Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch

Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch is a Ukrainian Canadian children's writer who lives in Brantford, Ontario. She received a BA in English and a Master of Library Science from the University of Western Ontario, and began writing fiction in 1992.

Marsha tricked her teachers into thinking she knew how to read until it all caught up with her in grade 4 when she failed the provincial reading exam. They made her repeat the whole year. As the tallest and oldest kid in the class, she didn't want to be seen learning to read with little skinny books and she was too proud to ask for help, so she taught herself how to read by taking out the fattest book in the children's section of the Brantford Public Library—Oliver Twist. She kept on renewing it for a whole year. Reading that book was a turning point in her life. She decided that she loved reading, and wanted to write too.

After being rejected more than 100 times, her first book, "Silver Threads," was published in 1996. It won the Taras Shevchenko Writing Award, and was on several “Best of” lists.

She has written more novels about Armenian immigrants than any other author in the English-speaking world, yet she is not Armenian. "I write about people who must give up everything that is dear to them and travel to a new country. To me, these people are heroic."

Marsha loves speaking with students, especially those who are struggling academically or who feel "different".

Visit Marsha's web site at www.calla2.com