Merna Summers was born in Alberta, and was a reporter and freelance journalist before turning to fiction. She has been active in The Writers' Union (as National Council member and second vice-president) and in the Writers' Guild of Alberta. She visited China in 1987 as a member of the Canadian Writers' Delegation. She has also been writer in residence at the University of Alberta, the Winnipeg Public Library, the St. Albert Public Library, and has been on the faculty of the Banff Centre's Writing Program and Saskatchewan's Sage Hill Writing Experience, among others. She has been a fellow at Hawthorden Castle, Scotland; Fundacion Valparaiso, Spain; and Kalani Honva Retreat Center, Island of Hawaii. Her works in progress are, A Whole Bunch of Us Angels, and Poet Laureate of the Zoo (a book of verse for children).