Vanessa Shields
Vanessa Shields – writer, photographer, entrepreneur, teacher.
Born and raised in Windsor, Ontario, Vanessa Shields is the talented and expressive writer of poetry, short stories and photography. She is well-known for her ability to compose 
work, using her life as a foundation for storytelling. Vanessa Shields’ articles have been printed in various literary publications including, Write! Magazine, The Windsor Star and Liberating Working Women. She is the recipient of numerous grants and awards and teaches creative writing classes, workshops as well as Poetry On Demand at festivals and readings.
Most recently, Shields has developed the website, Gertrude’s Writing Room. Shields states this site “is a space dedicated to your creative writing growth. Our goal is to provide a safe and supportive space that will give freedom to your words.” Through this site she connects with those who need mentoring or advice on their own writing sharing her experiences to guide people. Shields states: “I’ve been writing and reading for as long as I can remember. It’s always been a dream to have a space where people could come to gather to write and talk about writing…and to read and talk about books.” She has succeeded in these goals as Gertrude’s Writing Room is certainly an understanding and creative place.
Vanessa Shields currently lives in Windsor with her husband Nick and their children Jett and Miller. A new collection of poetry, (working title) thimble will be published by Palimpsest Press in 2021.
Sources:
Online Interview by Betheny Reid