Emily Carr was born in Victoria, British Columbia, in 1871, and died there in 1945. She studied art in San Francisco, London and Paris. Except for a period of fifteen years when she was discouraged by the reception to her work, she was a commited painter. After 1927, when she was encouraged by the praise of the Group of Seven, interest in her paintings grew and she gained recognition as one of Canada's most gifted artists. Now, nearly sixty years after her death, her reputation continues to grow.

Robin Laurence is an award-winning freelance writer, critic and curator based in Vancouver. She has a B.F.A. in studio arts and an M.A. in art history, and was educated at the University of Calgary, the University of Victoria, the Banff School of Fine Arts and the Instituto Allende in Mexico. She has written dozens of essays for local and regional galleries, and her articles on art have appeared in many magazines. Laurence was also visual arts critic for the Georgia Strait and the Vancouver Sun.

Ira Dilworth taught English at Victoria High School from 1915-26 and was the school's principal from 1926-34. He was a friend and mentor of the great Emily Carr, whose writing career he promoted as her literary agent. He taught at UBC for four years before joining CBC Radio, directing the corporation's BC operations from 1938-46. Dilworth founded the CBC Vancouver Orchestra in 1938 and in 1956 became director of the CBC English language network.