Barbara Heagy is a retired teacher and present day writer, photographer, dancer and traveller. Her life has been focused on education, creativity, dance, and spirituality, as she worked her way through three post-secondary degrees over thirty-three years: a Bachelor of Arts with a major in Recreation, a Bachelor of Education majoring in primary/junior education and a Master of Arts with a major in Dance. Over a twenty-five year period she taught dance through weekly classes and workshops, performed professionally in a sacred/liturgical dance company and acted as a lay minister in a variety of churches using dance/drama/spoken word to bring a richer, more meaningful experience to the act of worship. For twenty-three years, she devoted herself to a full-time teaching career as an elementary school teacher and reading specialist.
Writing has always been a preferred form of expression and Barbara has been filling empty journals and notebooks with her thoughts, musings and life experiences since the age of seventeen. Her poems and essays have been published in local, provincial, and national newsletters, magazines and collections which include Dreamers Creative Writing, The National Library of Poetry and FWTAO (Federation of Women Teachers) Newsletter. Her plays have been performed on public stages, including Theatre Orangeville, Orangeville, Ontario.
Her published memoir, 10 – A Story of Love, Life, and Loss, (December 2015, Balboa Press) was written after the untimely death of her beloved husband Tom, who passed away with cancer at the end of their endearing 10 year relationship. The book is presently available online or in local book stores.
In October 2016, Barbara contributed a story for the anthology You Are Not Alone – 52 Stories of Hope (One Thousand Trees). Under the guidance of the publisher Lisa Browning, this book was written as a fundraiser for Hospice Wellington, Guelph, Ontario, with 100% of all profits going directly to the organization. Barbara was honoured to be a part of this fund-raiser as Hospice Wellington was where Tom, her husband, spent his last days. This book is available directly from Hospice Wellington.
An anthology, Good Grief People (Angel Hope Publishing), was released in March 2017 and is a collaboration with five other authors; Alan Anderson, Glynis M. Belec, Donna Mann, Ruth Smith Meyer, and Carolyn Wilker. This is a book of true grief stories recognizing and respecting the individuality of grief and the reality of hope. It is presently available online or in local book stores.
Barbara contributed a story to the Canada 150 Legacy Project, Grey With A Silver Lining (November 2017). It is now available to order. The cost is $30/copy (includes HST). This anthology contains 480 pages of heartwarming tributes to Grey Highlands’ people, places and things that have inspired, uplifted, and encouraged over the years. To reserve a copy (or multiple copies) please call the Flesherton Library at 519-924-2241.
Barbara’s poem Not Me, written in response to Rumi’s poem Not Here is a part of the Year 1 Anthology – Dreamers Creative Living – 119 Stories, Poems, Essays (2019). This anthology is available through Kat McNichol, Editor-in-Chief, Dreamers Creative Writing, at www.dreamerswriting.com.
Barbara continues to write daily at www.facebook.com/barbaraheagywriter and on her blog at this website www.barbaraheagy.com. She is also available for speaking engagements, to share her publishing experience, dealing with loss, or dealing with grief.