Keynote Address

Featured speaker

 Bernice was a featured speaker along with Dr,Rita Malhotra at the World Poetry International Festival in Richmond, BC, Canada, May 14-15th.

BERNICE LEVER is a prize winning poet and an English grammar expert, dedicated to improving the writing and speaking skills of students, business professionals and marketing communicators, for their long-term success in the increasingly competitive global marketplace. She is now a freelance editor for poetry and prose manuscripts. Her editorial rates and textbook prices are reasonable.

Born in Smithers, BC, Canada on March 19, 1936, Bernice now resides on the west coast of British Columbia. She has a BA and MA in English from York University in Toronto, Ontario as well as teaching certificates and experience in British Columbia and Ontario. 2005-007, she taught ESL students at a private school: www.islandpacific.org

Retired after teaching English for 14 years at Seneca College, in Ontario, Bernice has taught from Kindergarten in BC to university essay classes at Atkinson College, York University in Ontario. During Bernice’s career, she has led numerous workshops for the academic essay, business communications and creative writing at Ryerson Polytechnic University, the Ontario College of Art and Design (OCAD), both in Toronto, as well as at various public libraries and schools, in Toronto and Vancouver, BC and for a one year period, at the Pasadena Community Centre, near Los Angeles, California. October, 2009 is her 3rd year as a poetry presenter, Blue Pencil editor, panel emcee and poetry contest judge at Surrey International Writers Conference in Surrey, BC.

Bernice founded and coordinated the Richvale Writers Club (1967-2000), and was awarded with the City of Richmond Hill – Arts Award in  1993 for 25 years of community service. From  1993 – 1995, she was treasurer/VP of the League of Canadian Poets, and in 2000, she was awarded the first ever Honorary Lifetime Member in the Canadian Poetry Association. In 2007, she received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the World Poetry Society and the Vancouver Public Library with a inscribed medal.In 2008, she was given a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Surrey International Board of Trade and in 2009, she was given a Lifetime Member status in The Ontario Poetry Society. Bernice is a lifetime member of the Canadian Authors Association (CAA), and is the national Grievance Chair for the CAA. In 1998-1999, she was Writer-in-Residence for the CAA – Toronto branch. She was the President of CAA – Vancouver branch, (2001-2003). In 2004, she was awarded the Allan Sangster plaque for her work for CAA. Bernice was also literary chair of the Bowen Island Arts Council for 3 years, and now active in the “Write On Bowen, Readers and Writer’s Festival, in July. Since 2006, she is the Writer-in-Residence of the Vancouver branch of CAA and national CAA representive on the Public Lending Right Commission under the Canada Council. (www.plr-dpp.ca )

Bernice has traveled the world extensively, living outside of Canada for five years: three years in Cheshire, England and two years in the USA: in Columbus, Ohio and in southern California. She has read poems in Australia, Brazil, Czechoslovakia, Great Britain, Italy, Japan, and the USA. Bernice has performed her poems in Canada on radio, television and on many public stages, from coast to coast (Halifax, NS to Victoria, BC); for which, she gratefully records support from the Canada Council, Ontario Arts Council, Metro Toronto Arts Council and various employers.

Her travels to give readings on 5 continents, especially her three years in Cheshire, England, have given Bernice many opportunities to discuss language education methods with various English teachers. Her Toronto area classes included students from many other nations. Bernice soon realized the challenges that foreign students were having with mastering the English language, and used this opportunity to develop a colour coding system to assist students in seeing the patterns that are basic to clearly understanding the structure of the sentence

For a copy of Bernice Lever’s keynote address, click here…