VALERIE SENYK was born to first generation Canadians in Winnipeg in the midst of a flood, one of six children. At the age of nine, she knew she would be an artist, and she published her first poem at age eleven under an assumed name. At seventeen she embraced the Baha’i Faith, and has allowed it to inspire and teach her, giving her the courage to live life as an ongoing adventure for learning. She currently lives in Guelph with her husband Rob O’Flanagan.
She followed an eclectic and interdisciplinary path as an artist. She received her BFA in Fine Arts and an MA in Drama from the University of Saskatchewan, in Saskatoon, and taught Theatre Arts at universities in both Saskatchewan and Ontario for twenty-three years. She has worked as an actor, director, and is a published and recorded performance poet. She has experimented with documentary and alternative filmmaking, and has recently returned to her roots as a visual artist. She writes book reviews for the Kitchener Record and a faith column for the Guelph Mercury.
Her collection of poetry, I Want a Poem, is available from Vocamus Press.
BOOKS
I Want a Poem (Vocamus Press, 2014)
