Writer & Reader
Gail Vallance Barrington credits her start as a writer to Hugh MacLennan, her creative writing professor at McGill University.
After a varied career as teacher, consultant, professor, and researcher, Gail now pursues her passion for words full time. She has written more than fifteen short stories, many about people who have lost hope but reimagine their lives with the help of a little magic. Three of her short stories have been published, in Intangience: The Lighter Side of Weird, WayWords Literary Journal, and the Living Our Blessings Anthology. Her poetry has been featured in The Rumen and Beyond Words: A Different Literary Magazine. She’s also working writing a novel but says it’s too soon to talk about it.
Check out some recent examples of Gail’s work and read her latest Pop-up Story. She reads over 100 books a year in many different genres, some old, some new. See her favourites for 2024 .
Short Stories
The Restaurant for Lost Kids.Intangience: The Lighter Side of Weird. Ed. M. Kari Barr. Vol. 2, Issue 2. 2024.
A weary pizza waitress forms a bond with kids who are ignored by their parents. A small magical chair transports them to a familiar land where someone famous gives them new hope.
The Bird’s Nest Woman. WayWords. Issue 17. Kindness. The Writer’s Workout. 2025.
A compulsive elderly hoarder teams up with a young Indigenous woman who is fleeing her abusive boyfriend. Their shared love of fashion design and a pair of scruffy boots help them confront their challenges.
Jack’s Place. Living Our Blessings Anthology. Wising Up Press. 2025.
Jack’s son tries to get his hands on his father’s assets. Instead, with the support of his new friends, Jack develops an independent housing project for seniors. When the son’s anger escalates, a mysterious visitor forces him to leave town.
(Coming soon)
Looking for a good conference this year? Here’s a list of upcoming 2025 conventions Gail prepared for the Imaginative Fiction Writer’s Association (IFWA).
Sci-Fi/Fantasy & Craft Conventions and Gatherings, 2025 (PDF)
Here’s a recent workshop Gail presented at the 2024 When Words Collide conference, Journaling: A Portal to the Creative Self.
Poetry
View Website: Six Rules to Tidy My Life
Pop-up Stories
Check out Gail’s latest Pop-Up Story.
Best Reads, 2024
| Last Name | First Name | Title | Commentary | Link |
| Bennett | Robert Jackson | Foundryside | Great fantasy & worldbuilding. Very original. | See Book Details |
| Bradbury | Ray | Fahrenheit 451 | A dystopia with scary parallels. Beautifully written. | See Book Details |
| Butcher | Jim | White Night | How I love Harry Dresden! PI and wizard extraordinaire. This is #9 and one of my favourites but read them in order. | See Book Details |
| Davis | Barbara | The Echo of Old Books | Old books and magic, what’s not to like? | See Book Details |
| French | Tana | The searcher | The best thrillers are by Tana French! Follow this one with the sequel, you’ll love the characters. | See Book Details |
| González | Xóchitl | Olga Dies Dreaming | Love, political corruption, and family ties | See Book Details |
| Grossman | Lev | The Bright Sword | What happens after Arthur dies? A bunch of misfits try to bring him back. | See Book Details |
| Hanner | Chris | Scrublands | A great Australian thriller set in the outback. | See Book Details |
| Kreuger | William Kent | The River We Remember | A small-town thriller. The great writing you expect from Kreuger. | See Book Details |
| Mason | Simon | A Killing in November | Two British detectives one a slacker, the other a fashion plate. A great odd couple. | See Book Details |
| May | Peter | The Black House | The Isle of Lewis lovingly described, painful tension among friends, May shows what a terrific author he is. | See Book Details |
| Novik | Naomi | Empire of Ivory | If you love dragons, this series is for you. #4 is one of my favourites but read them in order. | See Book Details |
| Quinn | Kate | The Briar Club | Quinn is always good but I love the residents of this Washington DC boardinghouse during the McCarthy era. | See Book Details |
| Reverte | Arturo Perez Reverte | What We Become | High lifelong romance between a sophisticated jewel thief and a high society woman. | See Book Details |
| Stegner | Wallace | Crossing to Safety | One of the all-time greats, I treasure Stegner’s books and read them slowly. | See Book Details |
| Towles | Amor | Rules of Civility | Ney York in the 1930’s, social commentary, class struggle, and great writing. | See Book Details |
| Whitehead | Colson | The Nickel Boys | So good, I immediately re-read it. A residential school drama described with searing insight. Whitehead is one of my all-time favourites. | See Book Details |