First-wave feminist, activist, and social reformer, Nellie McClung ranked as one of the most popular Canadian authors and among the liveliest critics of Canada's male-dominated society. Well ahead of her time, McClung was known as a writer who dared to discuss taboo topics, and for her inimitable humour, which rivals that of Stephen Leacock. This selection of her best short fiction includes depictions of difficult rural living conditions in Western Canada as well as "consciousness-raising" stories reflecting the undue restrictions on women and the anti-female laws and attitudes of her day.

Nellie McClung was one of the most important leaders in Canada's first wave of feminism and social reform. She was a member of the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) and the Women's Equity League, which were concerned with the health issues related to alcohol and the social problems facing women and children. She was also a member of the Canadian Women's Press Club and later, the Edmonton Equal Franchise league, which fought for women's rights, prohibition and factory safety legislation. In 1921, she was elected to the Legislative Assembly of Alberta and, in 1927, joined Emily Murphy, Irene Parlby, Louise Mckinney and Henrietta Edwards in their fight to have women declared "persons" under the law. Throughout the 1930s, McClung's writing career flourished with the publication of numerous newspaper articles, short stories, a novel and two memoirs. McClung was also the first woman appointed to the CBC's Board of Directors. Through her positions with the Canadian Authors' Association and Canadian Women's Press Club she was a strong promoter of women's writing and cultural nationalism. She died in 1951 in Victoria, B.C.

Nellie McClung's profile page

Marilyn I. Davis' profile page