Jim Pringle has always loved words. His mother and clutch of five aunts surrounded him with books and conversation. At first he devoured the Hardy Boys, moved on to Huckleberry Finn, Tom Sawyer, Ben Hur and later Charles Dickens. In elementary school he wrote a stage play based on A Tale of Two Cities successfully performed by his classmates. In junior high he was the class representative on the school paper which published his first work which concerned a Winnipeg grasshopper infestation.
His viola lessons didn’t interfere with the lucrative delivery of newspapers and magazines. In his Regina high school he and a friend published an underground newspaper criticizing the education system, principals and teachers. He was saved from being expelled by a fellow member of the Regina Symphony, the first violinist who happened to be on the school board.
At university he witnessed the power of words when his first year English Literature professor threw Adventures of Huckleberry Finn against the wall and stormed out after a series of lectures. This was a mind blower, to use an expression of the time.
University papers, essays, reports and seminars filled the next few years until Bachelor of Arts at Brandon University and Master of Arts at University of Manitoba were attained. Jobs in factories, on city street construction, in mental health centres, at daycares and for social service agencies eventually led to positions as managing editor with City Magazine and Canadian Dimension.
Working as pen and keyboard for hire Jim found many and varied opportunities with trade publications, health organizations and social services. An administrative position with a union consumed many years with endless duties and a different kind of writing.
Jim is now diving into the world of fiction while not abandoning the thrill that research brings.
Jim has two bio daughters, two bonus daughters and eight grandchildren. He lives with his partner artist Rosemary Miguez in the Village of Dunnottar, Winnipeg and Toronto.
His love of music continues with the ukulele. His violas, violin and guitar are nestled in the closet, for now.
Jim Pringle 