Jim Kershaw is an early boomer and spent his youth in Niagara. While occupied with hours of drawing and playing the piano, Jim experienced acute unilateral deafness beginning in infancy. The memory of how difficult it was in school, the loss and isolation on the playing field, and failing Grade 10 English weighed on him.
Yet he felt earnest about his expressive talents when he moved to Toronto at twenty-one. For a few years, he was employed as a clerk, a labourer, a surveyor, and a woodworker. Some experience and a foundation course in display arts at George Brown College in 1978 led Jim to form a sign painting service until 2004 when computers took over his hand lettering skills.
Transferable skills and a career change facilitated comfort with his writing, having completed a course at the Institute for Children’s Literature and an Interactive Multimedia course at Niagara College. Published in “Waves” and other works, including “Voices from the Niagara” (Moonstone Press). He has enjoyed playing 20th-century popular songs on the piano for local inbound seniors. An active retiree, Jim lives in St. Catharines, ON.
June 7, 2024.