
Full Name:
Sheila Turcon
Bio:
Affiliation:
McMaster University
Country:
Canada
Personal Statement About Topic:
Bringing CanLit into the Classroom—Brita Mickleburgh’s Canadian Literature: Two Centuries in Prose
Part of my work at McMaster’s archives has involved the description of the McClelland & Stewart (M&S) fonds. In January 2009 the obituary of Brita Mickleburgh, published in the Globe and Mail, caught my eye – it mentioned her pioneering involvement with Canadian literature and her book published by M&S. Having an interest in Canadian literature and its popularization, I decided to see if there was enough information in the M&S fonds at McMaster to do a case study. I uncovered a fascinating tale. Thanks to Mickleburgh’s daughter, Pauline Mickleburgh, the case study is illustrated with a photograph of her mother.