Pattern of Genes examines a life well lived, full of humour and character, but filled also with inescapable losses. These are intensely intimate poems that take us from the poet’s childhood in Winnipeg in the Second World War through her experiences as a Wren in the Royal Canadian Navy and as a traveller. There is a spirit of adventure and romance in her work, a vivid sense of time and place, but there is also a pervading elegiac tone as she copes with bereavement and loneliness.

Rosalie van Stelton's profile page

Rosalee van Stelten, CD, QGJM served in the Royal Canadian Navy (Wrens) during the Cold War. Her working life has taken her from Quonset hut, to palace, to cattle ranch, and from the Atlantic to the Pacific oceans. She is the only royal yachtswoman in HMY Britannia’s history. Born in Thunder Bay, raised in Winnipeg, and a Calgarian for many years, she now lives in Victoria, BC. A widely published free-lance writer, she has authored three books of poetry. She was awarded The Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal in 2002. WREN: memories of navy days/from royal yacht to quonset hut, a work in prose and verse released by Van Stelten in May, is available through http://www.alpinebookpeddlers.ca It recalls her Cold War experiences and special duty in Buckingham Palace and on the Royal Yacht. A former petty officer in the Royal Canadian Navy, Rosalee is the only female Yottie in HMY Britannia’s history. Royalties are donated to the Military Family Resource Centre in Victoria, BC. Awards/Award Nominations Finalist, Canada’s Cowboy Festival, Calgary, national poetry contest Gold watch award, Calgary Herald Christmas story contest Alberta Senior’s Games, Culture Division, bronze medal for poetry.