Philippa Dowding

Readings

How do you get rid of a gargoyle? Katherine, the twelve-year-old character in my books, has to face a real problem in her backyard: a naughty 400-year-old gargoyle. He’s rude, he gets her into trouble, and he’s not going away anytime soon.

Children get a chance to tell me how THEY would get rid of a gargoyle in their backyard. The answers are very interesting, and open the floor to discussion about difference, urban living, compassion and inclusion. Plus, it’s a lot of fun!

Book Sales:

Philippa can bring copies of her books to the readings for students to purchase and have autographed.

Biography

Philippa Dowding knew she wanted to be a writer right from her earliest childhood in Oakville, Ontario. At university she studied English Language and Literature, first at the University of Western Ontario, then at the University of Toronto, where she earned a Master of Arts degree.

She has worked for twenty years as an award-winning copywriter for big companies and small. Her clients include magazine publishers, fundraisers, advertising agencies, NGOs, movie producers, website owners and others.

She has won several industry awards for magazines as varied as Maclean’s, Chatelaine, Today’s Parent and Canada’s History magazine. Her poetry has appeared in MotherVerse Magazine, The Adirondack Review, The Literary Review of Canada and other journals.

The Gargoyle Overhead is her second published work, and is the sequel to The Gargoyle in My Yard (2009). The main character was inspired by an experience Philippa had in an odd antique store. She looked up a strange set of stairs and saw a small gargoyle statue on each step. With a turn of her head, each statue looked as though it was alive.

The Gargoyle in my Yard was chosen as one of Resource Links Magazine’s “Best Bests for 2009” for grades 3-6, and is a CBPA Hot List Book for 2009.

Philippa lives in Toronto with her family. Her website is www.pdowding.com